Auckland CBD should become ‘Mini Silicon Valley’

An Auckland-based IT CEO is calling for technology companies to form a central hub to secure better infrastructure and boost collaboration to support the industry’s continued export growth.

Optimizer CEO, Manas Kumar, says bringing like-minded companies together geographically is a model which has already proved successful internationally with the establishment of California’s Silicon Valley.

Kumar says the IT industry in particular relies heavily on adopting the very latest innovations to stay competitive, and by grouping companies together there is a natural incentive for investment in infrastructure.

Ideally Kumar would like to see a ‘mini Silicon Valley’ established in Auckland’s CBD, where growing IT companies would be supported by those more established businesses around them.

“We believe a new central city location in the heart of Auckland would create a hub of technological creativity and advancement," he says.

"A mini Silicon Valley where resources and ideas are shared for the betterment of all in the industry will support the development of international business opportunities."

Optimizer, which provides payment, security and cloud technology solutions for businesses, has already moved its premises into the central city to accommodate a rapid increase in staff numbers as well as seek the benefits of being closer to like-minded companies.

The company has seen employee numbers rise from 8 to 40 in the past 12 months, with this number expected to grow to over 200 globally in the coming years, says Kumar.

The technology firm also recently announced plans to explore the prospect of listing on the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX) and on August 1, the company moved to 49 Symonds Street, Level 12, now known as The Optimizer Building.