Summer of Tech

What Summer of Tech does

Summer of Tech is a Wellington-based New Zealand charity that operates a recruiting platform connecting tertiary tech students and recent graduates with Aotearoa employers offering junior tech roles. Founded in 2006 (per firmographic records; the company-history timeline cites 2015 as the launch of the bootcamp programme), the organisation runs an annual recruitment season anchored on in-person Meet & Greets in Auckland and Wellington plus online events, followed by structured Speed Interviews. Around this anchor it operates complementary services — free industry-led Bootcamps, Career Clinics (CV review and mock interviews), and a recruitment web application (app.summeroftech.co.nz) where candidates self-register, employers post roles, and events are managed.

The core product is the Summer of Tech Programme, supported by sub-brands Winter of Tech (off-season workshops) and Summer of Biz (a Wellington-focused business, design and marketing internship programme). The technology layer is a custom web application (Squarespace-hosted marketing site plus the app.summeroftech.co.nz platform) with a custom event platform for online Meet & Greets using Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams for queue-based 1:1 video chat. No proprietary AI/ML capability, API or SDK is disclosed. 2025 operational metrics included 2,906 live candidates, 140 accepted offers across 49 organisations, 50 events serving 1,444 unique attendees, 94 active volunteers contributing 344.5 hours, and an average wage of NZ$30.33/hr across placed roles.

The business model is a hybrid charity/marketplace: services are free for students and candidates, while employers pay for access to the talent pipeline (pricing is not publicly disclosed but described as 'highly competitive' following a 2023 update). Revenue is supplemented by corporate sponsorship from a roster that includes Pushpay, Trade Me, WellingtonNZ, Mercury, KCDC, NZ Police, PartsTrader, DataTorque, ANZ and Deloitte, alongside in-kind support for venues, catering and a $4K scholarship pool for underrepresented candidates. Leadership is a small core team — the 2025 Annual Report references 'Shannon, Kate & Ruth' as a 'tiny but mighty team', while named leadership includes CEO Ruth McDavitt, Candidate Delivery Manager Shannon Butson, and Founder John Clegg.

Name

Summer of Tech

Legal name

Summer of Tech

Website

https://summeroftech.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Summer of Tech is a New Zealand charity operating a recruiting platform that connects tertiary tech students and recent graduates with Aotearoa employers seeking junior tech talent, supported by corporate sponsors and industry volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tech Recruitment Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Computer Training (611420), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Enrichment Camps (General Studies) (EDAMALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coding, Game Design & Computer Science Camps (EDAMALAD)

Keywords

• Tech internship programme
• Graduate recruitment platform
• Junior tech talent
• Career development services
• Talent matching platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Employer hiring services: Connects employers with junior tech talent through recruitment events and candidate matching. 2025 saw 140 accepted offers across 49 organizations with average wage of $30.33/hr.
2. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors including Pushpay, Trade Me, WellingtonNZ, Mercury, KCDC, NZ Police, PartsTrader, DataTorque provide financial and in-kind support to run the programme and provide scholarships.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Summer of Tech is a charity-powered internship and graduate recruitment programme that connects tech students and recent graduates in Aotearoa New Zealand with employers offering junior tech roles. The offering is delivered via a web application (app.summeroftech.co.nz) where candidates register and employers post roles, supplemented by an annual cycle of in-person and online Meet & Greets, Speed Interviews, Bootcamps, and Career Clinics, all supported by industry volunteers and corporate sponsors.

Product overview

Summer of Tech is a New Zealand charity that operates a unified recruitment and professional development platform connecting tertiary tech students and graduates with employers. The core product is the Summer of Tech Programme, which is supported by an ecosystem of complementary services including Bootcamps (free technical and professional skills workshops), Meet & Greet Events (recruitment networking events), Speed Interviews, Career Clinics (CV review and mock interviews), and a seasonal sub-brand called Winter of Tech for off-season workshops. A parallel sub-brand, Summer of Biz, extends the model to business and design internships in Wellington. The programme is delivered via a web application where candidates register, employers post roles and recruit, and both parties participate in structured recruitment events, all supported by industry volunteers and sponsor funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer of Tech Programme A charity-powered internship and graduate recruitment programme connecting tech students and recent graduates in Aotearoa New Zealand with employers offering junior tech roles. Free for candidates; employer-paid service.
• Bootcamps Free industry-led workshops on technical and professional skills (e.g., cloud platforms, React, CV writing, interview preparation) delivered by volunteers and partner employers to help candidates develop job-ready competencies.
• Meet & Greet Events In-person and online recruitment events where candidates connect with employer representatives, held across Auckland, Wellington, and online, featuring queue-based 1:1 video chat functionality through Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.
• Speed Interviews Structured short-duration interviews scheduled during recruitment season, enabling employers to efficiently assess and shortlist candidates from the Summer of Tech pool.
• Career Clinics Volunteer-run sessions providing CV review and mock interview practice to help candidates improve their job application materials and interview performance.
• Winter of Tech A winter-season brand extension of the Summer of Tech programme delivering practical evening and lunchtime workshops to tertiary students in Auckland and Wellington during the academic off-season.
• Summer of Biz A parallel Wellington-focused business internship programme covering business, design, and marketing roles alongside the core tech internship offering.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PushpaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor sponsor and employer who has been involved in Summer of Tech for six years. Hosts sponsor bootcamps including full-day conferences in their Auckland offices. Interns hired through SoT have progressed to full-time roles including Software Development Engineer III positions.
• Trade MecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term sponsor and employer. Delivered Real World Industry Experience bootcamps across Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Multiple alumni hired including Senior Full Stack Developer and Junior Mobile Developer roles.
• WellingtonNZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional sponsor supporting Wellington-based activities and events including Meet & Greets.
• MercuryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor providing support for Summer of Tech events and programmes.
• KCDC (Kapiti Coast District Council)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor supporting Summer of Tech initiatives.
• NZ PoliceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor supporting Summer of Tech programme.
• PartsTradercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor employer and sponsor who has hired multiple Summer of Tech interns who progressed to long-term careers. Alumni include Tech Lead, Full Stack Developers, and QA. Hosts intern projects and company-wide presentations.
• DataTorqueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor who delivered Masterclass - Corporate World 101 bootcamp as part of partner programme.
• ANZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor sponsor and employer. Delivered Career Insights Panel with past interns and grads, and Wellness and Connection bootcamps. Provided support for Sponsor Impact Scholarships supporting underrepresented candidates.
• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor who delivered How to Deliver Impactful Presentations bootcamp. Has hired Summer of Tech alumni including Senior Consultant in Risk Advisory Services (Cyber).
• FNZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner who delivered Algo-Trading bootcamp as part of 2022 partner bootcamp programme.
• Aura Information SecurityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner who delivered Security 101 bootcamp covering responsibilities, career possibilities, and perks of a security career.
• MicrosoftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner who delivered Functional Programming bootcamp as part of 2022 programme.
• SerkominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner who delivered Introduction to Pair and Mob Programming bootcamps as part of 2022 programme.
• XerocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor employer and partner. Founder John Clegg led Soft Skills bootcamps. Alumni from Xero have progressed to senior roles in the industry.
• AviatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner who delivered Come and 'C' for yourself bootcamp as part of 2022 programme.
• TechTimeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner who delivered Insights into agile development process: Sprint Planning bootcamp as part of 2022 programme.
• TrustpowerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner who delivered Agile in Action bootcamp as part of 2022 programme.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the global professional network offering job listings, recruiter tools, and candidate profiles. It is comparable as the broadest incumbent in the professional talent-matching space that SoT's employer clients also use.
• SEEK: SEEK is the dominant generalist job platform in Australia and New Zealand. While not specialized in tech internships, it competes for the same employer hiring budgets and candidate traffic that Summer of Tech serves.
• Handshake: Handshake is the largest US college-to-career platform, connecting students with employer job and internship listings. It is comparable as a scaled incumbent in the student recruitment space, offering a reference point for the broader model SoT operates at NZ-local scale.

Direct peers

• Prosple: Prosple is a graduate employment and internship platform with a strong New Zealand presence. It serves as a comparable destination for NZ tertiary students seeking jobs and internships, overlapping directly with Summer of Tech's candidate base.
• GradConnection: GradConnection is a graduate recruitment platform operating across Australia and New Zealand. It directly competes with Summer of Tech by aggregating graduate programmes and internships from major employers for tertiary students in the same trans-Tasman market.
• Hatch: Hatch is a New Zealand-based early-careers talent platform connecting students and graduates with tech employers. It is the closest direct peer to Summer of Tech, offering a comparable recruitment and employer-matching model for junior NZ tech talent.
• Student Job Search: Student Job Search is a New Zealand nonprofit job platform specifically serving tertiary students. It is comparable to Summer of Tech as a student-focused employment matching service, though broader across non-tech roles.

Others

• Catalyst IT: Catalyst IT is a New Zealand open-source software company that runs internship and graduate programmes. It is thematically comparable as a NZ tech employer actively engaged in junior talent pipelines that intersect with SoT's employer customer base.

Emerging players

• WayUp: WayUp is a US-focused platform connecting students and recent graduates with jobs and internships. It is an emerging player comparable in mission and target audience (early-career talent) to Summer of Tech's recruitment programme.

Regional players

• GradAustralia: GradAustralia is an Australian graduate recruitment platform. It is comparable as a regional player serving early-career candidates in the same trans-Tasman talent market, though focused on Australia rather than New Zealand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/summeroftech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/summer-of-tech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Summer of Tech