Tupu is taking ten teams of founders on a journey to transform their pakihi from startup to an investment-ready venture.
Find out moreBuild meaningful connections with like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs in Aotearoa
Tupu Accelerator
Aotearoa New Zealand
Co-facilitator
Tupu Accelerator
Aotearoa New Zealand
Mentor
Tupu Accelerator
Aotearoa New Zealand
Co-facilitator
Tupu Accelerator
Aotearoa New Zealand
Mentor
With access to expert mentors, dedicated coaches, and a supportive community of ambitious Māori founders, let Tupu unlock the potential of your pakihi as you gain essential skills in developing scalable business models, enhancing revenue generation strategies, and establishing robust commercial practices.
Dive deep into understanding market demands and customer needs to refine your product's market fit, optimise your business model for sustainability, and navigate the complexities of investor relations, financial modelling, and persuasive pitching so that your pakihi thrives in the venture capital ecosystem.
Behold Tipuānuku, of the fertile soil. Spread your plenty across the land, reveal the bounty of Rongo. Indeed!
– Nā Rangi Mātāmua
United through the shared vision of driving Māori entrepreneurship forward, Sprout Agritech and Tapuwae Roa have partnered to deliver Tupu, an innovative business accelerator that is paving the way for pakihi Māori to to grow and become investment-ready, co-funded by Callaghan Innovation.
Find out more| Kaupapa | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | 24 February | Online |
| Applications close | 20 March | Online |
| Panel interviews for shortlisted teams |
10 – 11 April | Online |
| Mihi whakatau and Wānanga tuatahi |
1 – 3 May | Tāmaki Makaurau |
| 1 x weekly wānanga 1 x weekly coaching |
5 May – 22 June | Online |
| Wānanga tuarua | 29 – 31 May | Tāmaki Makaurau |
| Wānanga tuatoru | 24 – 25 June | Tāmaki Makaurau |
| Final Showcase | 26 June | Tāmaki Makaurau |
The Tupu Accelerator has proven to be a transformative force for Māori entrepreneurship within Aotearoa with a total Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 84.5%*. Recognising the positive influence of the programme on their ventures, many of our former Purapura (founders) believe the programme has significantly advanced their pakihi, providing them with the skills and confidence to scale their operations and elevate their startup to new heights.
*Results from responding Purapura in the 2025 Tapuwae Roa post-programme NPS survey
"Tupu is just the beginning of my journey, but the lessons and insights I have gained during this course has accelerated this start-up process in a way I could not have imagined"– Purapura (2024 cohort)
Applications are open from 24 February to 20 March 2025
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present to an online panel between 10 – 11 April 2025
Ten start-up teams will be inducted into the accelerator with the first wānanga on 1 – 3 May 2025
Whītiki tauā - A huge mihi to everyone who joined us at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki for the Tupu Accelerator Showcase i tērā wiki, he pō whakahirahira hoki. It was an inspiring [...]
Tapuwae Roa is proud to present the Tupu Accelerator Showcase 2025, taking place on Thursday 26 June at the Auckland Art Gallery. This all-inclusive event marks the culmination of our eight-week kaupapa-Māori business accelerator, where [...]
Earlier this month, Tapuwae Roa we welcomed ten new pakihi to our second iteration of the Tupu Accelerator. Delivered in partnership with Sprout Agritech and co-funded by Callaghan Innovation, the eight-week programme now enters its [...]
