June 18, 2024: An innovative technology that significantly reduces the risk and cost associated with energy infrastructure maintenance took out the top award in this year’s Smart City Challenge.

On Friday night, Oasis Aero was named the Smart City Challenge Overall Winner at a showcase and award evening held at the Christchurch Town Hall. The 17 ventures that took part in the 10-week Validator showcased their entrepreneurial ideas at the evening, with the top eight taking to the stage to pitch their venture ideas in person.

Smart City Challenge 2024 Lead Vaughan Broderick says Oasis Aero has developed a compelling value proposition and overall package that positions them well to transform energy infrastructure maintenance.

“The judging panel was impressed with the unique offering and the partnerships they have already established. The experience in the team was outstanding and it showed in the solution they have developed.”

Four other awards were given out at the evening including the:

• Emerging Technology Award, taken out by Cattle Credit for their methane measuring technology enabling livestock farmers to accurately prove and credit emissions.
• Emerging Product Award, which went to Tree Children for their nature play box helping kids to learn and connect with nature through guided outdoor adventures and hands-on activities.
• Sustainability Award, awarded to Embodied, offering a low-carbon building design strategy by calculating the optimal balance between carbon footprint, building design and cost.
• People’s Choice Award, which went to Teiny for their oat-based milk powder offering the creamiest, tastiest and most sustainable plant-based milk available.

One of the three Oasis Aero founders, Mekdim Tesfaye says "The validator programme was crucial in determining the technical and commercial viability of our idea. We're so grateful to have won the Grand Prize this year and excited to introduce autonomous airships to Aotearoa.”

Martin Cudd ChristchurchNZ GM Innovation and Business Growth says ChristchurchNZ is committed to building a pipeline of talent and startups that can help our city and the world grow our economies in a sustainable way.

“Programmes such as this Smart City Challenge work to test new ideas, provide support and identify commercialisation potential. This helps grow new businesses, create jobs and attract talent to our city” Cudd says.

Teams that took part in the Challenge will continue to be supported on their business growth journey with mentoring, advice and support from the Christchurch innovation ecosystem.

The Challenge was powered by ChristchurchNZ, Christchurch City Council and Smart Christchurch in partnership with the University of Canterbury’s Centre for Entrepreneurship.

ABOUT CHRISTCHURCHNZ | ChristchurchNZ is the city’s sustainable economic development and city profile agency. Our purpose is to stimulate sustainable economic growth for a more prosperous Christchurch

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