Businesses in the running for dream $50k grant

Ora, a start-up focused on helping small and medium-sized companies grow, will award grants to three Kiwi businesses, accelerating their growth plans. The Ora Dreams grants, each worth up to $50,000, will be awarded at quarterly Ora Dreams events over the next 12 months, with the first three winners announced at the inaugural event in Auckland on 29 October.

The eight businesses nominated for this round of grants are Forbidden Brewing Co, Aspiring Health, We Compost, Terrain, Happy Beekeeping, The Hub, Mbuba Shoes and Littlemonkey.

As well as awarding the business grants, the Ora Dreams events aim to stimulate conversation about the impact small and medium-sized companies have on the fabric of New Zealand’s economy. 

Ora founder and CEO Christina Domecq says, “Every day we’re reading the dreams from owners of growing Kiwi businesses. Nothing motivates us more to build the tools, services, partnerships and community to help them succeed”.

Ian Hankins, Westpac’s Head of SME and Industry Specialists, an Ora business partner and sponsor of one of the three grants that will be awarded to a Westpac business customer at the event says, “97% of New Zealand businesses are SMEs. If they’re performing well then the country is successful. Ora Dreams grants encourages SMEs to talk about where they want to go and helps them on their path to business success.” 

“Westpac is proud to sponsor this initiative and to be involved with something we know will be special,” says Mr Hankins. 

The first three grants will be awarded by judges Christina Domecq, Ora CEO, Damian Sharkey from Westpac and Nick Fox from NZPost. 

The judges will be looking for Kiwi businesses that are passionate about driving growth and demonstrating innovative ideas, resourcefulness and positive results using a wide range of media channels.

Vaughn Davis will MC the event with speakers Lillian Grace, founder and chief of Wiki New Zealand, and Paul Cameron, founder of BookTrack, sharing their business dreams, challenges faced and wins to date.  

To be in the running for an Ora Dreams grant, business owners can sign up to Ora for free and share their dream. Ora will nominate the best dreams to prepare their business case and a video showcasing the impact a business grant could have on their business. 

For more information on Ora Dreams grants, visit https://orahq.com/dreams. For full details on the Ora Dreams event and grant nominees, go to https://orahq.com/blog/ora-dreams-event.