The award could not have come at a better time for Chelsea (BCom) and Millie (LLB & BA). Both are in their final year of their study, and had just made the daunting decision to focus on their business rather than apply for a graduate jobs!
The UC Centre for Entrepreneurship is proud to have played a big part in the development of New Zealand and Beyond over the last year. Millie and Chelsea met on the UCE study tour to Shanghai’s Fudan University. While on the tour, they quickly developed an affinity for China and learnt about marketing, e-commerce, and entrepreneurship from a Chinese perspective.
Immersing themselves in Chinese culture helped Chelsea and Millie understand the huge demand from Chinese consumers for high-quality products from aspirational brands. They saw that many NZ SMEs, with products perfect for this market, were not maximising the opportunity offered by the growing number of image, health and environmentally conscious consumers in South-West China.
After returning from China, Chelsea and Millie applied to the UCE EY Summer Startup Programme, a 10-week start-up accelerator. Over the summer they received expert mentorship and connected with a variety of experts from the local business community. This support helped Millie and Chelsea to develop New Zealand and Beyond from a concept to a fully fledged startup venture.
“This business has always been our goal, however the UCE and Dream, Believe, Succeed are allowing us to achieve this a lot earlier than originally anticipated.” - Chelsea Aitken
New Zealand and Beyond offers a service that overcomes the barriers faced by NZ businesses seeking to enter the Chinese market. They provide NZ SME’s lower-risk access to China, by providing an Alibaba e-commerce platform plus marketing and logistics support. New Zealand and Beyond is initially focussing on skincare brands and are in the process of signing contracts with their first clients.
UCE would also like to congratulate the other Summer Startup Programme students selected as Dream Believe Succeed Big Break finalists - Equilibrium Equine founder Tayla Johns, Christy Kimble from Sub180, and Luke Campbell and Lucy Turner of Vxt.
“The true value of UCE and Dream, Believe, Succeed lies in the experience and advice of the mentors involved” - Millie Morgan
If you want to know more about the UCE opportunities that Chelsea and Millie have been involved in; click here to register your interest for the 2019 Fudan Study Tour; find out more about the UCE EY Summer Startup Programme; and join Chelsea and Millie in our Hatchery Programme for student ventures.
You can get in touch with NZ and Beyond through their website nzandbeyond.co or send them an email, info@nzandbeyond.co
For further information please contact:
UC Centre for Entrepreneurship (UCE) by emailing uce@canterbury.ac.nz
