What Innov8HQ does

Innov8HQ is a privately-held consultancy and programme operator headquartered in Dunedin, New Zealand, focused on leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Founded in 2015-2016 by siblings Heidi Renata and Steven Renata, the company delivers youth leadership programmes, a university student accelerator, digital storytelling workshops, community partnership programmes, strategic advisory, and keynote speaking services. Its primary customer base comprises rangatahi (Māori youth aged 15-24), Māori business students, iwi and community organisations, government agencies, and enterprises seeking advisory support. The firm is small (1-10 employees) and family-controlled, with no disclosed external institutional investment.

The company's product portfolio includes Mana Rangatahi (a youth leadership and entrepreneurship programme delivered across seven Otago/Southland regions since 2020, having served over 1,000 participants), Konaki (a six-week university student accelerator in partnership with Te Kura Pakihi, University of Otago, with 42 graduates and 20 businesses supported), Next Wave Creators (a digital storytelling wānanga for 11-13 year olds), Mana Hapori (a community partnership platform), Mana-vation Consulting, and The Curious Wahinepreneur keynote. The underlying technology stack centres on the CultureQ digital platform, which manages programme activity, resources, attendance, outcomes, and reporting, and embeds Guardian AI, a private and ethical digital companion for reflection and engagement insights. Programmes are framed around the Pou Tārāwaho Konaki cultural framework, weaving Māori values (Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, Tuakiritanga, Whakararuhau) into business education.

Innov8HQ's business model is a multi-stream professional services operation combining fee-based youth programmes, workshop and event registrations, hourly meeting room rentals ($35-$55 NZD per hour plus GST), private suite leases, bespoke consulting engagements, and global keynote fees. The go-to-market is community-led and partnership-driven, with KIWA Digital (co-founded by Director Steven Renata) providing the technology backbone, the University of Otago anchoring the Konaki programme, and iwi, schools, and government agencies distributing community programmes. Marketing relies on INNOV8HQ-TV, organic social media, and the Journeys of Influence speaker series. The company has been recognised with the Otago Daily Times Business Leader of the Year 2022, ACE Aotearoa Programme of the Year 2023, and IWA Entrepreneurial Women of the Year 2024.

Name

Innov8HQ

Legal name

Innov8HQ

Website

https://innov8hq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Innov8HQ is a Dunedin, New Zealand-based consultancy delivering culturally-enriched youth leadership, entrepreneurship, and community development programmes, plus strategic advisory and workspace services, for rangatahi, iwi, education providers, government agencies, and enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership Development and Entrepreneurship Consulting

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Support Services (611710), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Strategy, Consulting & General Management Institutes (EDAHAHAI), Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH), Innovation Leadership & Leading Growth (EDABAAAO), Youth Leadership, Oratory & Civic Speaking Programs (EDAMAOAH)

Keywords

• Youth leadership programmes
• Entrepreneurship consulting
• Community partnerships
• Indigenous business education
• Co-working advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Flushing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Youth Leadership and Entrepreneurship Programmes: Mana Rangatahi programme for rangatahi aged 15-24, delivered as intensive workshops plus ongoing sessions. Fee-based programme with registrations for 2026 now open.
2. Community Partnerships - Mana Hapori: Community partnership platform supporting iwi, schools, youth organisations, tertiary providers, government agencies and community groups with co-designed and delivered leadership and entrepreneurship programmes.
3. Strategic Advisory and Consulting: Expert consultation helping organisations navigate technological advancement and industry shifts. Focus on careerforce initiatives for Māori, youth, and tech sector. Includes workplace assessments and consultation sessions.
4. Innovative Workspaces: Design and implementation of dynamic workspaces. Private suites, meeting rooms (Renata-Boardroom, Mahi Tahi-Medium, Kokihi-Small) available for booking at hourly rates.
5. Keynote Speaking: Heidi Renata (The Curious Wahinepreneur) provides keynote speaking services for events, conferences, panels, podcasts and leadership sessions globally. Topics include AI, innovation, indigenous entrepreneurship, and leadership.
6. Digital Storytelling Workshops: Next Wave Creators - 2-day tech and digital storytelling wānanga for 11-13 year olds, powered by KIWA Digital partnership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Innov8HQ delivers leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation programmes alongside consulting and advisory services. Core offerings include the Mana Rangatahi youth leadership programme for rangatahi aged 15-24, the Konaki university student startup accelerator, the Next Wave Creators digital storytelling workshop, the Journeys of Influence speaker series, and the Mana Hapori community partnership platform. Supporting services include strategic consulting, workspace design, technology integration, and keynote speaking engagements, all grounded in Māori cultural values.

Product overview

INNOV8HQ is a consultancy offering a portfolio of programmes and services focused on leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation across Aotearoa New Zealand. The core portfolio consists of: Mana Rangatahi (youth leadership programme), Konaki (university student accelerator), Next Wave Creators (digital storytelling workshop), Journeys of Influence (speaker series), and Mana Hapori (community partnership platform). Supporting services include Mana-vation Consulting (strategic advisory, workspace design, technology integration) and The Curious Wahinepreneur Keynote speaking. INNOV8HQ-TV serves as the company's media channel for showcasing programme content and community initiatives. All offerings are grounded in Māori cultural values and focus on future-focused technology skills.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mana Nation: Leadership and entrepreneurship foundation at the heart of the company's kaupapa, offering mentoring and scholarship programmes for government, educational institutes, and organisations.
• Mana Hapori
• CultureQ
• Guardian AI

Products and services

• Mana Rangatahi Award-winning youth leadership and entrepreneurship programme for young people aged 15-24, delivered as a one-day intensive workshop followed by six weeks of two-hour sessions covering leadership, entrepreneurship, AI skills, confidence-building, and career pathways. Registrations for 2026 are now open.
• Konaki University student accelerator programme delivered in partnership with Te Kura Pakihi, University of Otago Māori Business School, connecting Māori business students (tauira) with real startup challenges through a six-week incubator. 42 tauira graduated and 20 businesses supported.
• Next Wave Creators Two-day tech and digital storytelling wānanga for 11-13 year olds, powered by KIWA Digital partnership, teaching young people to use technology to tell stories, solve problems and create meaningful projects.
• Journeys of Influence
• Mana Hapori Community partnership platform supporting iwi, schools, youth organisations, tertiary providers and community groups with co-designed leadership, entrepreneurship and digital capability learning experiences, powered by CultureQ.
• Mana-vation Consulting Consulting services including strategic advisory for organisations navigating technological advancement, innovative workspace design and implementation, and technology integration for government and education sectors.
• The Curious Wahinepreneur Keynote Keynote speaking service featuring Heidi Renata covering topics on human leadership in an AI-driven world, indigenous entrepreneurship, Māori women in technology, innovation, identity, and rangatahi pathways.
• INNOV8HQ-TV Media channel showcasing community projects and initiatives, featuring video content of programme highlights, guest speaker sessions and client testimonials.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000+ rangatahi supported since 2020
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Te Kura Pakihi, University of Otago Māori Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership to deliver Konaki - a pioneering university student accelerator that connects Māori business students (tauira) with real startup challenges. Students gain hands-on experience while businesses benefit from committed rangatahi. The programme embeds te ao Māori values (Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, Tuakiritanga, Whakaruruhau) and is supported by Konaki Research Project for continuous impact measurement. Since launch, 42 tauira graduated and 20 businesses supported.
• KIWA DigitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationKIWA Digital serves as Innov8HQ's technology partner, bringing world-class digital innovation, platform expertise and future-focused technology into community programmes. They provide the CultureQ secure digital platform supporting Mana Hapori and Guardian AI - a private and ethical digital companion for programme delivery. KIWA Digital's tools have supported global platforms including Netflix, Amazon and Disney. Partnership also enables Next Wave Creators digital storytelling workshops for rangatahi.
• Te Roopu Tautoko Ki Te TongaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Dunedin partner providing venue for Next Wave Creators 2-day tech and digital storytelling wānanga for 11-13 year olds, July 7-8 2026.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• TED (TED Conferences): Global media and conference platform that books premium keynote speakers on leadership, innovation, and indigenous topics. Broad incumbent comparable to Innov8HQ's keynote speaking revenue stream and to the global positioning of 'The Curious Wahinepreneur' brand.
• Creative HQ: Wellington-based innovation hub combining co-working, accelerator programmes and innovation services. A broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities in workspace and entrepreneurship support, but operating at national scale rather than regionally focused.

Direct peers

• Young Enterprise New Zealand: National not-for-profit delivering entrepreneurship education programmes for secondary and tertiary students. Directly comparable as a youth entrepreneurship programme operator competing for the same schools, students, and education-sector funding.
• Junior Achievement New Zealand: Long-established youth entrepreneurship and financial literacy programme provider operating across NZ schools. Directly comparable in target audience (rangatahi/students), programme format (workshops, mentorship), and education-sector buyer relationships.
• Springboard Trust: NZ organisation providing leadership development and capability-building for community organisations and school leaders. Highly comparable target customer (community organisations, education providers) and overlapping leadership advisory offering to Innov8HQ's Mana-vation consulting.
• SODA Inc (Strategic Oversight of Dunedin's Ambitions): Dunedin-based startup and community hub offering co-working, accelerator programmes and entrepreneurship support. Direct peer because it competes for the same local founders, co-working tenants, and youth/community entrepreneurship programme participants as Innov8HQ.

Regional players

• Toi Mai Workforce Development Council: New Zealand workforce development council for creative, cultural and technology sectors. Comparable as a regional intermediary funding and designing training programmes, but operating as a sector-wide body rather than a direct programme competitor.

Emerging players

• Enspiral Dev Academy: New Zealand-based digital and technology training provider running bootcamps and capability programmes. Comparable overlap with Innov8HQ's Next Wave Creators tech wānanga and AI/technology skills curriculum, though serving a different learner age and segment.
• Ākina Foundation: New Zealand social enterprise and impact-focused support organisation. Comparable in mission orientation and community capability-building, though focused on impact enterprises rather than rangatahi entrepreneurship specifically.

Others

• KIWA Digital: Auckland-based trans-media company and Innov8HQ's core technology partner (same founder Steven Renata). Included as an adjacent/related-party ecosystem participant rather than a competitor — its platforms (CultureQ, Guardian AI) underpin Innov8HQ's programme delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/innov8hq
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCh0gVxhPFtlB2pMn4Is7T3A
• Facebookfacebook.com/innov8hq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innov8hq

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 Innov8HQ