Join us for the Challenger Series Pitch and Celebration Evening.

Hear pitches from Paper Not Foil, The Pet Bistro and Elixir, the three startup finalists of Startup Dunedin's Challenger Series.

PLUS: Guest speakers Chris Hopkins and Pete Hodgson will join us to share their stories.

Chris Hopkins is the CEO of Scott Automation & Robotics, world-class specialists in the design and manufacture of automated production, process machinery and robotics.

Chris led SCOTT in becoming a global company with customers in over 75 countries! With operations already in NZ, Australia, Germany, USA and China - this year SCOTT acquired Alvey Group and Transbotics expanding their operations to Belgium, France, Czech Republic and the UK - as well as strengthening their positioning in the US.

Pete Hodgson is the Chair of Callaghan Innovation. Callaghan activate innovation and help businesses grow faster for a better New Zealand.

They partner with ambitious businesses of all sizes, providing a range of innovation and research and development services to suit each stage of growth.

Their people – including more than 200 of New Zealand’s leading scientists and engineers – empower innovators by connecting people, opportunities and networks, and providing tailored technical solutions, skills and capability development programmes, and grants co-funding.

Paper Not Foil is a sustainable alternative to using tin foil in the hair industry and the first of its kind in the market. While solving a significant waste issue they also cut costs for their clients. Its products are used in more than 100 salons across Australasia, including about six salons in Dunedin.

Founder Amanda Buckingham said she "started working on the idea after becoming interested in introducing more eco-friendly practices to her hairdressing salon - which used about 1.5km of foil every month". The paper is made from industrial waste and manufactured in Shanghai.

The Pet Bistro provides overnight delivery of real food for pets based on veterinarian knowledge and moves away from dry kibble and highly processed meats that can cause a significant amount of pet health issues.

Founder Bex Hill has a background in teaching and tourism, but was inspired to get into manufacturing after "seeing the difference a change in diet made to her dog.

Elixir provides specialist healthcare professionals access to patient records using modern portable devices such as iPads and iPhones, without being tied to their desk or laptop. This is done through cloud practice management systems rather than the current legacy system. Founder Jack Pivac said at present systems were "15-to-20-years old" and his cloud-based system, which is already being used by Mercy Hospital, would allow specialists to work remotely.

*Drinks and nibbles provided*