The Caffeine Prize 2026
The first-ever Caffeine Prize is here.
Our mission is singular: to circulate the most important knowledge being gained by startups and scaleups among current and future founders, helping Aotearoa New Zealand become a global leader in technology.
So this is not just another awards event.
We’ve designed every part of the day around two things: celebrating the people in the room and making sure everyone leaves knowing more than when they arrived.
It’s a room full of ambitious founders, operators, investors and people building what’s next, sharing the lessons, insights and experiences that others can learn from. Each winner takes the stage for a 15-minute talk on the real learnings from building and scaling a business here: the wins, the near-misses and the things they’d do differently. Every talk is filmed and published, so the lessons reach even further. Around that, there are fireside chats and an Afterparty that runs into the evening.
And it all happens in The Dome at Auckland Museum: a building that holds the country’s history, hosting a day about its future.
See the finalists, judges and how the Prize works at prize.caffeinedaily.co
Two ways to be in the room
Full Day ($299 + GST): join us from 1.15pm for the full afternoon programme, the Caffeine Prizegiving and the Afterparty.
Afterparty ($149 + GST): join us from 6pm for the evening, with drinks, nibbles, entertainment and a room full of people worth meeting.
How tickets work
Space is limited, so every ticket is by request. Choose the ticket you’re after and request to join. The Caffeine team will review requests and be in touch to confirm your spot. Buying for your team? You can add multiple tickets in one order.
If you’re ambitious, curious and want to learn from the people actually doing it, you need to be in the room.
The Caffeine Prize 2026
The Dome, Auckland Museum
Friday 13 November
1.15pm–10pm
Limited tickets available.
For more information email: prize@caffeinedaily.co