BNZ Start-up Alley is an opportunity to take your start-up to the next level. It might just be the helping hand you need and it’s certainly a promotional opportunity you won’t get anywhere else.

10 Start-ups. 2 winners. There’s 10 opportunities at Webstock ‘14 at the BNZ Start-up Alley. If your start-up is chosen you’ll be able to tell everyone at Webstock what you’re about and pitch your start-up to our panel of expert judges in front of a live audience. Two start-ups will win $10,000 and more!

The prize

Two finalists will each win:

• $10K in cold, hard cash from BNZ to propel your start-up business.
• Return trip for 2 to Silicon Valley, San Francisco to meet with top international names in the web industry.
• A programme place at Kiwi Landing Pad in San Francisco.
• Opportunity to meet influential people in the NZ web industry.

As a finalist you will receive:

• A Small Business Banking package from BNZ , including $500, access to a business mentor and more.
• Two free tickets to Webstock ’14 — Thursday 13 and Friday 14 February.
• The opportunity to promote yourself to Webstock attendees and speakers via a specially produced BNZ Start-up Alley booklet given to all conference attendees.
• The opportunity to have an hour’s coaching for your pitch at Start-up Alley.
• The opportunity to be part of the BNZ Start-up Alley event on Thursday night at Webstock. Three minutes to pitch yourself to judges. Five minutes to answer their questions. All in front of a live audience.

The Finalists

The 10 finalists are:

• Boardingware
• Hoist
• HVNGRY
• InfluxHq.com
• Planet Goodness
• Parent Interviews
• SpeedCurve
• Skowt
• Thankyou Payroll
• WatchMyGear

The Judges

Dave Moskovitz

Dave is a professional director and early stage investor, and has been called “the Godfather of Wellington Startups“. He’s also an InternetNZ Councillor, Global Facilitator of Startup Weekends, mentor at the Lightning Lab accelerator, closet developer and computational lexicographer.

Sacha Judd

Sacha is a partner at law firm Buddle Findlay, and specialises in working with startups and high-growth technology companies. She acts for companies like Vend, Wynyard, Pushpay, Pocketsmith, Letterboxd, Lil Regie and many others. Sacha likes to help startup entrepreneurs get to grips with raising capital, and launched a web app called Back of a Napkin for collaborators to get a simple agreement together before they get started.

Lance Wiggs

Lance likes trying to raise lots of money, firstly with Pacific Fibre and last year with Punakaiki Fund. He doesn’t like that he failed each time, but is very happy to have co-founded or invested in over 17 companies, including 200Square, Pocketsmith, My Tours, Define Instruments and Vend.

Lance is a strategy, finance and business advisor, facilitator and speaker. As an Internet NZ Councillor he encourages everyone to join ($21) and help deliver the vision of “a better world through a better Internet.”

Deborah Lee Marlow

Deborah is an internationally recognized, award winning Serial Entrepreneur whose business mantras are “Happiness is a Positive Cashflow”…and… “Nothing Happens Until You Sell Something!”

Harry Ferreira

Harry is the Head of Small Business at the Bank of New Zealand. He has held the reins as BNZ Small Business has won the Canstar Award for Best Small Business Bank in New Zealand for the last three years running. Outside of BNZ he has started and run successful business of his own in both South Africa and New Zealand.

And your MC for the evening

Nat Torkington

Nat ran the first web server in New Zealand, wrote a bestselling programming book, chaired the biggest open source programming conference in North America, and was a trend spotter for O’Reilly Media. He returned to New Zealand in 2005 and started Kiwi Foo Camp, a gathering of influential New Zealanders. He is currently Head of Partnerships for Hapara, an education startup based in Palo Alto and Auckland. Somewhere in there, he finds time to play bluegrass banjo.

The fine print

Please read the Terms and Conditions [PDF] that apply to the event and competition. By entering into this competition it is deemed you have read the Terms & Conditions. You agree to be used for promotional purposes by Webstock and the BNZ. You agree to interviews as required.