Stardom waits for online companies

Kiwi online start-up companies can register to star in a reality television show and win the chance to launch their product in the United States.

Wellington hi-tech cluster Silicon Welly and Startup Media, a company that promotes online start-ups in New Zealand, are calling for companies to register online from today at start-up.co.nz.

Silicon Welly member Tim Norton said 20 registered start-ups would be picked to compete and star in the series, to be called Start Up, on TV One. Contestants would be eliminated over three months till a winner was found. The series would be screened this year.

Contestants would be judged on how well they pitched their ideas and performed certain tasks, such as creating a website and launching a test version of their product, he said.

Entrepreneur and Xero founder Rod Drury, web blogger Richard McManus and Mr Norton, who is also chief executive of online business plan company PlanHQ, will judge the contest and mentor the companies.

"We're really looking for the next successful online global companies."

Entrants could be developing any online product, from business management tools to consumer products such as applications for social networking sites, Mr Norton said. "We're not saying we have all the expertise here in Wellington but we can take it to the next level."

The winner would pitch the product to venture capitalists at a major US technology conference.

Mr Drury and Mr Norton were sponsors involved with last year's Wellington Cable Car Challenge, in which competitors for a $50,000 prize package pitched their ideas to entrepreneurs.

- © Fairfax NZ News