Date/Time
Date(s) - Wed 20 May
17:30 - 19:30
Location
Level 12, Rutherford House, Victoria University of Wellington, 23 Lambton Quay, Pipitea, Wellington
Description
Come and join the Wellyforge team to:
· Develop strong networks between research and commercial pioneers who are already developing world-leading technology businesses.
· Learn about the opportunities from publicly funded research that are able to develop into startups and thriving export businesses.
· Link to research entrepreneurs with the commercial talent required for deep tech commercial success.
Thanks to:
the team at Creative HQ for making this event possible through sponsorship. Working together to ensure Wellington has all of the ingredients for a thriving startup and commercial community.
Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka and Taiawa for welcoming Wellyforge to the VUW facilities at Rutherford House.
Speakers:
Advemto – Justin Hodgkiss CEO and Founder
Justin Hodgkiss is Founder and CEO of Advemto Ltd, who are building tools to directly link immune cell behaviour to their genetic programming. Having worked on the edges of science commercialisation as Co-Director of the MacDiarmid Institute and Professor of Physical Chemistry at Victoria University of Wellington, Justin left academia to pursue this commercial opportunity. An MIT-trained PhD and Fellow of the Royal Society of NZ, Justin is an internationally recognized expert in using light to probe material properties, and is most excited about using frontier science to solve big problems.
AROTEC Diagnostics – Dr Jessica Koach – Head of Marketing & Communications
Jess is a medical scientist with over 20 years’ experience across infectious diseases, oncology and biotechnology. She holds BSc and MSc degrees from Victoria University of Wellington and a PhD from the University of New South Wales. Jess held research roles at AgResearch in infectious disease and vaccine development, the Children’s Cancer Institute in Sydney, and later at the University of California, San Francisco, focusing on new therapeutic strategies and novel compounds for paediatric cancers. In 2023, she joined AROTEC Diagnostics as a senior scientist and has led Marketing & Communications since 2025, bridging scientific, manufacturing and commercial knowledge and strategy.
Postdoc researcher Dr Alyna Lange
Exploring the molecules that fuel micro-satellites through computational chemistry
Jessica Siesicki PhD student
Reducing Methane Emissions from Livestock Using Methanogen-Targeting Glycomimetics