Southland Startup Accepted into Te Papa Accelerator Programme

A Southland startup’s real-time machine learning concept focusing on regional museums has been accepted by Te Papa Tongarewa’s 2018 Mahuki programme.

Doug Thwaites, Louise Evans and Rachel Butler are the founders of Mimicry Tech, which is joining nine other businesses, in a four-month accelerator programme based at Te Papa, in Wellington.

The first Invercargill team, and one of the first from the South Island to be accepted into Mahuki, Mimicry Tech’s founders are excited by the wealth of resources available through the programme, Evans says.

“From a city with no permanent public art gallery or museum at present, having access to all of Te Papa, its people and research will be invaluable for Southland’s arts and heritage scene,” she says.

Mimicry Tech will leverage these resources, bringing them to Southland through live-streaming of guest speakers, together with hands-on workshops at co-working hub Cahoots, she says.

“These events aim to create a culture of innovation and startup in Southland, and foster community collaboration with Mimicry Tech at the core. Southland is primed to be a hub for innovation and technology – with low overheads, big ideas and endless potential.”

Mimicry Tech will give regional NZ the chance to collaborate with famous artists using machine learning, in real-time. Art lovers will be able to finally drop the velvet ropes on untouchable art, and have their own drawings come to life in the style of these great artists.

This could create a valuable learning tool or a fun, interactive exhibition tool, Evans says.

The team will work remotely as well as commuting to Te Papa to make the most of the opportunity.

Te Papa’s Mahuki programme offers access to researchers, angel investors and tech gurus to help grow businesses and bring their ideas to life.

Southland has its own accelerator programme through Creative HQ, the first region to be a satellite for the national programme, based in Wellington.

Creative HQ is supportive of Mimicry Tech and has extended its mentorship to them during the programme, Evans says.