The wheels are well and truly turning for the production of the 2019 TIN Report — the 15th edition of New Zealand’s definitive guide to the technology export sector.

The TIN Report is a critical reference for benchmarking the performance of New Zealand’s 200 largest globally focused technology companies. Every year, TIN sends a survey to hundreds of Kiwi tech companies, requesting data on their revenue, staff numbers, ownership, and international expansion plans. The information received is fed into the TIN database, then scrutinised and analysed by TIN’s expert team of financial and statistical analysts. The team’s skill set is broad, but with specialties from data management and market research, to quantitative modelling, commentary writing and editing.

TIN Project Manager Brendan Boughen oversees the team of three data analysts, including Marinka Teague, Mihnea Enache and Noel D’Souza. The Report team is supported Events Manager Shelley Davies, who produces the invaluable networking opportunities that membership of the TIN community provides, as well as Ashley Hibbard and Sarah Gardyne who provide digital media support.

The size of the tech industry has grown significantly since 2005 and consequently TIN is constantly expanding its reach. This year, it is anticipated around 1,000 companies will be surveyed — up from 700 last year.

Brendan says new tech companies – particularly start-ups - are always welcome to the TIN fold.

“Our goal is to report on the tech sector in its truest iteration;  surveying the widest range of companies possible helps us understand the true value of the innovation ecosystem.”

“With the ever growing number of start-ups entering the market and gaining investment, there’s no doubt that TIN will continue to grow also,” he says, hinting at the possibility that the current TIN200 list may one day need to become the TIN300 as the number of companies surveyed expands.

TIN has played a key part in developing and nurturing connections within the NZ tech sector over the past 15 years, as it has collaborated with industry bodies such as NZVIF, NZTE, MBIE and the Angel Association. In doing so, it has provided greater transparency of the tech sector to the New Zealand public, and for TIN companies the potential for regular interaction with investors and other key influencers.

So what can we expect from the TIN Report this year?

Brendan and his team are anticipating that the continuing trend of offshore investment and profitability will once again be key themes in 2019, along with ongoing international expansion into the North American market.

With last year’s Report showing 19 companies making their debut appearance on the TIN200 list, New Zealand’s tech ecosystem is robust, highly productive, and a fertile ground for innovation – and the team is predicting a similar number of TIN rookies this year.

“From the various investment events we’ve attended and communications we’ve received, there are clearly plenty of new companies that are already making their mark, and that’s exciting to see,” says Brendan. “This year, we may very well see some new companies leap straight into the TIN100, which indicates the significant levels of investment that some companies are securing.”

The annual TIN Report survey will be sent to potential participants from the middle of May.

Of the nearly 1,000 companies on the database, each will be ranked by revenue to identify the top TIN100 and the TIN Next100, which combined form the full TIN200 list. The Report will also contain a sample of 100 ‘Early Stage’ tech companies that TIN has encountered over the year.

To qualify for inclusion in the TIN's top 200 rankings, companies must:

• originate in New Zealand
• retain a meaningful presence in New Zealand
• operate in the high-tech Manufacturing, ICT or Biotech sectors
• have developed their own technology-based intellectual property
• generate at least 10% of their revenues offshore

If your company already meets these criteria or is aspiring to meet these criteria and you're interested in being included on the TIN database, go to https://tin100.com/faq/ and complete the form to register. You can also email TIN directly on tin100@tinetwork.com