Impact Snapshot
July 2024
In this Impact Snapshot, read about EHF Fellows in action creating economic, environmental and social impact, plus recent recognitions and awards they’ve received during July 2024.
Fellows in action 🎬
Yoav Lurie, Anthony Lee and Randy Komisar are helping New Zealand entrepreneurs to advance their global expansion and scaling opportunities through their involvement in Te Waka Hourua 2.0, organised by NZTE.
Held in the Bay Area, Te Waka Hourua 2.0 was an eight-day programme designed to enhance New Zealand’s venture growth funds. The event aimed to provide global insights, share case studies, and build US connections to bolster the success of New Zealand’s top venture funds and their portfolio companies. The initiative was focused on educating and inspiring New Zealand’s leading venture funds by facilitating connections with key players in Silicon Valley.
Yoav, founder of Simple Energy, shared his entrepreneurial journey, including a complex merger and acquisition that combined five companies into one. His experience highlighted the challenges and strategies involved in navigating high-stakes business deals and provided actionable lessons for scaling ventures globally.
Anthony, from Altos Ventures, has made significant contributions to New Zealand’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through investment and active engagement. His discussion covered investment strategies, emerging technologies, and support for founders, offering New Zealand entrepreneurs crucial insights for international scaling.
Randy, a world-renowned venture capitalist, shared his wisdom on entrepreneurship and investment, emphasising the importance of investing in founders who have both the commercial acumen to identify massive opportunities and the risk appetite to scale them quickly. He noted that while New Zealand excels in product development, it often struggles with scaling due to cultural factors and a fear of failure. He advised founders to enter larger markets like the US early to learn, connect, and grow.
Nathalie Whitaker and Mike Taitoko, co-founders of Toha, are piloting the MAHI token in Tairāwhiti, creating a new approach to support regenerative actions.
Their innovative work with MAHI, a digital token, facilitates payments for efforts benefiting nature and climate. Funds are directed from donors to frontline communities focused on repairing and regenerating local landscapes.
Nathalie and Mike's vision for MAHI is to uplift the regenerative economy by recognising and valuing nature-based work undertaken by various groups, including farmers, foresters, conservation groups, and whānau. MAHI sales support crucial activities such as nature repair, land stewardship, and invasive species management. Their system ensures these actions are verified through collected data like photos, receipts, and lab results, providing transparency and accountability.
By establishing the MAHI pilot, Nathalie and Mike aim to build confidence among funders, ensuring that investments are well spent, work is completed, and impactful outcomes are achieved. Their ultimate goal is to foster a regenerative economy that supports environmental restoration and conservation jobs, as well as contributing to the overall wellbeing of landscapes and communities.
Will Marshall and Robbie Schlinger, co-founders of Planet Labs, are featured in the new documentary ‘Wild Wild Space’, which includes a spotlight on the New Zealand space industry.
The film follows three rocket companies, including Planet Labs, and NZ-based Rocket Lab, in their race to push the boundaries of space exploration, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of getting satellites to orbit and the visionary leaders driving these efforts.
Will and Robbie’s work with Planet Labs is highlighted for its revolutionary Earth-imaging technology, which aids in climate monitoring, environmental protection, and disaster response. Their inclusion in the film highlights the potential of space technology to benefit humanity, and Aotearoa NZ’s opportunity to lead the way.
Hazel Heal’s efforts in Niue's historic push to become the first Pacific nation to eliminate Hepatitis B were celebrated with the release of the documentary ‘Down with Hepatitis’ on World Hepatitis Day, introduced by Kaye Maree Dunn and attended by Hazel’s team, whānau, supporters, the NZ Hepatitis Foundation, health leaders, and EHF team.
Hazel’s organisation, Global Health New Zealand, co-founded with Victor Zonana, partnered with Niue's Health Department to screen over 90% of the island's population during COVID-19 lockdowns. The programme's success is now a scalable model for other Pacific countries, aiming for regional elimination of the virus by 2030.
EHF Fellows Hunter Weeks and Kaye Maree Dunn visited Niue with Hazel, to film the documentary, with support also from Fellow Raj Vaswani.
Read RNZ article about release of film
To help eliminate Hepatitis in the Pacific, donate here.
Teresa Tepania-Ashton and David Bent are supporting wāhine Māori (Māori women) in the tech sector and connecting them to opportunities through a knowledge exchange event in London. This initiative, led by Te Taumata (of which Teresa is a trustee) and Callaghan Innovation, aimed to explore trade opportunities in the UK, Ireland, and France, and is part of a broader effort to advance Māori economic aspirations within the context of the UK-NZ and EU-NZ Free Trade Agreements.
The knowledge exchange, a world-first endeavour, involved ten wāhine (women) Māori tech leaders participating in London Tech Week, where they engaged with emerging technologies, networked with industry leaders, and explored market opportunities. The initiative not only sought to open new markets for Māori-led tech businesses but also aimed to inspire young wāhine Māori to pursue careers in innovation and technology. With women comprising only 26.7% and Māori 4.1% of the tech industry in Aotearoa NZ, fostering diversity is crucial.
David, who is London-based, arranged a breakfast meet up where the young tech leaders (pictured) could engage with those who advise tech entrepreneurs in London, hosted by The Conduit (a collaborative community of people committed to creating a just, prosperous and sustainable future, currently with locations in London and Oslo).
This knowledge exchange also includes a six-month post-exchange programme of support to build an ecosystem of wāhine Māori in tech who are trade ready and export enabled.
Jase Te Patu and Chris Simcock were panellists at the Festival for the Future, sharing their expertise to inspire future leaders.
Jase participated in the Toitū Te Tiriti panel, a discussion on emphasising the importance of protecting Te Tiriti o Waitangi amidst proposed governmental changes. He addressed how proposed changes could adversely affect Māori communities, particularly in relation to mental health support and culturally relevant services.
Chris Simcock contributed to the ‘Innovation for a Better Tomorrow’ panel, discussing how innovation can address global challenges. He spoke about the role of purpose-driven businesses in driving social and environmental change.
By sharing their knowledge and experiences, Jase and Chris are supporting a generation of leaders equipped to tackle future challenges.
Jade Taylor Tang facilitated a panel discussion on ‘Enabling Systems Change Leadership’ as part of Inclusive Aotearoa Collective’s SASS group’s Learning Lunches series. Fellow EHF Fellow Annie Ualesi featured on the panel.
The session explored ‘Voices from the Frontlines: Community-driven Pathways for Systems Change in Aotearoa’, where the panellists delved into their experiences and insights on leading systems change, sharing practical approaches and strategies for fostering impactful leadership in the field.
Annie shared the Samoan community-led approach to systems change to address the longstanding problem of rheumatic fever in Aotearoa. Aotearoa NZ and Australia are the last high-income countries in the world with significant rheumatic fever.
Jade has also been involved recently with updating the Aotearoa New Zealand Futures Network Map, providing an understanding and navigation of New Zealand's futures ecosystem.
Launched last year, the map aims to visualise the complex network of individuals and organisations involved in shaping the future of NZ. The updated map enhances visibility of the interconnected components and provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape, making it easier for stakeholders to engage with and navigate the futures ecosystem, ultimately creating more informed and strategic interactions.
Jade will be co-hosting the ‘Experiential Futures for Strategy and Innovation’ learning session with EHF Fellow Roger Dennis on 14 August. Roger will share how successive leaders of the Canterbury’s District Health Board embraced futures and foresight to transform a ‘broken system’ to a world-leading one.
Find out more
Brukty Tigabu’s Whiz Kids Workshop has expanded to include new educational initiatives aimed at nurturing emotional and social wellbeing for children and parents in Ethiopia, thanks to its collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Education, and support from the European Union.
The new initiatives include the full animation production and mass broadcast of ‘Tsehai Loves Learning’ in seven local languages. This educational platform provides essential information on health, literacy, and social-emotional learning. Additionally, comprehensive Social Emotional Learning school packs, which include teacher training, are being introduced for both ‘Tsehai Loves Learning’ and ‘Tibeb Girls’, a groundbreaking series of African superhero stories that promote cultural pride and a passion for learning.
With Ethiopia's public education system facing challenges, enhancing educational infrastructure and supporting healthy childhood development are crucial. Brukty’s leadership is helping to find solutions to make education both accessible and effective for children and families across the country.
Jarek Beksa showcased Audio Game Hub, his accessible gaming innovation, at the Audio Game Center exhibition in Tokyo.
By showcasing Audio Game Hub alongside other groundbreaking initiatives, to promote inclusivity within the gaming industry, Jarek is helping to bridge the gap for visually impaired gamers, offering them an engaging and immersive gaming experience, and raising awareness about the importance of accessibility in digital entertainment.
Erin Jackson was a panellist for the ‘Women in Tech’ event in Queenstown, discussing the power of community, storytelling, and branding in the tech industry.
She shared her expertise and experiences, offering valuable insights and perspectives to help inspire the next generation of women in tech. Her expertise aims to motivate emerging women in tech, demonstrating how personal experiences and strategic thinking can transform the field.
Audrey Tan moderated the ‘Care for Mental Health and The Youth’ session at the Caritas Singapore Social Mission Conference, reinforcing her role as a thought leader in mental health advocacy.
She facilitated critical discussions on supporting children and youth facing mental health challenges, addressing insights for tackling mental health within the Singaporean community, and enabling youth to feel seen, safe, and heard.
The discussion also included trauma-informed care values, strategies for understanding the mental health crisis, and initiatives to help youth overcome mental stress, trauma, and abandonment.
Audrey's involvement contributes to building a more supportive environment for young people, promoting their mental health and overall wellbeing.
David Inderias participated in a panel discussion on tokenization at the Web3 Future event in Tokyo, joining experts from Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan, to help to shape the future of digital economies and promote a shared vision of technological progress.
He engaged in discussions about the future of the industry, shared his insights, and had the opportunity to form new connections. His involvement helps with advancing the understanding and implementation of tokenization, driving innovation, and fostering collaboration in the Web3 space.
*Images have been provided by Fellows or sourced from the Internet. EHF does not claim to own the images.