Motion Capital

👉 Check it out – a demonstration trial of our #carbonmineralisation tech in action! In the field of carbon capture and storage, we can talk all day about the theory, but real-world application is what matters. Finding a partner who believes in what you do and is willing to front up with an opportunity to demonstrate your science can be a challenge. We found that partner in PepsiCo through their PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator APAC program. It is no secret #AspiringMaterials were finalists in the 2023 APAC GHAC, a programme we gained a tremendous deal of support and mentorship from, that helped us refine our business strategy and operational model. But what that all led to for us has been off the radar, until now. Late last year, PepsiCo supported Aspiring Materials to develop out an engineered solution to capture and mineralise #CO2emissions from an industrial flue. The team at the Bluebird Wiri site (shout out to Toby Smith and Michelle Cassettari 🙌 ) have been amazingly collaborative and supportive, opening their doors to us and providing an optimal environment for us to test and successfully demonstrate our carbon mineralisation technology in an industrial setting. Featured in this video are Simon Reid and Elfie Peterson, the on-the-ground Aspiring Materials team who conducted the demonstration, with backing support from Katherine Izumi 👏 . We’re grateful to have partners like PepsiCo who recognise what we’ve developed has huge potential for industrial decarbonisation. 👀 Next steps? Keep watching… or get in touch if its time to decarbonise your operation. #industrialdecarbonisation #lowemissionsmanufacturing #PepsicoGreenhouseAcceleratorAPAC

🥳 We’re officially operational! 🎊 And what a feeling it is for our team to go from beaker-sized science to this scale in just a little over 3 years. “Nothing short of an engineering marvel”, says our CEO Mark Chadderton. Last Friday, after beautiful karakia performed by kaumātua Henare Edwards earlier in the day to bless our new site, we welcomed guests to witness the all-important ribbon cutting, shared by Christopher Oze and Hon. Minister Shane Jones, to listen intently to welcome speeches before getting to do what they really came for – guided tours of our new pilot plant. The journey to this point has not been one we’ve done alone. From the design by DETA, Beca and Greenfern Dynamics, to the fabrication by Longveld, to the installation by Swarm Intelligence and PW Engineering, many hands have made light work of the build. We may have never made it past lab scale without the support of the grant funding we’ve received from Callaghan Innovation New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Ara Ake, PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator APAC and Breakthrough Energy as well as investment from Icehouse Ventures, Outset Ventures, Motion Capital, K1W1 and Elemental Impact. And we’re confident that our technology is like nothing else in the world, thanks to the expertise of the team at CreateIP. Our early supporters, like Megan Woods, The MacDiarmid Institute (Kevin Sheehy) James Shaw and Ministry of Awesome, were waving the #AspiringMaterials flag well before we were on the #NZcleantech map, and that vote of confidence has buoyed us during the challenging moments that every startup experiences. It’s been a huge team effort and we’re grateful to have such incredible partners to support us as we realise our ambitions. Last Friday was a celebration of what the team has achieved but also what opportunities now lie ahead for Aspiring Materials and for New Zealand. If you came along, thank you for your support. If you didn’t but want to understand more about how Aspiring Materials can help your operation with a local supply of high purity magnesium hydroxide, nickel:cobalt:manganese mixed hydroxide, reactive silica, or hydrogen, message us. Big thanks to Doug from The Records and Michael Kircher from Storylight for both capturing the moment in photo and footage (respectively). 👀 Keep watching! We’re gearing up to make critical minerals and essential materials our industries need every day, right here in New Zealand, without carbon or harmful waste. #cleantech #criticalminerals #economicresilience #newzealand Katherine Izumi Colum Rice Megan Danczyk, PhD Matthew Watson Simon Reid Edward Williams Dr. Jared Steven Elfie Halliday Anna Reid

The Autumn 2025 Young Company Finance report is now available, offering a clear view of how New Zealand’s start-up investment landscape has evolved over the past year. Total investment reached $466.8 million in FY 2024, a 34% increase on the previous year. Seed-stage companies accounted for 45% of all successful raises, while venture capital funds led 58% of deals, reflecting the continued shift toward participation by institutional investors. The second half of 2024 saw a marked lift in new deal activity, with 30 new companies receiving funding, more than twice the number recorded in H2 2023. While overall new deal flow remains below the long-term average, this increase points to a gradual recovery in early-stage company formation. Expansion-stage investment also grew strongly, driven by larger Series A and later funding rounds. Software continued to lead in capital raised, while clean-tech and health-tech sectors made up 28% of all deals, maintaining steady interest from investors. The full report is linked below and live on our website, with a detailed breakdown of investment insights from AANZ’s Bridget Unsworth and NZGCP’s Jacques Richter. This release is made possible through our key collaboration partner, Angel Association New Zealand, and our valued partners across New Zealand’s investment landscape. A special thanks to our contributors: AIM - Angel Investors Marlborough, Angel HQ, ArcAngels NZ, Blackbird, Climate VC Fund, Cure Kids Ventures, Enterprise Angels, Even Capital, GD1 (Global From Day One), Icehouse Ventures, Maker Partners, Motion Capital, Movac, Nuance Connected Capital, Outset Ventures, Pacific Channel, Snowball, Sprout Agritech, UniServices and WNT Ventures.