Dazzle Tickets co-founders Christopher Smith and Nicolas Schembri have had a big couple of weeks. Not only did they steal the show at the Creative HQ showcase party recently but they also scooped the launchpad prize at Planet 2010 a telecommunications and technology industry event. I’m predicting big things from Dazzle in the future.

Dazzle provide online ticketing services to the entertainment industry. The company are part of a new wave of companies emerging from Wellington’s Creative HQ incubator and which mark a new found appetite for technology plays as the business incubator carves out a different strategic direction. The incubator assists a wide range of business types, but there has been a few lean years without much focus on high tech. This was in part due to the fact that the regional economic development plan largely ignores the contribution of ICT as an enabler. But with Wellington being the home of well known companies such as TradeMe and Xero, it was becoming embarrassing that technology was not a major focus.

Unlimited Potential has been working hard to rectify that situation. Through promoting technology entrepreneurship as a winner and by working closely with other stakeholders such as Victoria University, we have been able to focus attention on ICT as a key aspect in regional economic development. So it is tremendously gratifying to see some smart companies emerging from what is now a rapidly strengthening ecosystem. To their credit, economic development agency Grow Wellington have seized the moment and have big plans for cultivating even more Bright Ideas.

Ideas alone are not enough however. In fact what I like most of all about Dazzle Tickets is that they present well and look like a great team. The fact that they already executed on their idea and went out and made some sales of their service says a lot about the potential as well. The real key to success will be identifying a model that can allow them to scale up globally. That next step will be an exciting one, but will require fresh capital and some well connected advice. That’s where an entrepreneurial ecosystem for bright technology kicks in.