And just like that, another year of Tupu has come to a close.
This year, we welcomed 21 founders across 10 pakihi, building ambitious ventures spanning technology, health, education, agritech, sustainability, AI, wellness and more.
Over eight intensive weeks, our 2026 purapura challenged assumptions, tested markets, strengthened their business models, built commercial capability and prepared their pakihi for investment and growth.
That journey culminated at the Tupu Accelerator Showcase in Tāmaki Makaurau, where our purapura took to the stage to share their ventures with investors, industry leaders, partners and the wider Tupu community.
As we close out our third year, we want to acknowledge the many people who have helped make Tupu what it is today.
Ngā mihi nunui to our delivery partner, Sprout Agritech, for the expertise, commitment and support you have brought to Tupu over the past three years, and for working alongside us to build an accelerator that is creating meaningful pathways for Māori founders.
We also acknowledge MBIE for co-funding Tupu throughout this time, alongside the coaches, mentors, contractors, suppliers and wider ecosystem whose collective mahi has supported our purapura along the way.
It takes an ecosystem to grow a startup, and Tupu is stronger for the people who continue to show up for our founders.
For our purapura, completing the accelerator isn’t the destination. We can’t wait to see where you take your pakihi next.
