It sounds like you’ve been on quite the journey since we last spoke. What’ve you been up to?
It’s been a busy year, for sure. After finishing at Shift72, I had an amazing opportunity to spend six months in Montpellier, France, racing with a French triathlon team as part of the Montpellier Triathlon Club in the Grand Prix series over their summer.
There’s a massive depth of competition in triathlon in France, especially in the women’s category, which we don’t get in New Zealand, so it was a big deal.
I also spent time volunteering for the NZ Olympic team at the Paris Olympics, which was amazing. I minored in French at university and spent time in France as part of a high school exchange programme, and have kept it up so was able to easily converse with people during my time there.
As well as all that, I started developing my own app – a social networking platform called Grapevine, where people can connect with local users and clubs based on mutual interests.
What sparked the idea for your app and what stage is it at?
Many of my peers found moving overseas (especially from places like New Zealand and Australia) daunting, particularly without knowing anyone. I felt the same when planning my move to France and wanted to connect with like-minded people and find local groups, like running clubs.
Current social networking platforms don’t offer an authentic way to connect with individuals and groups. They often lack a streamlined, user-friendly interface to make these connections easy.
I wanted to solve this problem, so I began working on it in the background in late 2023.
It’s been an amazing learning experience to build an app from the ground up, especially from a software engineering perspective. Then there’s the business side – learning how to start a business, understanding market research and exploring unique selling points – which has been a great learning curve.
The app is currently in beta and is undergoing ongoing testing and development. Recently, I have focused on market research and refining the monetisation strategy.
I continue to enjoy working on it in my free time, with the goal of launching it in late 2025.
What opportunities for connections did you find within the French tech community?
Through applying to Viva Tech’s Female Founder Challenge, I received a complimentary four-day pass to attend the Viva Technology conference (Europe’s largest tech conference), which was insane. All the top tech companies were there and some great speakers like Venus and Serena Williams and the head of LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton).
Before the event, I saw NZTE was organising a networking event at the NZ Ambassador to France’s house in Paris, for Kiwi companies at the conference and managed to attend that, too.
Then through that, I was invited to other events and dinners during the week of the conference.
So, I got to make a lot of great connections, and it was nice to have that link to the Kiwi tech community while being so far from home.
We hear you’ve recently taken on an exciting new role in Sydney. Tell us about that.
Yes! I’ve started a new role as an associate engineer at Karbon in Sydney. They’re a global software company providing cloud-based practice management software for accounting firms.
I’m working on building new features and resolving bugs, similar to what I did at Shift72 but with a different tech stack and framework. At Shift72, I was more focused on app development, whereas at Karbon, I’m working in web more as a frontend engineer and am being given the opportunity to broaden my technical skills and stack.
This role has a strong focus on growth and mentorship opportunities. I’m at a stage of my career where I’m open to a huge amount of learning and opportunity so that was a major draw card for me. Working for a company like Karbon whose values and vision align with mine while allowing me to leverage my skills to make a meaningful positive impact while continuing to grow and develop is amazing.
You’ve mentioned before that Shift72 was a great launchpad for your career. How did working there, and being part of Hamilton’s tech industry, prepare you for the opportunities you’ve taken on since?
Hamilton’s tech scene, and especially Shift72, played a huge role in my professional growth. Because Shift is a smaller company, I was able to get experience across the board, not just coding but also learning how the whole app development cycle works.
I learned how to upload apps to the app store, onboard clients and work directly with them. That kind of hands-on exposure to every stage of the process was invaluable. It built my confidence, especially seeing people out there actually using what I’d worked on.
The team were very encouraging about trying new things and pushing boundaries, especially my manager, Clint Morine, who had a huge influence on my career. Without that support, I don’t think I’d have had the confidence to put myself in the positions I’ve found myself in overseas.
Our CEO Dave White and the whole Shift72 team were incredibly supportive of my attendance at South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney last year. Attending a major conference like that was a huge boost to my confidence and broadened my understanding of the tech industry on an international scale.
The Waikato tech community in general is really interconnected and supportive. Through events like SODA’s Rise Up pitch night, I saw other women in tech and entrepreneurship sharing their stories and made some great connections. That representation was so important because you can’t be what you can’t see. Knowing there were other women paving the way gave me that extra push to go after my own goals.
I think Waikato’s tech community, especially for young professionals, offers a lot of opportunities for direct mentorship and growth that you might not find as easily elsewhere.
Hamilton has amazing spaces – like HIKO Hub at the University of Waikato and Waikato Innovation Park – for networking and knowledge-sharing across different fields, which is essential because tech doesn’t exist in a bubble. The strong integration with other fields like business, marketing and even the creative sectors is a real advantage here.
Another thing we’re spoilt with in New Zealand, and especially in the Waikato, is the freedom to choose your lifestyle. For me, it’s having the chance to go for a run or a bike ride after work. Training is a big part of my life and having the flexibility to do that in Hamilton was huge for me.
It also translates into my productivity – the quality and speed of my work is better if I’ve been able to train and have that time outside of work to breathe.
That balance really comes through in the work culture in Hamilton, and I think that made a huge difference in terms of my mindset and overall wellbeing, which has helped me massively in handling the challenges I faced since then.
What advice would you give to tech professionals starting out in Hamilton?
I’d say Hamilton is a fantastic place to launch your career. You get a level of support that helps you grow both personally and professionally, and I’ve found that a flexible lifestyle here is achievable. This balance and flexibility really helped me develop a healthy mindset around productivity, and it’s something I can take with me now wherever I go.
I’d also say take advantage of the community. Hamilton’s tech scene offers so many opportunities to get involved, from organised events to casual meetups, and it’s full of people willing to share their experiences and help you succeed.
There’s a lot of talent here, and it’s a place where you can take risks and learn, qualities that have definitely helped me as I’ve moved forward in my career.
