I didn’t get the chance to immerse myself in the full 54-hour whirlwind of Startup Weekend Wellington this time around, but I did make it along to the finale — and wow, what a finish. The energy, the teamwork, and the sheer creativity filling the room were incredible to witness. I grabbed a few photos while I was there, starting with a great group shot of all the participants who brought their ideas, passion, and determination to life over one massive weekend.
⚡ Finale energy on full display#
Huge congratulations to EasySolar for taking out the top spot. Their pitch nailed every dimension — sharp customer insights, a crystal-clear value prop, and a credibility that only comes from living and breathing the local energy market. The team radiated good energy on stage, handled Q&A like seasoned founders, and made it obvious they’re ready to build beyond the weekend.
Their “Should I Get Solar?” decision tool distills the gnarly jargon of solar installs down to three simple questions, plus practical tools like a savings estimator, roof checker, and battery yes/no guide. You can try the demo at EasySolar.co.nz (currently mocked to assess one sample home) to see how they walk Kiwi households through location suitability, output estimates, EV charging potential, and even the carbon cuts you can expect once panels go live.
🔁 Themes that stood out#
- Care and climate, together. EasySolar is tackling home energy resilience while EveryBite aims to get more protein into the diets of older Kiwis by appealing to the family members who worry about them most — both took on everyday wellbeing with practical, human stories.
- B2B add-ons for everyday ops. Teams like PayBites explored value-added services that plug into existing payroll or HR platforms, showing how even small workflow boosts can unlock new business models.
- OneForm’s smart pivot. The team zeroed in on hotel review capture, building an AI-assisted note-taking flow that makes it painless for guests to leave thoughtful feedback — a tidy niche born from quick validation and willingness to change course.
🕶️ Runner-up RunnAR#
Runner-up (and my personal #1 pick) RunnAR lived up to the pun — a runner-up making gear for runners. Their sporty sunglasses promise “real-time results, zero distractions,” born from the founder’s first marathon when he wanted data without wrist-flicking. The concept is a purpose-built HUD that only shows the stats you actually want mid-stride, and as someone who loves gleaning insights from a smartwatch, this feels like the natural evolution of running tech.
There were so many other strong pitches, but I need to hop back into KiwiPyCon prep (I’m speaking on DNS as Code next week!) and tinker with my own startup backlog. I’m disappointed I couldn’t take part in this round end-to-end, yet the finale delivered enough inspiration to fuel the next sprint — and I’m already thinking about ideas for the next #SWWLG.
🛠️ What happens next#
We’re committed to backing Wellington’s founders even when we’re in heads-down build mode ourselves. That’s why we’re sketching a “year of service” program for 2026, keeping close tabs on experiments like The Fission Project, and looking for the niche where StartMeUpNZ can add the most leverage. A thriving startup ecosystem is central to our bigger outcome — a thriving New Zealand economy — and nights like this finale make it clear that Wellington has all the ingredients. Let’s keep the momentum rolling right through summer.
