10 Young NZ Entrepreneurs Who Started Early and Built Something Real

New Zealand has a history of founders who started young and built businesses that outgrew the country. These ten entrepreneurs launched their companies in their teens or twenties, some from student flats, some from family kitchens, some from school classrooms. Several have since scaled internationally, won global awards or sold to major acquirers. This is what they built.

1. Latesha Randall, Raglan Coconut Yoghurt

Latesha Randall co-founded Raglan Coconut Yoghurt after discovering her partner’s dairy allergies and experimenting with coconut-based recipes in her kitchen in Raglan. The brand has since grown to seven flavours, over 500 stores nationwide and expansion into Singapore, Hong Kong and the Pacific Islands. The company employs around 30 people.

Randall was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. Raglan Coconut Yoghurt won the Gourmet and People’s Choice categories at the 2015 NZ Food Awards and the Micro Business category at the 2016 Westpac Waikato Business Awards.

2. Britteny Bryan and Nicholas Harlow, Berkano Foods

Britteny Bryan and Nicholas Harlow founded Berkano Foods in Christchurch in 2017, New Zealand’s first plant-based ready-to-eat meal manufacturer. Both made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. The company grew to over 200 meal varieties, all made locally and stocked in supermarkets across the country.

Berkano won Champion Producer/Manufacturer for Small Enterprise at the 2019 Westpac Champion Business Awards.

3. Luke and Tim Burrows, Wise Boys

Luke and Tim Burrows founded Wise Boys, a plant-based burger operation built to be as sustainable as possible. They produced 100% plant-based patties in fully compostable packaging and built their first food truck from scrap iron, pallets and second-hand materials.

“We wanted to establish a food business that was as sustainable as possible, building the vegan burger shack of our dreams.”

Wise Boys

In 2019, Wise Boys opened a permanent location in Auckland’s Grey Lynn. The brand won a silver medal at the 2019 Outstanding NZ Food Producers Awards and was a finalist in the 2018 Sustainable Business Network Awards.

4. Logan Williams, Inventor and Innovation Director

Logan Williams from Timaru had developed and executed four inventions by the age of 24: Polar Optics (polarised contact lenses to treat photosensitive epilepsy), a system to destroy farm methane, A biodegradable material made from didymo (an invasive river weed), and novel uses for strong wool.

“My passion is probably to create companies with a purpose.”

Logan Williams

Williams received a National Merit Award at the Eureka Science and Innovation Competition and went on to become Director of Technology and Innovation at the New Zealand Merino Company, leading R&D into new uses for low-value strong wool.

5. Nina Darrah, I Used To Be

Nina Darrah founded I Used To Be to give discarded inflatable pool toys a second life. She turns the sturdy PVC from broken flamingos and doughnut rings into one-of-a-kind waterproof beach bags, purses and carryalls, all from her dad’s garage in Auckland.

Darrah started at local markets and grew to a full online store where, due to demand, items are released in limited drops.

6. Sam Stuchbury, Motion Sickness

Sam Stuchbury co-founded Motion Sickness from a student flat in Dunedin with fellow Otago University alumni Alex McManus and Jono De Alwis. The creative agency has since worked with brands including Blunt Umbrellas, Les Mills and Jim Beam.

In 2016, the team co-founded The Social Club, New Zealand’s largest influencer marketing agency, working with 350 brands and 3,500 influencers. In 2025, Motion Sickness won two Cannes Lions Grand Prix, the advertising industry’s top honour.

7. Alexia Hilbertidou, GirlBoss NZ

Alexia Hilbertidou founded GirlBoss NZ at 16, inspired by being the only girl in her Year 12 IT and physics class. The organisation grew into New Zealand’s second-largest network for women, with nearly 8,000 members, delivering STEM and leadership workshops for high school students.

Hilbertidou won a 2016 Westpac Women of Influence Award, became the youngest person to join a NASA project mission and received a Ministry of Education scholarship. She also won the Unitec Coding App competition for KaiShare, a food distribution platform.

8. Jamie Beaton and Sharndre Kushor, Crimson Education

Jamie Beaton and Sharndre Kushor co-founded Crimson Education as teenagers in 2013. The company helps students gain admission to top universities, Ivy Leagues, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, MIT and has since grown into a billion-dollar edtech company operating globally.

Crimson ranked third in the 2017 Deloitte Fast 50 with 1,005% annual growth, was featured by Forbes and the BBC and won New Zealand’s Young Enterprise Scheme Emerging Alumni Award.

9. Brooke and Olivia Moore, Top That! And Wrapt

Brooke and Olivia Moore were high school students at Tauhara College in Taupō when they launched two sustainability-focused businesses. Top That! produces 100% vegan, organic meal toppers, while Wrapt creates plastic wrap alternatives.

Both businesses were recognised at the 2019 YES National Awards and the Moore sisters received funding through the Global Kaitiakitanga Project to continue development.

10. Rebecca Marie, Purpose Swimwear

Rebecca Marie developed Purpose Swimwear while still at school. The brand produces sustainable women’s swimwear from ocean waste, plastic bottles, bags and fishing nets, designed to fit diverse bodies and built to last.

Marie won at the 2019 YES National Awards and built the brand’s following through social media while studying commerce part-time at Victoria University.

What connects them

These founders did not wait for the right time, the right funding or the right credentials. They started with what they had, a kitchen, a garage, a student flat, a classroom and built from there. Several have since scaled internationally, won global awards or built companies valued in the billions. The starting point was the same: a specific problem, a willingness to start and the discipline to keep going.

For more NZ founder stories, browse our People profiles, read about the Myths of entrepreneurship, or explore Business ideas for New Zealand in 2026.