Māori entrepreneurs are behind some of New Zealand's most innovative companies, from fintech firm BlinkPay to fusion energy startup OpenStar. But those behind the Tupu Accelerator say creating the next generation of high-growth Māori businesses will require backing founders much earlier in their journey.

Demand for Tapuwae Roa's Tupu Accelerator keeps climbing, with a new cohort of ten high-growth Māori-founded ventures welcomed for the programme's third consecutive year. From a digital health platform for people living with IBS to an on-farm unit that turns waste milk into feed-grade powder, the ten start-ups making up the 2026 Tupu Accelerator cohort show the breadth of Māori innovation now scaling out of [...]

Tapuwae Roa has again welcomed 10 Māori-founded startups into its Tupu Accelerator, marking the third consecutive year of the eight-week programme supporting high-growth enterprises with global ambitions. The 2026 cohort was formally welcomed last week at a mihi whakatau hosted at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, attended by representatives from Aotearoa’s venture capital, investment, government, and innovation sectors.

We’re excited to share that Tupu is back for 2026 — and applications are now open. Now in its third consecutive year, the Tupu Accelerator is seeking ten ambitious Māori founded startups ready to grow their pakihi into global ventures. 

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 night celebrating our 2025 Purapura cohort as they pitched their pakihi to a packed room of investors, supporters, and whānau.