What we do
MacDiarmid Institute affiliated spinout companies
To help benefit New Zealand, including its economy, we create high-tech spinoff companies with our students to attract further funding and take our innovations into the marketplace. We aim to transform New Zealand’s economy by catalysing the growth of the deep tech and hi-tech industry sectors through new science discovery. Since 2002, our students and Investigators have spun-out 27 new hi-tech start up companies.
MacDiarmid Institute affiliated-spinout companies are at different stages of their lifecycle - from initial concept launch and attracting investment through to tech incubation and, if successful, product manufacture.
As of December 2022:
- 27 affiliated start-up companies had raised $23.2 million in commercial investment
- 73 inventions patented
Below are introductions to some of our affiliated spinout companies:
Advemto
Established April 27, 2022
Advemto, a start-up developing within Wellington Univentures led by Principal Investigator Professor Justin Hodgkiss, makes ultra-fast, excited-state spectral dynamics more accessible, enabling higher quality results, with deeper insights into a more diverse class of samples. Customers can get complete data then select exactly the outcomes they want, providing richer insights without having to be experts in spectroscopy.
Aeroqual
Established January 10, 2001
Aeroqual was established by Emeritus Investigator Professor David Williams, and manufactures low-cost air pollution sensors. The company now employs 30 people and sells its products throughout the world.
Auramer Bio Ltd
Established September 18, 2015
Auramer Bio Ltd was established by MacDiarmid Institute Principal Investigator and Co-Director, Professor Justin Hodgkiss, Victoria University of Wellington. The company is developing aptamers; new antibodies made in the lab from DNA and designed to bind to very specific targets. Aptamers can target hormones for fertility treatment or methamphetamine for drug testing, etc.
Boutiq Science Ltd
Established May 16, 2011
Boutiq Science Ltd is a spin-off company from Victoria University of Wellington and the MacDiarmid Institute, founded by former Principal Investigator Professor Richard Tilley and operated by MacDiarmid Institute alumnus Dr Anna Henning. Boutiq aims to be a leading supplier of unique nanoparticles to the research science and engineering community.
Bspkl
Established July 15, 2022
Bspkl, pronounced (bɪˈspɛkəl) was established in 2023 by former Associate Investigator from GNS Science, Dr Jérôme Leveneur, as co-founder. Bspkl activates sustainability through innovative manufacturing, with their first product being an ultra-low iridium catalyst coated membrane to easy supply chain bottlenecks for the green hydrogen industry.
Captivate Technology
Established May 3, 2022
Captivate Technology is a new (2022) startup set up by MacDiarmid Institute Principal Investigator Professor Shane Telfer, to develop metal-organic-frameworks for carbon dioxide capture to support industries achieve Carbon Zero.
Engender Technologies
Established October 6, 2011
Engender Technologies uses materials science plus photonics to sort sperm for the dairy industry. Led by MacDiarmid Institute Emeritus Investigator Professor Cather Simpson, University of Auckland, the company won the Agtech category of the prestigious 2016 Silicon Valley Forum Tech World Cup. In November 2018 the company was acquired by animal genetics company CRV International.
JXB SPACE SYSTEMS Ltd
Established January 17, 2024
JXB produces spacecraft propulsion systems that will unlock a future where it will be economic to routinely travel into deep space, discover our solar system, and use space to lessen our impact on earth. JXB's superconducting plasma thruster does this by solving critical power and propellant bottlenecks to market growth. The company is led by MacDiarmid Institute Associate Investigator Dr Ben Mallett and Dr Jamal Olatunji.
Hi-Aspect Ltd
Established October 21, 2015
Hi-Aspect Ltd was set up in 2015 by MacDiarmid Institute Emeritus Investigator Professor Juliet Gerrard, University of Auckland, to develop a new protein-based nanomaterial that can heal skin. Its applications include skincare products and gels, films and patches for use in wound dressings and cosmetics.
Liquium
Established May 10, 2022
Liquium was set up by Associate Investigator Associate Professor Franck Natali in 2022 to develop new catalyst materials for a greener, cheaper and scalable ammonia production.
Litmaps
Established June 10, 2016
Litmaps was set up by Alumnus Dr Kyle Webster and Axton Pitt in 2016. Litmaps performs natural language processing and citation mapping for visual research navigation, citation network search, and team synchronization.
MaramaLabs
Established February 1, 2019
MaramaLabs is led by two MacDiarmid Institute alumni Dr Brendan Darby and Dr Matthias Meyer, and Principal Investigator Professor Eric Le Ru, Victoria University of Wellington. Their technology CloudSpec uses light to analyse cloudy solutions, such as paint, wastewater, algae growth, bioliquids, foods and beverages, including beer and wine.
Mote
Established October 25, 2012
Mote (formerly AirQuality Ltd) was established with Emeritus Investigator Professor David Williams, University of Auckland and employs several scientists. Mote manufactures sensing networks that provide reliable pollutant data for industry, such as vehicle fleet exhaust emissions, carbon monoxide emissions and wastewater treatment data.
Nanogirl Labs
Established January 27, 2016
Nanogirl Labs was started by former MacDiarmid Institute Associate Investigator Dr Michelle Dickinson. The company creates products and experiences for people everywhere to experience STEM, including her live-action show Nanogirl and Science Kitchen Cookbook.
Opo Bio Aotearoa
Established February 17, 2022
Opo Bio Aotearoa, established in 2022 by MacDiarmid Institute Principal Investigator Dr Laura Domigan and alumna Dr Olivia Ogilvie, aims to supply cells from Aotearoa New Zealand to the cultivated meat industry to enable large scale production through high performing cell lines and ingredients.
Orbis Diagnostics Ltd
Established February 25, 2016
Orbis Diagnostics Ltd has been established by MacDiarmid Institute Emeritus Investigators Professor Cather Simpson and Professor David Williams of the University of Auckland. Orbis is developing an affordable device for dairy sheds that will enable farmers to see the protein and fat content of each cow’s milk to help them assess the health of the cow.
Radio New Zealand item on the Orbis “Milk on a Disc” project:
'Milk on a disc' from Our Changing World, 9:06 pm on 11 August 2016
Silventum
Established September 15, 2017
Silventum is the brainchild of former MacDiarmid Institute Principal Investigator Dr Carla Meledandri, University of Otago, who has developed a non-staining antimicrobial, silver nanoparticle formulation to arrest tooth decay and make teeth more resistant to recurrent infection.
Spherelose
Established April 8, 2024
Spherelose is an innovative startup, established in 2024 by Associate Investigator Dr Jack Chen, dedicated to developing cellulose-based surfactants that eliminate the need for traditional petrochemical feedstocks. These surfactants have broad applications in industries such as cosmetics, food production, and agriculture. By leveraging cellulose, Spherelose aims to enhance sustainability and significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with these products.
Spot Check Technologies
Established January 17, 2017
Spot Check Technologies is a collaboration between MacDiarmid Institute Emeritus Investigator Professor David Williams and Principal Investigator Professor Jadranka Travas-Sejdic, both from the University of Auckland. Spot Check provides low-cost, on-the-spot detection of DNA signatures of infectious and chronic diseases, and won the prestigious Velocity 100k Challenge in 2016.
SuperCarbon
Established March 23, 2022
SuperCarbon is a 2022 University of Auckland spinout set up by Principal Investigator Professor Jadranka Travas-Sejdic to create a proprietary antibacterial and antiviral carbon-based platform with applications in air filtration and healthcare
Ternary Kinetics
Established August 22, 2023
Ternary Kinetics was established in 2023 by Principal Investigator Professor Aaron Marshall who has developed a liquid that enables electricity to be moved as a liquid, to power electric trucks, trains, planes and industry, with zero emissions renewable power.
TasmanIon
Established October 29, 2021
TasmanIon was established in 2021 by Emeritus Investigator Professor Jim Johnston and alumna Dr Shalini Divya to develop novel non-flammable aluminium-ion battery technologies suited for grid storage and portable applications.
White Rabbit Scientific Ltd
Established March 5, 2020
White Rabbit Scientific Ltd was established in 2020 by former Principal Investigator Professor Bill Williams and alumnus Dr Rob Ward as materials science engineering company developing a range of plug-and-play products incorporating microfluidics, microscopy and automation.
Zincovery
Established May 22, 2019
Zincovery is a startup emerging from our University of Canterbury based Principal Investigator Professor Aaron Marshall that recovers the zinc from Electric Arc Furnace dust. Aaron and former UC student, Jono Ring, developed a process which recovers high purity zinc (>99.995%) with 95% less emissions and 45% less operating costs compared to conventional recycling methods. The team won the 2020/21 Callaghan C Prize and is developing industry scale demonstration plant.
© MacDiarmid Institute 2025, All rights reserved
Website by WebWeaver Productions