QUEENSTOWN MORE THAN A PLAYGROUND

More than a playground.

They come for the mountains. They stay because this is a place where ambitious people back each other. Meet three of the people building businesses here.

Meet the builders Find your way in
Queenstown, more than a playground: the campaign mark, a pixel-line mountain with the word Queenstown across it
Anthony Grant at a bar counter with his laptop Anthony GrantMountain runner & multiple tech founder Alex Cappy leaning on a table in an office kitchen Alex CappyCEO, First Table Pete Fullerton-Smith working on his laptop in a lounge, with the Remarkables through the window Pete Fullerton-SmithCEO, Mountain Club · Director, Planit
The stories

Every great idea starts somewhere.

On a chairlift, over a flat white, halfway up a trail. Three people building businesses from one of the most inspiring places on earth.

Queenstown at dusk, with the campaign line more than a playground
The place

Why Queenstown?

You're surrounded by founders, investors, operators and creatives who are building global businesses from one of the most inspiring places on earth. It's a community where conversations happen on chairlifts, over coffee, and out on the trails, and those conversations often turn into companies.

A small place, a big network

The people you need to meet are rarely more than a coffee away.

Backing at every stage

From a first idea to a funding round, there's practical help, advice and local capital.

The whole district

Queenstown and Wānaka, selling to the world from the place they chose to live.

Get involved

Find your way in.

Wherever you're starting from, there's someone here who can help with the next step.

If you have an idea

Start with Startup Queenstown Lakes

A friendly first conversation. You don't need a business plan, just the idea you keep coming back to.

Talk to SQL → If you're growing the tech sector

Connect with Technology Queenstown

Bringing together industry, talent and education to grow Queenstown Lakes' technology sector.

Join TQ → If you're investing or raising

Meet Mainland Angel Investors

Back regional businesses with strong growth potential, or find the capital and expertise to grow yours.

Talk to MAI →
Who's behind it

A joint campaign from the three organisations that support people building businesses in Queenstown Lakes.

Startup Queenstown Lakes

Startup Queenstown Lakes (SQL) helps people across the district turn ideas into businesses, and helps young businesses find the people and support they need to grow.

Our role is to make starting a business in Queenstown Lakes a real, supported choice, so people with good ideas don't have to leave the region, or go it alone, to give them a go.

We work with people at every stage, from someone with an idea they haven't told anyone about to businesses getting ready for investment. We run events, deliver programmes, offer startup coaching and practical support, and connect people with the investors, mentors and organisations who can help them along the way.

Our focus is on the people who chose to live here. Hospitality workers with a product idea, tradies who have spotted a gap and newcomers who see what locals no longer notice all have something worth building. Our job is to make the first step clear.

The goal is a more diverse, resilient regional economy, and a Queenstown Lakes where the next generation can build both a life and a living.

startupqueenstownlakes.com →

Technology Queenstown

Technology Queenstown (TQ) is building a more diverse and resilient Queenstown Lakes economy.

Our ambition is to build a $1 billion technology sector over the next 20 years, creating more opportunities to build and grow technology businesses right here in Queenstown Lakes.

We bring together businesses, entrepreneurs, investors and educators to create connections, grow local talent and support business growth.

Our focus is simple: create well-paid tech jobs, grow local tech talent and help diversify the economy beyond tourism. We're starting with an area where Queenstown has a natural advantage: travel and hospitality technology, with the ambition to become the Southern Hemisphere's leading Travel Tech hub.

Backed by leading New Zealand and global businesses, we're helping make technology a key part of Queenstown Lakes' economic future.

technologyqueenstown.com →

Mainland Angel Investors

Mainland Angel Investors (MAI) exists to connect local founders with potential investors and facilitate access to the capital, expertise and networks they need to grow. Our members are typically angel investors seeking to diversify their portfolios by investing in regional and national businesses with strong growth potential.

Beyond financial returns, many of our members are passionate about supporting and elevating businesses in our region and contributing to a thriving local economy. Their investment helps accelerate startup growth while also providing founders with invaluable knowledge, experience and connections, creating opportunities for members to give back and play an active role in the success of the businesses they support.

mainlandangels.nz →