Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say.
Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency Response, and Remedial Measures) Bill, which has had its first reading in Parliament.
The Bill proposes increasing the thresholds relating to exempt employee share schemes to recognise the effect of past inflation and to provide a buffer against future inflation.
“The changes adjust for inflation and lift the tax exempt thresholds of these schemes, which could boost recruitment and help early-stage companies, including startups, to succeed,” Ms Collins says.
“This is the first step towards meeting our commitment of supporting startups by looking at changes to the tax system.
“We are committed to rebuilding the economy, and this is one of the many levers we will use to achieve that.”
New Zealand’s tech sector contributed $22.56 billion to GDP in 2023, employing nearly 119,500 people in 25,500-plus businesses.
“The Bill proposes lifting the maximum value of shares offered to employees under the scheme from $5000 to $7500 a year, and raising the maximum discount an employer can provide on the market value of those shares from $2000 to $3000,” Mr Watts says.
Employee share schemes are arrangements where shares in an employer company are provided in whole or in part in return for services.
They are a tool employers use, particularly in the startup and tech sector, to align employees’ work incentives with the economic goals of their employers.
“We are also looking into aspects of the Foreign Investment Funds regime as we work to grow economic investment and productivity. Public feedback on this will be considered as the Government reviews the Tax and Social Policy Work Programme,” Mr Watts says.
Notes to Editors:
Exempt Employee Share Schemes allow employers to provide exempt benefits to employees. Strict eligibility criteria under section CW 26C of the Income Tax Act 2007 includes, among other things, the following conditions:
In recognition of the impact of inflation since the thresholds were last set, and to provide a buffer against future inflation, the proposed amendments in the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency Response, and Remedial Measures) Bill would increase:
The proposed amendment would be effective for offers of shares made under exempt employee share schemes on and after 1 April 2025.
Source: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/
Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment.
“There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months prior. This is an encouraging start to the work being done to bring more investment to New Zealand and grow the economy,” says Mr Seymour.
“On 6 June 2024 I issued a new ministerial directive letter to Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) to make consent processing timeframes faster under the Overseas Investment Act. The directive letter contains an expectation that 80 per cent of consent applications will be processed in half the statutory timeframe.
“This means applicants can expect timeframes for most consent applications to be cut down to between 5 and 50 working days, depending on the application type.
“In order to have a strong growing economy New Zealand needs to be more welcoming to investment. I recognised that long waiting times for applications was creating uncertainty and impacting the attractiveness of investing in New Zealand. This affected New Zealand businesses that rely on overseas investment for capital or for liquidity.
“Since delegating most decision-making to LINZ and directing officials to focus on realising the benefits of overseas investment, there has been a significant improvement in processing times.
“Every consent decision received after the directive letter came into effect has been decided in under half of the statutory timeframe. Between 24 November 2021 and 14 April 2024, only 13 per cent of consent decisions were being made in half the statutory timeframe.
“There has been a large boost in foreign direct investment applications, totalling 16 across July and August, compared with 17 over the previous 6 months at an average of 2.8 per month.
“This Government is introducing a principle that we welcome investment. In order for New Zealand to retain world class public services it needs to be the preferred destination for ideas, investment, talent. This is just one way we’re achieving this; we will also be rewriting the Overseas Investment Act.
“While it is early days, I am confident that this positive trend will continue. I am also pleased to see that decisions not covered by my directive, such as variations and exemptions, are also moving faster.
“Every variation application received since the letter has also been decided in half the timeframe. Before this only 40 per cent were.
“Feedback from investors has been overwhelmingly positive, and they have welcomed the changes to make the application process more efficient, while still giving the right level of scrutiny to high-risk transactions.
“LINZ still has the full statutory timeframe to process 20 per cent of consent applications, which will allow them to manage complex and higher-risk applications.
“Reduced barriers to investment from people and businesses means greater prosperity for Kiwis. If we want world-leading businesses and public services, we need the money to pay for them. We’re making this happen.” Note to editors: The directive letter is available on the LINZ website: https://www.linz.govt.nz/our-work/overseas-investment-regulation/legislation-ministers-and-delegated-powers/new-ministerial-directives
A link to summary of decisions is here https://www.linz.govt.nz/our-work/overseas-investment-regulation/decisions
Nashville, TN/Auckland, NZ. (Aug 26, 2024) –Ranqxa fully digital small business lending platform announced today that Washington State Employees Credit Union (WSECU) headquartered in Olympia, Wash. has made an initial investment into Ranqx through their holding company, One Washington Financial. Their commitment includes an agreement to implement the Ranqx platform for a community-impacting pilot. This investment will help further the research and development work Ranqx is doing to help credit unions drive community prosperity by ensuring that small and medium sized business have access to the working capital they need to succeed.“The best way to help communities thrive is to help small and medium sized businesses thrive,“ said Seth Brickman, President of Ranqx.Brickman went on to share that research performed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau notes that, 'Small businesses are the engines of growth in our communities, driving wealth creation and upward financial mobility. When small businesses succeed, our economy is stronger, more equitable and more resilient."Brickman said, “Providing working capital to SMB’s in a digital experience with decisioning in 5 minutes instead of the typical 2 week manual process will change the way SMB’s interact with credit unions.”Credit unions are currently only receiving about eight percent of SMB lending and the majority of it is from commercial real estate loans. The ability to provide working capital loans, business credit cards and lines of credit will not only help small and medium-sized businesses thrive but will also drive depository relationships back to the credit union.”“We are excited to partner with Ranqx to help the small and medium sized businesses that make up our communities, said Scott Daukas, Principal of One Washington Financial, WSECU’s holding company. “We want to provide capital to these organizations with an easy, streamlined experience, so that members can stay focused on growing their businesses. Ranqx will help us deliver on that vision while also providing the responsible lending practices that are expected of a world-class lender.”Ranqx offers business lenders the world’s best fully digital, compliant loan origination, decisioning (using banking data, accounting data, and over 1200 API driven data points) and monitoring platform. Ranqx focuses on delivering the best customer application experience possible. Ranqx supports lenders to digitally transition your organization with all the speed, revenue growth and cost saving benefits that it delivers as you positively impact community prosperity.
Source: https://ranqx.com/
Aerospace New Zealand has today announced generous support from the Embassy of the United States will enable the organisation’s Aotearoa Aerospace Academy (AAA) to host a “Mission to Space” Camp in Ōtautahi Christchurch in November. The camp is designed to provide transformative aerospace experiences for Māori and Pasifika rangatahi.
The grant marks a significant milestone in Aerospace New Zealand’s ongoing mission to promote diversity and inclusivity within the aerospace sector.
“A key part of building a globally recognised aerospace nation is identifying the high-value skills of the future, promoting industry diversity, and establishing strong pathways into Aotearoa’s most exciting aerospace companies.
The U.S. Embassy in New Zealand is excited to support the ‘Mission to Space’ Camp through its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program. The program will provide insights into aerospace pathways and connections between New Zealand and the United States, bringing this knowledge back to students and schools around Aotearoa. This contribution underscores a commitment to advancing aerospace education and promoting diversity by providing underrepresented students and educators with valuable opportunities in the field”
— Victoria Harman, Operations Manager at Aerospace New Zealand
About the Camps
The “Mission to Space” Camp aims to inspire and equip students from underrepresented communities with the skills and experiences needed to pursue careers in aerospace. The camp will offer a range of engaging activities, including workshops on robotics and rocketry, site visits to leading aerospace organisations, facilitated networking and mentorship connections and hands-on experiences designed to ignite curiosity and ambition among participants.
The camp is designed for 18 Māori and Pasifika rangatahi, as well as nine educators. Advisors are being consulted to identify eligible schools and candidates. Flights and accommodation will be covered for those students who travel from outside Ōtautahi Christchurch.
About Aotearoa Aerospace Academy
Since its inception in 2023, the Aotearoa Aerospace Academy has been dedicated to nurturing the next generation of aerospace professionals. The AAA has successfully delivered over 13 aerospace pathways events, providing students and educators with essential resources to explore the industry.
About Aerospace New Zealand
Aerospace New Zealand is dedicated to advancing the nation's aerospace capabilities across aviation, space flight, manufacturing, and education. With a vision to establish New Zealand as a prominent space-faring nation, Aerospace New Zealand collaborates with individuals and organisations to drive economic growth and innovation within the aerospace sector.
Source: https://www.aerospace.org.nz/
New Zealand-founded property software company Re-Leased has announced an oversubscribed US$12.5m raise led by Movac, with participation from Icehouse Ventures and existing investors. The raise will enable Re-Leased to boost the use of AI within its software (which it has built out with the launch of its AI-tool Credia) and give early investors liquidity. The capital will also assist in funding its continued expansion in the UK and US.
Re-Leased repositioned during the Covid pandemic to achieve ‘break even’ by focusing on capital efficiency, and has since maintained strong growth rates and unit economics which has attracted high investor interest in a challenging global investment market.
“Our vision is to help our customers run a better real estate business. The global real estate industry is facing significant headwinds and a cyclical downturn, and in this challenging environment we’re seeing more property professionals recognise that automation and AI gives them a distinct advantage in the market,” explains Tom Wallace, Founder of Re-Leased.
Over the past 12 months, Re-Leased has focussed on capital and operating efficiency and investment into its product. This strategy has paid off to the tune of 1,400 customers with 350,000 tenants and a rent roll of US$7.5 billion as well as high investor interest.
Movac’s General Partner Jason Graham says “Re-Leased is not a 'nice-to-have' but the core operating system of their customers. As a result, it has been embedded across some of the largest real estate companies globally and is perfectly positioned to leverage its AI technology into real value for its customers.”
Re-Leased has focused its use of AI on a very niche set of challenges that are specific to commercial real estate.
“In real estate there are endless tasks that are necessary, yet low value and repetitive - so the opportunity for AI innovation is huge. We want to enable our customers to get back to what they love: building relationships and engaging in creative, value-add work,” says Wallace.
Launched in June, Credia (the AI-powered ‘brain’ of Re-Leased) acts on a user's behalf to supercharge productivity. For example, Re-Leased has integrated AI with email to read maintenance requests from tenants and take actions such as sending out requests for quotes, creating work orders and writing emails.
“Repetitive jobs that previously took 5-6 minutes now take 30 seconds. Credia acts as the best intern you’ve ever had," explains Wallace, adding “It’s AI - but not just ‘for the sake of it’.” Wallace says he sees this as just the beginning of Re-Leased’s journey with AI and is working on an AI 'Agent' which promises end-to-end automation of entire business functions such as compliance and data extraction which he believes will "Completely transform the industry as we know it and the experience of the people who work in it."
Aside from liquidity and product investment, the capital will also be put to work to grow the go-to-market team in the UK and US. Re-Leased has achieved a step-change in users through large partnerships that include a soon-to-be announced seven figure enterprise deal in the UK with a publicly listed real estate business.
“Re-Leased is proud to have led the way for cloud technology in commercial real estate and we are excited and determined to be the leaders of the AI era. Having turned industry challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation, we remain focused on delivering tangible value to our customers and investors by developing software that creates better real estate businesses,” concludes Wallace.
ENDS
About Re-Leased
Re-Leased exists to help its customers run a better real estate business. The commercial-first property management platform empowers customers to thrive in a digital-first world by integrating the intelligence and capabilities of Credia AI with their property, tenant, lease and accounts information—all in one place. With offices in Auckland, Dallas, London, Melbourne and Napier, Re-Leased's technology manages over 350,000 leases globally. Source: https://www.re-leased.com/
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Invisible Urban Charging (IUC), a leading provider of charging-as-a-service solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with Hudson Valley Parking Trust (HVPT), the recent acquirer of ICON Parking, to deploy a network of 5,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargers across New York City. This groundbreaking collaboration marks a significant step towards accelerating the city’s transition to a sustainable future.
IUC’s innovative charging-as-a-service model, combined with HVPT’s extensive parking footprint, will create a robust EV charging infrastructure that meets the surging demand from New York City’s rapidly growing EV population. The partnership leverages HVPT’s recent acquisition of ICON Parking, the largest parking operator in Manhattan, providing easy access to a network of charging locations.
New York State has witnessed a staggering 660% surge in EV ownership over the past five years, underscoring the rapid shift towards electric mobility. To achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, New York City aims to convert 400,000 traditional vehicles to EVs.
“This partnership is a game-changer for New York City,” said Nigel Broomhall, CEO of IUC, which he co-founded with Jake Bezzant. “Even with the premium placed on space in New York City, building out a robust EV charging infrastructure is critical to meet a growing demand from increasing EV ownership in the city.”
Jerry Skillett, Chairman and CEO of HVPT, added, "Our collaboration with IUC on deploying 5,000 EV chargers is a massive step towards providing the service that New Yorkers want and sets ICON Parking apart from all others. This deployment further enhances the proven relationship we have with Jake and the team at IUC, the global leaders in the EV space."
The deployment of 5,000 EV chargers aligns with New York City’s ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and supports the state’s rapid growth in EV adoption. IUC’s proven track record in delivering high-density charging solutions, coupled with HVPT’s extensive parking assets, positions this partnership as a catalyst for EV adoption in the city.
IUC’s partnership with global real estate leaders JLL and CBRE further strengthens its position as a leading provider of EV charging infrastructure. With a shared vision of a sustainable future, these strategic alliances enable IUC to accelerate its nationwide expansion and achieve its goal of deploying one million EV chargers within the next five years.
About Hudson Valley Parking Trust
Hudson Valley Parking Trust ("HVPT") is a global parking operations and investment platform founded and led by Jerry Skillett and a team of parking veterans and vertical experts that provides parking operations and proprietary parking technology and EV charging solutions to owners and managers of parking assets. With over 130 combined years of experience in the parking industry, HVPT has worked with the most successful companies in the sector and currently manages and owns an extensive portfolio of parking assets.
About Invisible Urban Charging
Invisible Urban Charging was founded in 2019 as a complete “electric vehicle charging solution as a service” provider, working with major property owners across the globe to drive the electrification of transportation and make a positive impact. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, IUC is an end-to-end EV solution to deploy high volumes of EV chargers to customer sites for a flat monthly fee. For more information, please visit our website at www.iucharging.com.
Source: https://www.businesswire.com/
New Zealand will be among the first regions to receive Amazon's new internet service.
Amazon has won consent to lease New Zealand land in support of “Project Kuiper”, the company’s new satellite internet service.
Subsidiary Amazon Kuiper NZ, registered in late 2021, is leading the local operations of Amazon’s plan to launch a constellation of satellites and provide broadband to customers.
New Zealand will be among the first regions to receive the service, Amazon head of public policy Alasdair Grant told a Rural Connectivity Symposium in May.
That’s because company’s launches begin at the outer edges of the map and work inwards, putting NZ in the frame for early service, Farmers Weekly reported.
“Starting from 56 degrees north and south we work inwards in five different phases, and this means countries in the 39 degree to 56 degree range will be first to receive global coverage,” Grant said.
The July decision by the Overseas Investment Office said Amazon would install and operate telecommunications equipment on the leased land to provide broadband services locally.
The consent was granted after Amazon met both the required investment test and a non-residential use test, which ensures residential land was only used for necessary business purposes.
Project Kuiper will compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink by offering internet services from a network of over 3000 low Earth orbit satellites.
After launching prototype satellites last year, further launches are expected by the end of 2024 with commercial services arriving in 2025. Source: https://www.reseller.co.nz/
Joint Statement from Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Bede Corry and Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on the occasion of the New Zealand–United States Strategic Dialogue in Auckland, NZ.
New Zealand Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Bede Corry and United States Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell met in Auckland, New Zealand for the New Zealand-United States Strategic Dialogue. The annual Strategic Dialogue is an opportunity to celebrate and deepen the long-standing and historic partnership between New Zealand and the United States. This meeting underscored the deep commitment of both countries to shared values and to working ever more closely together to support them, in an increasingly complex Indo-Pacific environment.
Referring to the Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, in April 2024, the Strategic Dialogue highlighted the importance to both countries of investing in the bilateral relationship and proud tradition of partnership. As part of that investment, the two committed to maintaining the close and trusted security partnership, enhancing defence collaboration, and growing the trade and economic relationship. This commitment was further emphasized during President Biden’s recent meeting with Prime Minister Luxon in Washington on the margins of the NATO Summit, where both leaders reiterated the importance of a strong and resilient partnership in the face of global challenges.
Secretary Corry and Deputy Secretary Campbell noted that they were meeting at a time when global challenges are compelling New Zealand and the United States to strengthen cooperation in support of shared values and interests, including championing the rule of law, democracy, human rights, trade and investment, and strong people-to-people connections.
Secretary Corry and Deputy Secretary Campbell launched the New Zealand-United States Dialogue on Critical and Emerging Technologies. This will facilitate links between New Zealand and United States technology sectors, explore new avenues for research cooperation, and focus on opportunities to address regulatory and legal issues pertaining to the technology partnership between the two countries. The launch of this new strand of the relationship will enhance economic connections and build prosperity, including through technology and innovation, and is a fitting means to celebrate the 150th anniversary of when American scientists visited New Zealand for the first time to observe the transit of Venus.
The United States and New Zealand committed to pursue focused collaboration on the need to advance safe, secure, trustworthy, and responsible AI innovation; safe and secure biotechnologies; and quantum computing. They reaffirmed that the digital economy and information and communication technologies act as an essential enabler of these critical and emerging technologies.
Secretary Corry and Deputy Secretary Campbell also welcomed the April 2024 convening of the first-ever United States-New Zealand Space Dialogue, which demonstrated the robust and growing cooperation between the United States and New Zealand in outer space and look forward to exploring further opportunities to strengthen bilateral collaboration.
The Strategic Dialogue focused on developments in the Pacific, the Indo-Pacific strategic environment, the Middle East, Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, and regional economic issues. Secretary Corry and Deputy Secretary Campbell expressed grave concern about dangerous, destabilising, and provocative actions in the South China Sea, including by Chinese vessels towards Philippines vessels. They emphasized the need for upholding principles of international law, including freedom of navigation and peaceful resolution of disputes. They also underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.
Both nations highlighted the necessity for increased interoperability with like-minded countries to address common challenges. In this context, the United States also expressed its strong support for the close and cooperative relationship between Australia and New Zealand, recognizing its importance for regional stability and prosperity.
The two countries’ deep ties with the Pacific Islands were underscored, as well as their commitment to continuing to do more together in and with the Pacific to support Pacific priorities, the centrality of the Pacific Islands Forum, and the Pacific Islands Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. The United States and New Zealand resolved to cooperate in the Pacific on issues ranging from maritime cooperation to economic prosperity and infrastructure. This commitment reflects our shared vision for a resilient and thriving Pacific community.
As two countries with a deep and enduring stake in an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, New Zealand and the United States are committed to upholding the conditions that have enabled the region to thrive and to working with other like-minded regional partners and frameworks, such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). Recognizing the increasing connectivity between Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security and stability, Secretary Corry and Deputy Secretary Campbell welcomed the deepening coordination among NATO and Indo-Pacific Partners. Secretary Corry welcomed the United States’ proposal announced at NATO for the Foreign Ministers of New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Republic of Korea to meet with United States Secretary of State Blinken later in 2024. They also discussed the AUKUS trilateral partnership and affirmed it was an initiative which would enhance regional security and stability. They acknowledged New Zealand’s interest in exploring potential collaboration on advanced capability projects under AUKUS Pillar II.
Secretary Corry and Deputy Secretary of State Campbell looked forward to the next United States-New Zealand Foreign Ministers’ meeting, as committed to by Secretary of State Blinken and Deputy Prime Minister Peters in Washington DC in April 2024. They expressed their enthusiasm for continuing to build on the strong foundation of friendship and collaboration that defines the New Zealand-United States relationship. Source: https://www.mfat.govt.nz/
A Pāpāmoa skincare business that started in a garage has launched its products in America - a “monumental” stepping stone towards becoming the number-one premium pregnancy skincare brand in the world, its founder says.
Pure Mama - co-owned by sisters Lara Henderson and Yasmin Shepherd - will debut this year at four major American retailers, including the “infamous” Erewhon, described by Henderson as the “celebrity supermarket of LA”.
Celebrities including Hailey and Justin Bieber, Jake Gyllenhaal, Demi Lovato, Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus and Cara Delevingne have been spotted at the upscale supermarket chain.
Pure Mama’s launch in America comes after it partnered with Mecca - the largest beauty retailer in Australasia - in July 2023.
In January, American socialite Kourtney Kardashian shared two of its products on her website, leading to website traffic going “through the roof” and “amazing” sales numbers.
Pure Mama launches in ‘the celebrity supermarket of LA’
Henderson told the Bay of Plenty Times the company wanted to work with “premium prestigious retailers” that would represent Pure Mama “the way that we want our brand to show up”.
On August 26, it launched in Erewhon across all 10 of its stores in California’s most affluent areas.
“Whether it’s ready-made food or on-shelf or skincare ... [Erewhon] really hand-pick the best of the best, so it’s an incredible privilege to be in there.”
In the following months, the brand would be available online through Nordstrom and Macy’s - “two premium, large-scale department stores” - and Revolve, an online retailer “in the premium beauty/fashion” space.
The mother of two said launching in America would be “monumental” regarding achieving the company’s ambition of being the number-one premium pregnancy skincare brand in the world.
“I think New Zealand and Australia are incredible markets, but the US is just a beast and has the potential to really catapult our brand.
“It’s just such a huge stepping stone for us.”
Launching in America could lead to “the very big opportunity for growth if our brand really lands”, she said.
She will travel to Los Angeles for a launch event on September 18.
Where to next?
The launch took almost 18 months of preparation, including setting up a US company, hiring a team in the US, getting FDA approval, new product development, filing its trademark, scaling up production, and looking at logistics around packaging and fulfilment.
She also went to America in June and visited midwives, obstetricians and retailers, and ran focus groups.
Henderson said the pregnancy and post-partum skincare industry was a $30 billion industry worldwide.
She said the company would be “very much focused on the US” for the next three to five years - a country with a population of 330 million people.
“It’s going to be a challenge in itself.”
Henderson said the company was in the process of securing its trademark in Europe and China. There were plans to move into those markets in five to 10 years.
How it started
Henderson founded the company in 2019 - the same year she was pregnant with her first child.
It took more than two years to develop the concept, brand and product and to undertake market research before it launched online in May 2021.
Her husband renovated their garage to be a warehouse and storeroom, and she launched her business from their Pāpāmoa home.
She worked from home for 18 months before moving into a commercial space in Pāpāmoa.
Henderson is now part of a team of six and employs a part-time team in America.
She has previously said Pure Mama’s “signature” product was a belly oil to help “support and nourish your skin” from the second trimester.
Additional products include a magnesium body rub, nipple butter and a “bump” scrub, typically used in the shower.
Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
Kiwi tech start-up HyperCinema was just celebrating its success with the world’s first live AI experience, when the big leagues came calling. Atlanta’s College Football Hall of Fame was looking for a partner to help turn visiting the national home of the sport into a truly groundbreaking, unforgettable experience unique to every guest. With Microsoft Azure AI, the typical experience of visiting a museum has been transformed from viewing exhibits to being the star.
For more than a century, museum managers have tried a host of things to attract crowds to their experiences – from P. T. Barnum’s hoaxes to modern holograms that try to capture that Night at the Museum feeling of seeing exhibits come to life.
Yet the challenge has remained largely the same. For all the clever technology used to capture imaginations and reinvent the “dusty” stereotype, the exhibits themselves don’t change much. Exhibitions will get swapped out every few months, or a splash of interactivity added via kinetic “lightning” balls that respond to nervous fingers…but essentially what you see today is exactly what you get tomorrow.
A new visitor experience launching at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta is completely breaking the glass and putting guests inside its own smart displays. Thanks to groundbreaking use of Azure AI technology from right here in New Zealand, no two experiences are ever the same – and the whole entertainment sector might never be the same either.
From the stage to the football field
As with most museum stories, we have to go back a bit. To September 2022, in fact, when Miles Gregory and Tarver Graham, of New Zealand creative digital agency Gladeye, were talking about the opportunities of generative AI to create narratives that respond to each individual. As the entrepreneur behind the Pop-Up Globe that hosted Shakespeare’s plays in Australia and New Zealand until 2020, Miles had a passion for live theatre and storytelling that provides a unique, immersive experience at every performance.
In 2023, Gladeye spun HyperCinema into a new, separate business, with Miles and Tarver joined by third co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Gareth Hordyk.
“People spend far too much time on their screens. We wanted to create an exhibition where AI could create personalised, in-person experiences and make the visitors the hero of their own story,” Miles explains. “We were expecting to have something ready in six months. But the very first venue we approached asked if we could open in six weeks!”
A month and a half of “white knuckle” development turned into the hugely successful HyperCinema show in Auckland’s Queen Street, billed as the world’s first live AI experience. Founder Geoff Thatcher of Savannah, Georgia experiential agency Creative Principals happened to attend as part of the global 7 Experiences Summit, for which HyperCinema was the opening session.
The next morning, he already had a business proposal drafted. Within 36 hours, the HyperCinema team were on a call with Geoff’s client – Kimberly Beaudin, CEO of the College Football Hall of Fame, America’s national college football museum.
That was in November 2023. Working closely with Creative Principals and leading theme park consultancy The Producers Group, HyperCinema’s team crafted a complex and rich personalised AI storytelling experience to put the Hall of Fame’s guests at the heart of the action. And on August 24, 2024, the new AI-driven heart of the museum, “Game On!” opened to its first visitors.
The “hyperengine” creating unique experiences
At the heart of that experience is a special “hyperengine” developed by the HyperCinema team, which Gareth Hordyk calls a “recipe management programme”. The whole show requires around 2,000 “recipes” to create the full visitor experience, each with dozens of steps.
When visitors arrive, a self-serve kiosk takes their photos from multiple angles, and asks 10 fun questions such as “What did you want to be when you grew up?” and “What’s your favourite food?” along with questions around favourite schools and rivals to help with personalising their visit.
This trains the Azure AI model, which then uses a visual FX processing platform to put them in shots and videos from throughout college football history, across every major national team. For authenticity, the engine adds effects such as sepia tones or scratches to make the images appear like a real photo from the 1920s, with lighting perfectly calibrated to capture the right images.
At 14 touchpoints around the museum, visitors use their RFID-enabled lanyard to trigger special personalised content, whether performing a team chant in their favourite team colours or featuring in documentary-style videos portraying the 1860s. That question around favourite food might appear as a picture of how much pizza or tacos you would need to eat to meet the calorific needs of a professional football player.
“It’s an incredibly rich history – it’s playful, serious and respectful all in the one experience. There’s even a quarter-size American football pitch where you can play, and you can also get to be a coach or a cheerleader during the big game. You’re part of the story of the whole college football world,” Miles says.
Because the College Football Hall of Fame was already a big user of Microsoft technology, the Kiwi team used Microsoft Azure AI to build the hyperengine, sense-checking ideas with Microsoft experts and receiving training on how to get the most out of the technology.
The general processing units (GPUs) that crunch the data sit on Microsoft Azure, enabling the museum to scale the number of visitors using the technology at peak times – up to 3,000 guests every day. This takes incredible processing power. As Gareth points out, visitors don’t want to get their personalised experiences an hour later.
“The experience needs to start within 10 minutes. And we’ve got a patent on how user information is collected, getting the model training down to under six minutes. The average elsewhere is 20,” he says.
As well as the images, Azure AI generates the written information that accompanies every image, based on the answers visitors have provided. The data is also fully encrypted, and only kept for as long as it’s needed to create the personalised football merchandise visitors get to take home at the end of the day.
“There’s a beauty about the transience of it. You can come back the next day and your experience will be totally different,” says Gareth. “But just to see the smiles on people’s faces…It’s a great reminder of the value of what we’re doing.”
Tapping a growth industry
This is just the beginning for HyperCinema. Its 20-strong team now looks set to grow rapidly thanks to Geoff and Kimberley’s championship Stateside, and for the help Microsoft provided with Azure credits and sponsorship to go from start-up to enterprise level at light speed.
“New Zealand has all of this amazing talent, but we’re not always brilliant at getting out there in the world and telling people what we’re doing. We see so many more opportunities for employment and storytelling,” Miles says.
Already, the company is in talks with others interested in exploring what the technology can do. Miles and Gareth see a massive future not just in museums, but theme parks, stadiums – everywhere that offers live experiences. Instead of the typical virtual reality or augmented reality headsets and green screens, theirs is a unique proposition that makes it possible for every member of the group to experience things simultaneously.
“From what we can tell, there’s no one else doing anything like this anywhere in the world. It really goes to show how generative AI can open up so many doors to businesses who are willing to take risks, to innovate and get creative – it doesn’t matter where you are anymore. We’re thrilled to have been able to support such an amazing Kiwi business to grow onto the world stage,” says Vanessa Sorenson, Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand.
And Gareth says the opportunities keep growing as the technology evolves.
“Every week there’s a new technique that comes out. We’re already seeing some techniques that we’re saying: ‘We’ve got to get that into our next show’.”
Source: https://news.microsoft.com/
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