Creative HQ Fintech Lab 2027

About

A hybrid three-month accelerator for early-stage fintech founders, offering coaching, regulatory and investor connections, and a Fintech Festival showcase; applications for the 2027 cohort are open until 22 November.

Benefits

• 🧑🏫 Coaching & workshops — Weekly 1:1 time with a startup coach and workshops covering regulation, legal, payments, security, customer discovery, sales, brand and pitching.
• 🤝Mentorship & networks — Matched mentors, direct introductions to industry leaders, regulators and investors, and a lifelong founder network from the cohort and alumni community.
• 💰Investment readiness — One-on-one investor meetings early in the programme to learn what investors are looking for and build a capital strategy.
• 🏛️ Regulatory support — Meetings and workshops on compliance, disclosure and licensing, with connections to key ecosystem players such as the Financial Markets Authority and NZ Fintech Fund.
• 🌐Hybrid delivery — Wellington teams work from Creative HQ, Auckland teams from GridAKL, and everyone else joins remotely; the programme comes together in person three times.
• 🎉Fintech Festival — The programme includes a Fintech Festival in June, with dates to be announced.
• 🆓Cost — The official page states it is free to take part and no equity is required, subject to the overseas-participant fee/equity condition.

Eligibility Criteria

• Mandatory: Early-stage to pre-scale fintech ventures; clear problem definition, early customer insights and a working concept or MVP; solving real financial problems in New Zealand or globally; overseas applicants must be able to attend key dates in person. Preferred/Not required: prior funding or investment is not required; teams that contribute diversity to the cohort and show social, environmental or cultural impact are favoured. Selection criteria include problem/solution fit, large scalable market, team skills and experience, diversity contribution, and impact/catalytic potential.

Participation Commitments

• 💳 Fees/equity — For New Zealand-funded participation, the official page states it is free to take part and no equity is required; overseas startups may be asked to pay either a programme participation fee or equity because the programme is funded by the New Zealand Government.
• ✈️ Travel — Participants are required to travel for the kick-off and closing events in Wellington; overseas applicants must be able to attend key dates in person.
• ⏳ Time — Participants are expected to be working full-time on their startup to make the most of the programme.

Target Region

New Zealand and global/overseas applicants; the official page welcomes early-stage fintech founders solving real financial problems in New Zealand or globally. Overseas startups are welcome but must be able to attend key dates in person.

Target Sector

Financial Services