Startup studio sparks solutions
Marlburian entrepreneurs took on the challenge at Marlborough Tech and Innovation Hub last weekend. Photo: Unsplash.
ALEX ROBERTON
Creative thinking and community-focused innovation were on full display at the weekend’s startup studio event, where four teams created business ideas to tackle some of Marlborough’s most pressing issues.
Teams were given just over 24 hours to develop a business idea from scratch, validate it, create branding and produce a financial forecast. The process culminated in a pitch-style presentation to a panel of judges that included Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor.
Despite the tight timeframe, all four teams delivered thoughtful and well-developed ideas. Concepts ranged from a social enterprise aimed at addressing the growing loneliness epidemic to an artificial intelligence-driven solution designed to reduce waste in the building industry.
Judges selected a winner and runner-up, while a people’s choice award was decided by participants at the event. The event took place at Marlborough Tech and Innovation Hub. Event organiser and Councillor Brian Dawson acknowledged the business mentors “who volunteered their time” and Beth Barnes “for being the creativity behind the event and really bringing the concept to life”.
“We’ve had great feedback already,” he added, “and will look to continue this format going forward.”
First place was awarded to Shift, a marketplace model connecting construction companies with recycling merchants to create a secondary economy from materials traditionally classed as waste.
Judges viewed the idea as particularly timely following a new bylaw, which came into effect in September 2025, giving Marlborough District Council the ability to refuse waste at landfill when suitable recycling facilities exist in Marlborough.
Runner-up honours went to Community 2.0, a bartering platform created to link people with spare resources or skills to those who need them, encouraging collaboration and reducing unnecessary costs.
The people’s choice award went to The Village, a charity-focused initiative designed to support elderly people and others in need. The concept proposed a range of practical support services, including gardening assistance and help with household chores, with the aim of strengthening community connections.