Ratu is also a distinguished alumnus of the University, having finished a PhD at Robinson Research Institute, which saw him develop his own nuclear fusion start-up. OpenStar is developing pioneering technology to build a nuclear fusion reactor capable of producing abundant, clean energy.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bryony James, was there on behalf of Te Herenga Waka to present the award.
“It never fails to blow me away that someone is successfully working toward nuclear fusion just down the road—massive congratulations to Ratu and his team for their successes so far,” says Bryony.
Ratu wasn’t the only alumnus to win big in these important local awards. Another company well on the way to having a huge impact globally is Projectworks, the winner of the Global Gold award. Co-founded by Vic alumni Doug Taylor, Julian Clarke, and Matt Hayter, Projectworks is a software as a service (SaaS) company that supports consultants working in 56 countries.
A special congratulations goes to Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, who won the Vibrant Gold for their amazing achievements as a community-led ecosanctuary. The University is proud to have Zealandia as a formal research partner, and this collaboration has facilitated research into our urban ecology, student fieldwork, and more since 2016.
The Innovation Gold went to Speculo, a cyber-security company who are based at Taiawa—Wellington Tech Hub, a university partnership with Wellington City Council. Taiawa themselves were finalists in the Supporting Gold award.
Finally, the Impact Gold was won by Champions Initiative, a youth boxing gym company co-founded by alumna Kerri Graham. This initiative began in Naenae, and has been shared nationwide, helping to champion young people who contribute to their communities.
Other university-connected projects counted in the finalists of the awards included Storbie, who are based at Taiawa, and Project Kororā, a student satellite project based at the University.
Bryony says, “These awards are a celebration of the incredible Wellington businesses and businesspeople who inspire this city and are inspired by it. Huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists.