The telecommunications company, Vodafone, has selected 10 new start-ups to be involved in its accelerator programme - called the Xone.
The companies come from a range of sectors, including Christchurch-based EVNEX, which builds electric vehicle charging products that integrate with solar technology.
Other businesses are in the wine-making and pipfruit growing sectors, along with a social media platform designed for gamers and another is focused on making healthcare more accessible.
Selected businesses will receive a total of more than $150,000, including seed-funding, access to technology, along with mentoring over the coming months.
It's the second year for the Xone project, with last year's companies generating more than $8.5 million in revenue, $7m in capital funding and creating 25 new jobs and expanding overseas.
Vodafone innovation manager Kevin Park said it cast the net wider this year for new candidates.
"We visited a lot more cities, networked with more partners to see what we did miss out on the first time ... we also did a lot of activity to increase diversity," he said.
Mr Park hoped this year's companies would generate more revenue and funding when compared with the previous group.