What we do
MacDiarmid Institute affiliated spinout companies
We help grow New Zealand’s economy by supporting our researchers to turn scientific discoveries into new technologies, businesses, and jobs. Since 2002, our graduates and Investigators have spun-out 38 high-tech start-up companies.
We work with our researchers and university technology transfer offices to help bring new ideas and inventions out of the lab and into the real world. These start-ups can create skilled jobs for our graduates, attract investment, support a more sustainable future, and take New Zealand innovation into the global marketplace.
MacDiarmid Institute affiliated-spinout companies are supported through multiple stages of their lifecycle - from initial concept validation and technology development, to commercial launch and attracting investment, through to technology and commercial scale-up.
To date:
- 38 start-up companies have been founded or led by MacDiarmid Institute research entrepreneurs and alumni since the Institute began in 2002.
- Three of these start-ups have been acquired by international companies.
- 25 companies continue to thrive in the tough operating and capital raising environment.
In the 2025 year:
- Seven new start-up companies were founded by Institute alumni and researchers ranging from early-career scientists to Professors.
- Ten of the companies raised a combined NZ$38.2 million capital investment during 2025, with $17.2 million of this being from international investors*. (*Data includes one company that has relocated to Australia.)
Below are introductions to some of our affiliated spinout companies:
Advemto
Established April 27, 2022
Advemto, a Seed stage start-up led by former Principal Investigator and Co-Director and now Emeritus Investigator Professor Justin Hodgkiss, is building a tool for drug discovery that directly live cell observations to their genetic sequences, cell by cell. Such technology is needed for creating precision immunotherapies, discovery new antibodies, and a range of other biopharma applications. This product is enabled by optical barcoding technology that the team invented, building on their extensive academic track-records in ultrafast optical spectroscopy.
Aeroqual
Established January 10, 2001
Aeroqual was established by Dr Geoff Henshaw and former Principal Investigator and now Emeritus Investigator Professor David Williams, and developed into a global leader in real-time environmental monitoring. The company has been acquired by Industrial Scientific, a company within the NYSE-listed Fortive Corporation, and a leader in technologies that improve worker safety.
Auramer Bio Ltd
Established September 18, 2015
Auramer Bio Ltd was established by former Principal Investigator and Co-Director and now Emeritus Investigator Professor Justin Hodgkiss. 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 was founded by former Principal Investigator Professor Richard Tilley. Boutiq specialised in highly magnetic iron nanoparticles that could be used in medical imaging and other advanced applications, and in 2016 became a joint venture company with the University of South Australia. Australian medical technology company Ferronova uses a super-paramagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticle (SPION) tracer designed to enable radiation oncologists and surgeons to accurately map the lymphatic system with MRI,
Bspkl
Established July 15, 2022
Bspkl, pronounced (bɪˈspɛkəl) was established 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.
Capflux
Established 12 October 2025
CapFlux was established by alumnus Dr Daniel Mak. The company uses advanced capillary microfluidic technology to give lab-quality results.
Captivate Technology
Established May 3, 2022
Captivate Technology is a startup set up by Principal Investigator Professor Shane Telfer, to develop metal-organic-frameworks for carbon dioxide capture to support industries achieve Carbon Zero.
Dot Ingredients
Established April 8, 2024
Dot Ingredients (formerly Spherelose) is an innovative startup, established in 2024 by Principal 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.
Enagain
Established 13 March 2026
Enagain is upgrading waste biogas to renewable natural gas. Founded by Principal Investigator Dr Matt Cowan and Gavin Hedley.
Engender Technologies
Established October 6, 2011
Engender Technologies uses materials science plus photonics to sort sperm for the dairy industry. Led by former Principal Investigator and now 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.
Entropeak
Established 15 January 2025
Entropeak is pioneering safe, scalable, and cost-effective anode materials that supercharge next-gen batteries - for a fully electrified future.
GasView
Established 24 October 2024
Hi-Aspect Ltd
Established October 21, 2015
Hi-Aspect Ltd was set up in 2015 by former Principal Investigator and now 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.
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 Associate Investigator Dr Ben Mallett and Dr Jamal Olatunji.
Liquium
Established May 10, 2022
Liquium was set up by Principal Investigator 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 Institute 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.
Luminoma Diagnostics Ltd
Established 10 August 2023
Luminoma is developing a portable diagnostic-aid that indicates within seconds whether a skin lesion is likely to be malignant or benign. Associate Investigator Dr Michel Nieuwoudt is Founder and Chief Scientific Officer.
MaramaLabs
Established February 1, 2019
MaramaLabs is led by two MacDiarmid Institute alumni Dr Brendan Darby and Dr Matthias Meyer, and former Principal Investigator and now Emeritus Investigator Professor Eric Le Ru. 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 former Principal Investigator and now 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 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 former Principal Investigator and now Emeritus 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 was established by former Principal Investigators and now Emeritus Investigators Professor Cather Simpson and Professor David Williams. Orbis initially developed an affordable device for dairy sheds to enable farmers to see the protein and fat content of each cow’s milk, and is now developing a next-generation Point-of-Care Diagnostics platform capable of delivering clinically-accurate blood test results from a single fingerstick of blood.
Permeance
Established 31 May 2022
Permeance specialises in advanced membrane technologies for the carbon capture and gas separation industries. Established by Principal Investigator Dr Matthew Cowan, the company focuses on the development of ultra-thin, high-permeance 'gutter layer' materials that enhance the operational efficiency of industrial carbon-capture membranes.
Silventum
Established September 15, 2017
Silventum is the brainchild of former Principal Investigator and now Emeritus Investigator Dr Carla Meledandri, who developed a non-staining antimicrobial, silver nanoparticle formulation to arrest tooth decay and make teeth more resistant to recurrent infection.
Spot Check Technologies
Established January 17, 2017
Spot Check Technologies is a collaboration between former Principal Investigator and now Emeritus Investigator Professor David Williams and Principal Investigator Professor Jadranka Travas-Sejdic. 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 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 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 by former Principal Investigator and now 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.
TwoPhold
Established 16 April 2026
Twophold is a clean‑energy start-up established by Associate Investigator Dr Nate Davis. Twophold is working on materials that improve solar panel efficiency. In conventional solar cells, excess energy from high-energy light is lost as heat. TwoPhold captures this lost energy by splitting a single photon into two usable charges, generating more electricity from the same sunlight, enabling solar cells to move beyond the conventional ~32% efficiency limit and approach ~44%.
White Rabbit Scientific Ltd
Established March 5, 2020
White Rabbit Scientific Ltd was established 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.
Zethos (formerly Zincovery)
Established May 22, 2019
Zethos is a start-up from our Principal Investigator Professor Aaron Marshall that recovers the zinc from Electric Arc Furnace dust. Aaron and our alumnus 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.
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