BizDojo to occupy Xero building

BizDojo is getting too large for Wellington, or at least its current space, and is taking over the Wellington HQ of Xero in Market Lane.

With so many residents building the future, working together and sharing their dreams and aspirations, BizDojo Wellington has outgrown its current location and was on the hunt for a new premises. 

Co-founder Nick Shewring says the team wanted a place that helped entrench Wellington’s burgeoning Tech Precinct, and which had enough character and culture to fit the BizDojo ethos.
“We can’t have been the only ones to look at the Xero building and thought, man we could do something incredible in there. So when we learned it was going to be available it seemed a natural next step for us to take over the lease.”

The new BizDojo Wellington will be 2000sqm and host up to 450 residents in a community of founders, startups, entrepreneurs, creatives and small businesses.

Xero isn’t going too far away – it’s moving all of its staff from various Wellington offices into a new building just across the road. Xero founder Rod Drury says he’s very pleased his old digs will have such cool new owners.
“We’re so happy our friends at BizDojo have taken over our old home. We’ve worked a lot with their team mentoring companies and the space has been the launch pad of much global innovation that we’re sure will continue.”

Nick agrees and says the extra space will mean more collaboration, more innovation and more opportunity for New Zealand companies to take over the world.
“We’re founders ourselves and we know that the path to growing gamechanging ideas and businesses can be lonely, stressful and difficult. We are providing a collaborative and supportive environment for founders and entrepreneurs, which means better outcomes and more resilience for our business community.”
“For us at BizDojo it has always, and will always be about building a great culture, layering on a whole bunch of support for our residents and building programs and learning opportunities to really get our community to the next level – that is our passion.”

Nick and the team particularly want to thank the Mayor of Wellington and the team at Wellington City Council for their support through the ColliderWgtn initiative, which has been a catalyst for the emerging Tech Precinct formation.
“The work that WCC and our Mayor have done to help build a true ecosystem here in Wellington has to be commended. New Zealand is one of the easiest places in the world to set up a new business and this corner of Wellington with Xero and TradeMe so close by is ideal for the tech and innovation sector, particularly as the Tech Precinct finds its feet and starts to attract new talent.”

BizDojo co-founder Jonah Merchant says the move to Market Lane is a sign that Council’s vision of a Wellington Tech Precinct is truly coming to life. 
“It is great that this is happening naturally in a city like Wellington, and speaks volumes that the local ecosystem is able to organically build a vibrant community with minimal intervention.” 

Nick and Jonah are excited also by the opportunities the expanded Wellington location will offer BizDojo for its new founders-centric initiative which launches in the coming months, and which will be focused on offering more targeted support for founders of all types across New Zealand.
BizDojo moves to its new building in November.