INVESTING IN A BRIGHTER FUTURE
First Cut is Icehouse Ventures' community for young startup founders and operators, and this year, we're taking it on the road.
Across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, we're bringing together young founders and operators to share stories, make connections, and fuel aspirations.
Whether you're in the thick of your first venture, brainstorming your next big idea, or just trying to figure out what building a startup looks like, this is for you.
Expect honest conversations and practical insights from founders and operators at different stages of the journey.
Free to attend. Drinks and kai provided.
Jason Leong: Co-founder of PocketSmith, a personal finance platform helping people manage money and forecast cash flow, used in over 190 countries.
Yvette Shum: Founder of Coral Cone, sustainable menstrual products designed and manufactured in New Zealand, with a portion of every sale donated to marine conservation.
Monique Kaminski: Founder of Jeuneora, a B Corp-certified skincare and supplements brand started with a single product in 2016, now has over 100,000 customers across 15+ countries.
James Powell: Co-founder of Dawn Aerospace, a New Zealand company building reusable spaceplanes and green satellite propulsion, with 130+ people globally and over 200 thrusters in orbit.
Vanessa Radich: Head of People and Culture at Appetise, a meal planning and grocery app used by 40,000+ households, turning real shopping behaviour into live insights for 150+ FMCG brands. Previously at Vend, Timely, Fuel50, Melodics.
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Brooke Roberts: Co-founder of Sharesies, a wealth technology platform built to create financial empowerment for everyone, now with over one million investors across New Zealand and Australia.
Sonny Ngatai: Director at ATA, a Māori language promotion and production agency delivering content, campaigns, and social strategy for Aotearoa-centric audiences.
Frances Shoemack: Founder of Abel, a 100% natural fragrance brand founded in 2013, now selling in over 30 countries.
Robbie Wen: Co-founder of Legend Story Studios, the trading card game studio behind Flesh and Blood, which is now sold in over 4,000 stores across 50 countries. Named New Zealand's fastest-growing company in the 2022 Deloitte Fast 50.
Jimin Seo: Co-founder of HYADES, a University of Auckland student building a geospatial machine learning platform for enterprise teams working with satellite and spatial data.
Penelope Barton: CEO of Crimson Global Academy and Co-founder of Crimson Academies, where she leads a portfolio of innovative schools redefining what education can look like in a digital-first world.
