New Zealand’s first woman founder focused programme, Lightning Lab XX, ran in Wellington from March to July 2016. The cohort was made up of 9 teams, 18 individuals, and 7 lab techs from all over New Zealand.

The programme received the support of almost 100 mentors, who worked alongside the teams to help develop their ideas into investable companies with global potential. Mentors for the XX programme included Annette Presley, Kristen Lunman, and Dave Moskovitz.

Throughout the programme, the teams were surrounded by the connections and expertise they needed to move at lightning speed. Over 50 local and international speakers brought their specialised knowledge into the lab, and the teams had the opportunity to enlist the help of interns from Yoobee ACG School of Design.