From a digital health platform for people living with IBS to an on-farm unit that turns waste milk into feed-grade powder, the ten start-ups making up the 2026 Tupu Accelerator cohort show the breadth of Māori innovation now scaling out of Aotearoa.
Tapuwae Roa has welcomed the new intake into its Tupu Accelerator, the eight-week programme for high-growth Māori-founded ventures, now in its third consecutive year. The cohort was formally welcomed last week at a mihi whakatau hosted at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, attended by representatives from Aotearoa’s venture capital, investment, government and innovation sectors.
The 2026 line-up spans functional food, education technology, health, advanced manufacturing and te reo Māori revitalisation. Among them is Tīrama Vital, a Māori-led functional food company founded by Bernece Maude (Ngāti Maniapoto), which develops products using Aotearoa-sourced bioactives and native botanicals.
“Being accepted into Tupu is a big step forward for me and for Tīrama Vital,” says Maude.
“It’s an opportunity to learn, build alongside other Māori founders, and take this to the next level, growing a global wellness business from Aotearoa that creates value for our whenua, our growers, and our people.”
Also in the cohort is Insyt, co-founded by Hannah Dryland (Ngāpuhi), which is developing a digital health platform to help people living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome better understand and manage their symptoms.
“We’re excited to be part of the Tupu Accelerator. We’re here to build something that genuinely improves how people live with IBS, and this gives us the environment and support to keep moving forward,” says Dryland
They are joined by DairyTech Solutions, kahu.code, Rāuhī, The Long Game, Ako Insight, Hinu Ora, iSPARX and PetUltra, ventures working across waste-to-value dairy technology, te reo Māori-powered AI, New Zealand wool wallcoverings, athlete transition, education planning, natural kānuka oil, spatial computing and premium pet nutrition.
Delivered in partnership with Sprout Agritech and co-funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Tupu was established to address the underrepresentation of Māori within Aotearoa’s startup ecosystem. Since launching in 2024, the accelerator has received applications from more than 200 Māori-founded startups and onboarded 53 founders — 75 percent of whom identify as Māori, with a growing number of Pasifika co-founders also taking part.
Incoming Purapura (Founders) at the launch of Tapuwae Roa’s Tupu Accelerator 2026.
Demand is climbing on both sides, says Tapuwae Roa Kaihautū Te Pūoho Kātene.
“We’ve seen increasing demand year-on-year from founders building ambitious ventures with global potential. At the same time, we’re seeing growing engagement from investors, industry leaders, and ecosystem partners who recognise the value and calibre of Māori innovation emerging through the programme.”
The programme has also drawn strong regional and demographic diversity, with participants representing 15 regions and nearly half based outside Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Wāhine founders make up 55 percent of the 2026 cohort.
“Founders based outside of major centres often face reduced access to accelerator programmes, capital networks, specialist support, and investment pathways. The same barriers continue to disproportionately affect minority founders,” says Kātene.
“Tupu exists to help close those gaps by creating pathways into high-growth entrepreneurship, investment readiness, and innovation ecosystems for pakihi Māori across the motu.”
The accelerator runs over the next eight weeks and culminates in the Tupu Accelerator Showcase, where founders pitch their ventures to investors, partners and industry leaders.
The showcase will be held at the Aotea Centre, Auckland, on 2 July 2026, with earlybird tickets ($150 + GST) available now.
