The American Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2026 AmCham-DHL Express Success and Innovation Awards, the 27th year of these awards celebrating success and innovation for companies doing business with the USA.
AmCham Executive Director, Mike Hearn said that this year we have changed some of the categories to include some of the fastest growing sectors doing business with the USA including space, defence, security, innovation and frontier technologies, Health, life sciences & FMCG.
“Despite all the global challenges, over the last year trade with the US has continued to grow. ”
Mark Foy, Managing Director, DHL Express New Zealand & Pacific Islands, commented: The calibre of this year's finalists reflects the strength of the New Zealand business community and its growing engagement with the United States. At DHL, we see firsthand the ambition required to succeed in the US, and this year's finalists have demonstrated a clear focus on growth and innovation, reinforcing the importance of the United States as a key export destination for New Zealand businesses. On behalf of DHL Express New Zealand, I congratulate all the 2026 finalists.
The winners receive an airfare to anywhere in the USA on United Airlines, with the Supreme winner also receiving US$5,000 of advisory services from Sweeney Vesty, introductions to venture capitalists, economic development agencies in the USA as well as to other valuable connections. Over the last twenty-six years our sponsors have provided over $400,000 worth of prizes to our award winners.
This year’s awards and finalists are:
Defence, space and security with the USA: Celebrating innovation and collaboration in critical security and aerospace sectors. Sponsored by Lockheed Martin.
- Dawn Aerospace New Zealand Ltd - Gallagher Security - Hirtenberger Defence Technology Ltd - Merlin Labs NZ Ltd Innovation and frontier technology (inc fintech) with the USA: Recognizing leadership in cutting-edge technological advancements and financial innovation. Sponsored by Ironside McDonald IP/Buckley Systems.
- Auror Ltd - Lumin - Virtual Eye Ltd
Health, life sciences & FMCG with the USA: Highlighting achievements in the health, biotechnology, and fast-moving consumer goods industries. Sponsored by ANZ Bank.
- BLIS Technologies Ltd - Wet & Forget Ltd - Zespri Kiwifruit – New Zealand Kiwi Holdings Inc.
Sustainable trade and climate with the USA: Honouring contributions to environmental stewardship and the development of sustainable business practices and climate solutions. Sponsored by Insprie Labs.
- AgriZeroNZ - The Better Packaging Co. Ltd - The Sustainable Care Company Ltd (Cleanery)
Cultural connections and inclusion (inc Tourism) with the USA: Acknowledging efforts that bridge communities and promote diverse cultural exchange and inclusive practices. Sponsored by United Airlines.
- Crimson Education Ltd - The Exquisite Group Ltd - Kiwa Digital Ltd - The University of Auckland Business School
Emerging exporter to the USA: Recognizing new and high-growth exporter demonstrating imagination and entrepreneurship in the US market. Sponsored by DHL Express.
- Alimetry Ltd - Evre Self-Care Ltd (NZ) & Evre Self-Care Inc. (US) - Wai Mānuka Ltd
Investor of the year to or from the USA: Honouring significant investment activity, either inbound and outbound, that strengthens the economic ties between the two nations. Sponsored by Sweeney Vesty.
- Bridgewest Venture Fund - TBA’s
One of the above will be selected as the Supreme winner.
One other award will be presented on the night: The AmCham Supporter of the Year
The awards will be presented at a black-tie gala dinner at the Pullman Hotel Auckland on 17th September for details and tickets see https://www.amcham.co.nz/event-6381968
Previous winners of the Supreme Award have included Peace Software; Airways Corporation; HumanWare; Tenon; Orion Health; Zeacom; SMI Group; Fonterra; Pratt & Whitney Air New Zealand Services t/a Christchurch Engine Centre; Buckley Systems; Greenshell New Zealand; Vista Entertainment; Fisher & Paykel Healthcare; Douglas Pharmaceuticals, Zespri International; Tourism Holdings; Sir Peter Beck; Seequent Ltd; Oritain Global; Auror Ltd; Toku Eyes, and Windcave.
AFT Pharmaceuticals (NZX: AFT; ASX: AFP), today announces that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a tentative approval for Scomara (rapamycin 0.5% cream) for treatment of Facial Angiofibromas in Tuberous Sclerosis (FA in TSC). The quality, efficacy and safety data has been evaluated, and subsequent product labelling and claims have been tentatively approved but the launch and commercialisation is subject to existing ‘orphan exclusivity’ for another product that was granted in 2022 and expires on 22 March 2029. FA in TSC affects between 15,000 to 30,000 patients in the US. Orphan exclusivity in some countries is a regulatory incentive granted to pharmaceutical companies to encourage the development of treatments for rare diseases. In the United States, it provides seven years of market protection during which the FDA cannot approve any other application for the same drug for the same rare disease indication. However, the orphan exclusivity granted in the US does not apply in many other significant markets around the world, where FDA approval will support regulatory approval. These markets include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, where AFT operates directly itself, and many markets in Asia. In these markets AFT believes Scomara will have a competitive advantage over the existing orphan product because the medicine is only applied once a day and it is stored at ambient temperature. In contrast, the competing product must be refrigerated and is applied twice per day. AFT Managing Director Dr Hartley Atkinson said, “We are pleased to achieve this tentative approval following FDA review of our regulatory application but are disappointed that the US launch will be delayed at least until 22 March 2029. However, the tentative approval is a catalyst for AFT to develop new and significant markets for the medicine outside the US which is positive.” AFT has not forecast any revenue from the medicine in its budgets so this decision does not impact AFT’s forecast for FY27. AFT receives a 65% share of the earnings from the opportunity world-wide after the recovery of development costs. AFT also separately receives a royalty for the use of its proprietary technology in the medicine which is due prior to any profit share calculations. The remaining 35% of profits accrues to the 35% owner of AFT Orphan Pharmaceuticals
Released for, and on behalf of, AFT Pharmaceuticals Limited by Stuart Houliston, Chief Financial Officer
Source: https://www.aftpharm.com/news/
The non-alcoholic category isn't slowing down - and neither are we. We're thrilled to announce Free AF is now available in 900 Kroger stores across the US, including Ralphs Grocery Company, Roundy's Supermarkets, Inc., Smith's Food & Drug Centers, Fred Meyer, and Fry's Food and Drug.This comes right off the back of our major Whole Foods Market launch earlier this year - and marks another giant leap in our US journey. From a female founded brand born in New Zealand in 2020 to 400 Sprouts Farmers Market stores in 2023 and now on the shelves of 4,500 stores across the US, including Walmart and Target. Look for our Margarita Variety and Apero Spritz 4-packs on-shelf now at Kroger stores. Head to our Store Finder to find your nearest stockist →https://lnkd.in/eHjZTAAX.✅ Because everyone deserves a great drink & now it’s even easier for people to get their hands on a Free AF non-alc cocktail in the US. Source: Free AF
On 24 July, USTR announced its final action following its Section 301 investigation into 60 economies that it considers have failed to prohibit and effectively enforce the importation of goods produced (in whole or in part) using forced labour. The final action replaces the 10% Section 122 tariffs, which expired on 24 July, and applied additional tariffs on all investigated economies, accounting for 99% of US goods imports.
Under the final determination, New Zealand is among 41 economies subject to an additional 12.5% tariff. For 38 economies this will be applied on top of the United States' normal Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariff rates For Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland it is a ‘net’ rate of 12.5%.
Find the Fact Sheet(external link), Presidential Action(external link) and Federal Register notice(external link).
As with the previous Section 122 tariff regime, a number of New Zealand export products remain exempt from the additional duties. These include:
In addition, USTR has expanded the list of excluded products, adding several hundred tariff lines. See the Annex(external link) to the Presidential Memorandum of 23 July for detail.
The additional exclusions cover approximately NZ$100 million of New Zealand exports, with around 80% of this trade falling under two tariff lines:
For New Zealand, the new Section 301 tariffs will be applied in addition to MFN tariffs, consistent with the previous Section 122 and IEEPA tariff arrangements.
However, the new duties are separate from and will not be imposed on top of existing Section 232 tariffs. Products already subject to Section 232 measures will continue to face those tariffs rather than any Section 301 tariff.
New Zealand is among the 38 economies facing the higher 12.5% tariff (plus MFN), alongside:
The following economies will face an additional 10% tariff (plus MFN):
This was previewed by the draft USTR notice in June. The Presidential Action states that: ‘10 percent is the appropriate rate of Section 301 duties for investigated economies that (i) impose a forced labor import prohibition; (ii) have committed to impose and enforce such a prohibition through an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade; or (iii) have imposed a partial regime with the effect of preventing the importation of certain forced labor goods.’
For several economies, in line with their negotiated framework agreements with the United States, the tariff rate is structured as 10% or 12.5% net of MFN, meaning the total tariff payable is capped at that rate, or if the MFN tariff is over that rate, only the MFN tariff applies:
A more detailed explanation is laid out in the Federal Register Notice.
The New Zealand Government remains disappointed by the US decision and will continue to engage with the United States regarding the investigation and resulting tariff measures.
Exporters should review affected tariff lines and monitor official guidance, including updates to MFAT’s Tariff Finder(external link), which has been updated to reflect the new measures.
Source: https://www.mfat.govt.nz/
On July 13, 2026, the USITC received a letter from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) requesting that the USITC conduct an investigation, under section 202 of the Trade Act of 1974, to determine whether lamb meat is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury, or the threat thereof, to the domestic industry producing like or directly competitive products. See the request letter from USTR [PDF, 2 pages]. Draft questionnaires intended to supplement data from other sources are available for public comment in the Electronic Document Information System (EDIS), document number 887971, through close of business, Friday, July 17, 2026. Comments should be submitted electronically through EDIS and reference Investigation No. 201-3923. Additional information related to this investigation is available in EDIS under Investigation No. 201-3923 (subject to change) and the USITC’s Investigations Database System. Please continue to visit usitc.gov for updates on the investigation.
Source: https://www.usitc.gov/
Australia and New Zealand remain attractive destinations for foreign direct investment, but risk losing ground as global capital increasingly flows to markets that can deliver projects faster, build workforce capability and provide greater policy certainty, new research shows. The EY Australia and New Zealand Foreign Direct Investment Attractiveness Survey, based on the views of 300 international business decision-makers, found that Australia and New Zealand rank highly for quality of life, political stability and sustainability credentials. However, the survey shows those reputational strengths are not necessarily the factors driving capital allocation decisions. When deciding where to invest, respondents placed the greatest weight on workforce capability (30 per cent), labour and input costs (29 per cent), R&D and innovation (26 per cent), market size (21 per cent) and tax competitiveness (21 per cent). The findings also point to a growing competitiveness challenge as governments race to attract investment in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, digital infrastructure, clean energy and critical minerals. Respondents cited labour and input costs (30 per cent), energy costs (29 per cent), level of innovation and R&D (26 per cent), market size (25 per cent) and the regulatory environment (25 per cent) as the main disadvantages of investing in Australia and New Zealand. Approvals processes for foreign investment remain another constraint, with only 16 per cent of respondents viewing Australia’s approvals processes for foreign investment as “not at all restrictive,” compared with 5 per cent in New Zealand. Cherelle Murphy, EY Regional Chief Economist, Oceania, said the survey showed Australia and New Zealand’s strong investment reputations needed to be matched by faster execution. “Australia and New Zealand are still highly regarded by investors, but reputation alone will not be enough to win capital in a more competitive global economy,” Ms Murphy said. “The next wave of capital will be harder to secure. Investors are looking for economies that can commercialise ideas, mobilise talent and turn major projects into value,” she said. The scale of foreign investment already flowing into the region underscores why the competition for capital matters. “From 2015 to 2025, more than 4,600 foreign direct investment projects worth almost US$400 billion were announced across the two countries, supporting nearly 400,000 jobs,” she said. Ms Murphy said improving competitiveness would require Australia and New Zealand to accelerate readiness for AI investment and innovation, build workforce capability and productivity, and improve tax competitiveness and investment certainty. “Almost half of investors identified stronger technology infrastructure as the top priority for improving attractiveness to AI investment and innovation, but technology infrastructure is only part of the challenge,” she said. “Investors have also pointed to the need for skills investment, targeted migration settings and clearer pathways for specialised talent to support workforce capability and productivity.” Tax certainty is also central to the competitiveness agenda, with 19 per cent of investors identifying unstable, unpredictable or uncompetitive tax settings as a leading risk to future attractiveness. Ms Murphy said supportive policy settings would be critical to encouraging business to commit capital over the long term. “Capital goes where it is treated best, and that means stable, predictable settings with tax rates that stand up to our competitors. These are the settings that will give businesses confidence to plan five to ten years ahead in our region,” she said. -ENDS- About the EY Attractiveness Survey EY explored Australia and New Zealand’s perceived attractiveness via an anonymous online survey of international decision-makers across a range of industries, markets and organisation sizes. The survey defined the attractiveness of a location as a combination of image, investor confidence and the perception of a country or area’s ability to provide the most competitive benefits from foreign direct investment. The field research was conducted by FT Longitude between March and April 2026, based on a representative panel of 300 senior corporate executives (C-suite or C-1 roles). The survey panel’s demographics were determined by the most recently available FDI data (2023-2025). The research sought a representative sample of investors into the region, by geography, industry and company size. About EY EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets. Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow. EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fuelled by sector insights, a globally connected, multidisciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories. All in to shape the future with confidence. EY refers to the global organisation, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young Australia, a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.
Source: https://www.ey.com/en_au/newsroom/2026/07/ey-foreign-direct-investors-rank-australia-and-new-zealand
After more than a decade of development in New Zealand, Auckland-based medtech company OptiRTP traveled to the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington DC in May this year and - according to the U.S. Commercial Service - became the first New Zealand company to ever place in the Summit's Defense pitch competition, finishing third globally. "We've been part of the AmCham community for years, and that's where this began. The relationships we built there led us to the U.S. Commercial Service, and the Commercial Service is what opened the door to SelectUSA." Jon Doherty, CEO, OptiRTP. OptiRTP's Chief Operating Officer, Sharyn Harper, delivered the pitch in Washington. "Standing in that room in Washington and delivering that pitch - representing not just OptiRTP but New Zealand - was one of the most memorable moments of my career. Being selected into Select Global Women in Tech on top of that means the relationship with SelectUSA continues well beyond the competition itself. The doors that have opened since have been remarkable." Sharyn Harper, COO, OptiRTP. None of it happened in isolation. OptiRTP is grateful to AmCham New Zealand, where the relationships began, and to the U.S. Commercial Service, the U.S. Consulate General in Auckland, the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC, NZTE, and the wider SelectUSA network for their support and guidance throughout. "OptiRTP is another example of a New Zealand company expanding into the USA and achieving success. Their pitching achievement has opened doors that could have taken years to happen and reflects the importance for New Zealand companies to attend the annual SelectUSA Summit." Mike Hearn, Executive Director, AmCham NZ The U.S. Embassy & Consulate in New Zealand has published a feature on OptiRTP, produced by the Embassy's Public Affairs team following an on-record interview in June. Read the full article → nz.usembassy.gov OptiRTP's technology, Optimum Bio Sound Therapy (OBST), is an FDA-registered Class I medical device that delivers patterned acoustic neuromodulation via the auditory pathway. Developed and refined in New Zealand over more than a decade, it generated a substantial body of real-world observations in high-performance sport - working with Olympians, world champions, professional rugby players, and cricketers. The questions being answered in that environment - how do you recover faster, perform better, and stay ready longer - are the same questions U.S. defense asks of its personnel every day. That body of work is what took OptiRTP to Washington. The company is now focused on commercializing in the United States, advancing its FDA regulatory pathway, and pursuing a pipeline of pilot opportunities across the U.S. defense ecosystem - building the foundation to scale from the U.S. to global markets. For more information: www.optirtp.com
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rt Hon Winston Peters Speech at the US Embassy event celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Independence of the United States – Wellington
We’d like to begin by acknowledging distinguished guests here today, the Speaker of the House, the Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee; Ministers, Hon Casey Costello and Hon Scott Simpson; and, Members of Parliament; and the Dean and members of the Diplomatic Corps. Thank you Ambassador for an inspired theme to celebrate your country’s 250th anniversary. In Philadelphia, on July 4th, 1776, the 2nd Continental Congress declared, on behalf of the American colonies, their independence from King George the 3rd. There was a special alchemy in Philadelphia that day. Driven by a repudiation of an intolerable status quo, America’s Founders’ self-belief led them to ignore limits, and defy history to declare a new birth of freedom. They were acutely aware of the price of failure – their heads – for they were committing treason, but the Founding generation of American leaders had a scarcely believable confidence in the righteousness of their cause. And while American independence reads as an historical inevitability today – for as pamphleteer Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense, ‘there is something absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an Island’ – their revolution was far from assured. Declaring independence is one thing, but defending it altogether another, and on the 4th of July 1776, General Washington was facing the full might of the British armada, now closing in on New York. Washington’s Continental army’s defeat there, followed by its month’s-long retreat southwards revealed the obvious mismatch in military resources. But after defeat and retreat, the General crossed the Delaware River and his counter-attacks in Trenton and Princeton in December 1776 brought the Americans, and their newly declared independence, time. Washington realized that as long as his army was never forced into a major battle, leading to its total defeat, then time, and America’s great space would ultimately break British treasure and resolve. It did, but before the strategy succeeded and victory was finally achieved at Yorktown in 1781 were the terrible deprivations General Washington’s army faced during harsh winters at Valley Forge and Jockey Hollow. Time and again the revolution could have failed, and if the British held every military advantage the Americans held a more decisive advantage, the quality of their leadership. General Washington, alongside Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison not only created and secured new political space for their citizens, but they along with their fellow Founders created in 1789 a Constitution that gave rise to a new experiment in republican government. That experiment was every bit as revolutionary as the Declaration that preceded it, for embedded in the Constitution was Madison’s brilliant insight that a large republic would be advantaged in ‘controlling the effects of factions’ over a small one and is widely viewed as the origin of pluralism. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, President Jefferson extended the republican sphere westwards, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Over time, the Monroe Doctrine, and then eventual statehoods for Alaska and Hawaii extended the American sphere further westwards, firmly cementing the United States as a Pacific nation – something we need to remind you of, from time to time. Americans have been favoured by their geography, and the riches that lie within bountiful lands. But it is the American people who through their own dreams, ambition and imagination broke this ground to forge the global power whose anniversary we celebrate today. So, when reflecting upon the United States’ 250th and the accumulated triumphs and tragedies of American history, the very best of the national character – or its ‘Better Angels’, as President Lincoln described it in his First Inaugural Address – is revealed. From the Revolutionary era until our modern age, generations of Americans have ignored the limits imposed on them to forge new ground in domain after domain. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison saw historic opportunity when they planted the seed of republican government on such expansive and fertile space as America possessed. For their successors, from Lewis and Clark’s grand traverse to putting man on the moon, to Voyager 1, now in interstellar space, and onwards to the new frontier of AI, the American mind has always been an expansive one. And just as the Revolutionaries of 1776 reinvented what it meant to be an American, in even its most inward-looking times the United States has ultimately emerged closer to Jefferson’s ideal with each reinvention or era of renewal. The United States was forged in bloody revolution and involved in many wars since. New Zealanders and Americans have spilled blood together on battlefields far away from our homes. So, even as tonight we celebrate America’s 250th, we should take a moment to acknowledge those in uniform who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend the values we two old democracies share. American writer Pearl Buck, receiving her Nobel Prize for Literature in 1942, said, “One faces the future with one’s past”. The United States has contributed enormously to the shaping of history, since Thomas Paine said simply, in 1776, “tis time to part”. The expansive ambition and competitive energy that has driven the United States and its people has been a singular force in shaping global history. We pray that the lessons of your history will inform the challenges and choices you face in the future. And that America’s future is as enduring as its past. If that future carries forward the character of its Founders – the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, the idealism of Thomas Jefferson, and the leadership qualities of George Washington – then that future is assured. On behalf of all here tonight, can we please raise our glasses to toast Ambassador Novelly, and to the people of the United States of America on their 250th anniversary.
Source: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/
The autonomous machine revolution is no longer a forecast. Drones are surveilling borders, delivering cargo, and flying combat missions. Humanoid robots are entering warehouses and factory floors, and quadrupeds are inspecting pipelines and disaster zones. Every one of these machines moves because of motors. For decades, nearly all of those motors have been built overseas. China manufactures more than 30M more drone motors and robot actuators every year than the U.S. does. For American and other global companies building drones, humanoids, and mobile robots, that dependency isn't just a supply chain inconvenience, it's a structural vulnerability. That is why we are excited to announce Outset's investment in Westmag. The missing layer in the autonomous machine stack Motors are commodity hardware: high-volume, cost-sensitive, and present in virtually every machine that moves through the physical world. A drone has four, a robot actuator has a motor at its core, and a humanoid has thirty or more. That ubiquity is exactly what makes domestic supply so consequential and its absence so limiting. The problem isn't that engineers can't design great motors. The problem is that no one has built the domestic manufacturing infrastructure to produce them at the volumes and cost points the market requires. OEMs today are stuck choosing between a supply chain they can't see into and a domestic alternative that can't yet meet their scale. That tradeoff has been the reality for years; however, the demand is no longer patient. The autonomous machine decade is here, and it arrived faster than domestic supply ever prepared for. A large and urgent market Demand for high-performance motors and actuators across drones, humanoids, quadrupeds, and mobile robots will exceed what the domestic industry has ever produced by orders of magnitude over the next few years. Group 1, 2, and 3 UAS platforms alone represent an enormous and growing volume need. You add the humanoid and quadruped markets, each scaling rapidly, and the addressable opportunity becomes one of the largest manufacturing buildouts in recent memory. The policy environment has sharpened the urgency further. When the FCC moved in December 2025 to restrict the sale of new foreign-made drones and critical components, including motors, it confirmed what drone and robotics OEMs had already been saying privately for years. The demand for a reliable domestic supplier is both immediate and accelerating. Enter Westmag Westmag is building the vertically integrated American motor company: they’re designing, manufacturing, and scaling drone motors and robot actuators from a single integrated platform in South San Francisco. The team designs motors and actuators on a shared architecture, then winds, assembles, and validates them on an integrated production line built around flexible automation and replicable modules. The shared architecture matters, so every engineering investment, manufacturing process, and supply chain relationship compounds across both product lines. Westmag is already shipping against a committed book of orders for hundreds of thousands of units. The roadmap targets annual capacity of more than 30M units before 2030. To get there, the team is investing upstream: in stator steel stamping, rare-earth magnet finishing, and other subcomponent production; to drive cost engineering and deepen control across the full bill of materials. The supply chain is NDAA-compliant by design, anchored in U.S. and allied sourcing, and includes close partnerships already established in Japan. Westmag was founded by David Hansen (CEO) and Jordan Sanders (COO), who bring together product, operations, and scale-manufacturing expertise. The broader team draws from Waterloo, UBC, MIT, and Cornell, amongst others. The founding conviction is simple and sharp: America has never built this category at scale, and that gap is opening exactly when the demand for it is exploding. Why we invested At Outset, we back deep technology companies addressing large, enduring markets led by founders who understand both the engineering and the system they're operating within. Westmag sits at the intersection of advanced manufacturing, national security, and the autonomous machine stack: a critical input to multiple trillion-dollar industries, with no credible domestic supplier at scale. Outset is proud to back Westmag as they build the motor and actuator infrastructure that drones and robots will run on for decades to come. Source: https://outset.ventures/
DataMasque have raised US$4m to solve a critical AI problem: how enterprises can safely use their sensitive customer data to train AI models. Co-founded by Grant de Leeuw and Greg Daniel, DataMasque generates synthetically identical data that removes privacy risks while keeping data valuable for AI training and testing. Since their seed round in late 2023, they have tripled headcount and achieved 6x ARR growth, winning customers like New York Life, ADP, Best Western, and government agencies across three countries. "With a lean team based largely in New Zealand, DataMasque has managed to win highly competitive enterprise deals against far better-resourced global competitors. At a time when companies are trying to work out how to deploy AI safely, we think they’re exceptionally well-positioned. Yes, there are major tailwinds behind the space, but tailwinds alone don't win contracts like the ones DataMasque has secured.” - Bex Gidall, Principal at Icehouse Ventures.
Source: https://www.icehouseventures.co.nz/
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