Congratulations to our February/March 2022 seed grant winners - PrintGig, BrakeAce and Maimoa - who were selected from more than 50 applicants throughout Aotearoa.
PrintGig founders Caleb McIvor and Reese Chen were awarded first place and have taken home $7,000 to grow their startup.
“PrintGig is passionate about creating a world where 3D printing is integrated into everyone’s daily lives and makers can make money doing what they love. PrintGig will achieve this by connecting experienced freelancers with consumers who want easily accessible and affordable 3D printing services.
The funding from Soda will greatly help our soft launch this year and give our marketing budget a boost. This will put us in a great position to prove that our business model works before we approach investors and keep us on track to making a successful and sustainable business,“ says co-founder Caleb McIvor.
In second place was BrakeAce founder Matt Millar who won $2,000 for his startup which has created the world's first mountain bike braking sensor and app combo. BrakeAce sensors measure every aspect of braking while the app analyzes the ride.
In third place were Maimoa co-founders Aleshia Johnson and Jordan Gunn who are creating hemp-based products for the pet industry.
Thank you to our judging panel: Tristram Fink, Helen Camilleri, Kay Maree Dunn, Richard van den Engel and Mark McCabe.
We'll share more about these exciting startups over the coming weeks.
Photo (supplied): PrintGig team members Tayne Bilyard, Reese Chen and Caleb McIvor