Founder Spotlight: Lara Hofer
Soda's Growth Lab supports ambitious founders to build stronger businesses through expert guidance, practical learning and a supportive community. In this Founder Spotlight, Lara Hofer, founder of MyWrinkles and MyScar, shares the impact the programme has had on her business.Founder: Lara HoferBusiness: MyWrinklesGrowth Lab cohort: Women in Business 2026Tell us about your business…MyWrinkles is a New Zealand-owned beauty brand creating reusable silicone wrinkle patches designed to support smoo...
October 15, 2026From France to Whangamatā: Crafting Chocolate with Purpose
When French chocolatier Thomas Capdevielle moved to New Zealand, he wasn't just looking for a change of scenery. He saw an opportunity to build something different....
August 5, 2026Building a Smarter Future for Dairy Farming
For Hamilton-based agri-tech company Agora, rapid growth has brought exciting opportunities – and some challenges....
July 21, 2026Founder Spotlight: Lisa Quarrie
Soda's Growth Lab supports ambitious founders to build stronger businesses through expert guidance, practical learning and a supportive community. In this Founder Spotlight, Lisa Quarrie, founder of Hayes Common and Common Compost, shares the impact the programme has had on her business....
June 29, 2026MyWrinkles Wins Growth Lab
A simple idea with big potential - smoothing wrinkles while you sleep - has won Soda's Business Fundamentals Growth Lab and $2,000 to support its next stage of growth....
April 20, 2026Food & Beverage Accelerator a Shortcut to Business Ownership
When Jessica Jones bought seafood manufacturing business Blackbeards Smokehouse in 2021, it solely produced and sold smoked mussels, fish and seafood from its Kopu store and at Coromandel markets....
August 24, 2025Inspiring Online Business Fundamentals Courses
Rae MacDonald is the co-founder of QE2 Consulting, helping small to medium Waikato businesses grow by designing exceptional customer experiences. QE2 Consulting also runs community and in-house workshops as well as 1:1 coaching....
August 13, 2025Marketing Workshop "Hugely Valuable"
Standing out in the photography business can be tricky but Kate Ryan, owner and photographer at Ryan's Daughter Photography, has nailed her marketing with the help of marketing guru, Rachel Klaver....
June 17, 2025Hamilton Collision Repairs Improves Operations and Profits
Hamilton Collision Repairs is a family owned and operated panel beating business based in Frankton, Hamilton. Earlier this year, managing director, Kate Bell, applied for Regional Business Partner funding and worked with Phil Wicks from BSP Advisory Group to accelerate the business's growth and efficiency. The training has been transformational with Hamilton Collision Repairs increasing its end of year profit by a whopping 3,000 per cent!...
May 12, 2025RBP Training Helps Drive Efficiencies at Raglan Food Co
Raglan Food Co is a Waikato business success story. Started by Tesh Randall and Seb Walter in Tesh's kitchen in 2014, it now sells its popular plant-based coconut yoghurt products throughout New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Pacific Islands....
April 27, 2025Online Learning Platform a Game-Changer for Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
Kiwi entrepreneurs now have an easier way to turn their business ideas into reality. Soda has launched an online learning platform, packed with short business courses that give aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners the framework to create business success....
March 17, 2025Callaghan Grants Help Blutui Fast-track Projects
Blutui is a web and digital development platform, built specifically for digital, creative and advertising agencies....
November 12, 2024Support Enables Startup to Accelerate R&D
Capture the Bug is a cybersecurity startup that enables businesses to proactively identify vulnerabilities through agile penetration testing, minimising the risk of 'bugs' and security breaches....
October 6, 2024RBP Training Provides Road Map for Commercial Dive Business
Armed with a belief that commercial dive solutions could be more holistic, Tua Karalus founded Deep Dive Division in 2018....
September 9, 2024Startup Aims to Empower Entrepreneurs
It's often said that passion is the key to success for entrepreneurs. Empower Me founder Manuela Klevisser's passion and enthusiasm for personal growth and helping entrepreneurs is abundant....
August 27, 2024Soda's Business Support Services Crucial in Economic Downturn
Soda's 2023 Annual Report shows that the Regional Business Partner provider distributed $669,221 of capability funding to 323 Waikato businesses in 2023, providing crucial training to enable business success....
July 23, 2024Farm Future Proofed Following Governance Training
Eight Mile Farms is no ordinary farm. The King Country based property encompasses four sheep and beef farms, a dairy farm and forestry blocks....
July 7, 2024Sustainability Focus for Dunstan Nutrition
Much like athletes require a specially curated diet to give them the best chance of success, competitive horses need additional dietary support to excel in their field....
April 3, 2024Q&A with Taup? Top 10 Holiday Park
The Taupō Top 10 Holiday Park has been operating for 70 years under different ownerships and names. It caters to all types of holidaymakers with 19 self-contained units; 20 unpowered sites; 50 powered sites; a glamping tent and 21 cabins. It also has a large swimming pool with slide and manu rock, small thermal pool and two private thermal hot tubs. A group of four owners, including Suzi Blank, purchased the park in November 2018. ...
March 10, 2024Hamilton Startup EC8 Set to Disrupt the Building Industry
EC8 has developed technology to supply pre-cut drywall (plasterboard) to building sites, ready to be installed. With ten houses now built using the technology, it has halved the time it takes builders to install plasterboard, increasing efficiency and reducing build costs....
March 3, 2024Digital Stream on Track to Double Profit after RBP Training
It's hard to imagine now but in 1999, the internet was a relatively new concept and the majority of New Zealand businesses didn't have a website. Video editor Russell Brown saw an opportunity and decided to create a website for Hamilton City which led to a flurry of website design work and the inception of his business – Digital Stream....
January 31, 2024Soda set to turbo-charge next-gen STEM careers
In a bid to service the increasing demand for STEM talent in the Waikato, business hub Soda is offering tertiary students the unique opportunity to advance their careers....
November 6, 2023Fashion Label Harrïe & Sam Set to Evolve with RBP Training
Harrïe & Sam is a much-loved New Zealand fashion label that uses a unique business model to sell clothes, with a focus on sustainability, quality and longevity....
October 23, 2023Bounsa win RISE UP 2023
Bounsa co-founders Sophie Stanley and Rachel Smith have won Soda's RISE UP 2023 competition, taking home $10,000 cash to boost their micro-mentoring platform where learners can bounce ideas off experts....
August 30, 2023Meet our RISE UP finalists: Sophie Stanley and Rachel Smith
Bounsa is a learning and development platform where anybody can bounce challenges and ideas off tech experts, creating on-demand access to experienced mentors in the tech sector for a new generation of learners. Co-founders Sophie Stanley and Rachel Smith met while working at agtech startup WayBeyond....
August 20, 2023 Posts 1-25 of 65 | Page next