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$100,000 for 5 Kiwi businesses on fast track to growth

Monday, 24 August 2015, 11:50 am
Press Release: Ora

Press Release - Embargoed until 8pm August 20th

$100,000 awarded to 5 Kiwi businesses on the fast track to growth.

Ora has awarded 5 Kiwi businesses grants worth a total of $100,000 to fuel their growth.

Three businesses took home grants worth $20,000, Victor Bridesmaids, Mi'nute of Cool and QJB Roofing. And two businesses won Ora Dreams grants worth $15,000 each, Brand Value and Kingsland's Grill & Shakes.

This was the fourth round of Dreams grants Ora has run since launching in July 2014. The grant project aims to fuel the growth of businesses using Ora's cloud based app to monitor their market, competitors and report on marketing campaign performance. Including this round Ora has awarded $400,000 to 15 Kiwi businesses.

Christina Domecq, CEO of Ora said 'More than 850 Kiwis have shared their business dreams with us. That's quite an honor and a big responsibility for our team. The Ora Dreams project inspires us every day so we're proud to recognise our latest winners and look forward to helping them on the fast-track to growth.

The awards event held in the Auckland Viaduct was attended by 150 business owners, grant finalists and partners. SME Advocate and Invester Sharon Hunter shared the top 5 drivers of growth for Kiwi businesses. She urged business owners to create partnerships with the goal to grow together. "Many people set out in business without the nessessary skills or experience to drive growth. Good partnerships empower business owners to do what they do best and focus on their dreams."

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Sharon Hunter joined Christina Domecq on the judges table this round. Christina commented on the winners; "Last round we awarded grants to three businesses passionate about distrupting their industry with character brands and smart digital marketing. This round the five winners each indentified key market opportunities to take advantage of. We admired these businesses preparation for growth, for getting their businesses in a strong position to take advantage of new channels and opportunities."

The Ora Dreams project runs each quarter with the next round of winners to be awarded on November 12th. Each finalist is interviewed by Ora and produces a video showcasing their business, dream and the impact an Ora Dreams grant could have on their business.

Previous winners Forbidden Cider accelerated their growth plans by two years, started exporting to Singapore and moved on to their own Orchid since winning a $50,000 grant in October 2014.

To get your business in the running simply join Ora and share your dream athttp://orahq.com/dreams

About Ora

Ora is a Marketing Engine combining technology, research and data. Ora searches, tracks and delivers customers to you in an easy to use app.
There are 3,000 growing Kiwi businesses in the Ora Community.

Additional Information

Victor Bridesmaids - Kelly Darragh - $20,000

Brand Value - Bernadette Soares - $15,000

Grill and Shakes - Zeenat & Farhan Sattar - $15,000

Minute of Cool - Bex & Aja Hart - $20,000

QJB Roofing - Kelly & Quinton Beatty - $20,000

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