As Qrious, a division of Spark, celebrates a decade of innovation this March, one can’t help but appreciate the significant advancements the tech firm has achieved in New Zealand. Over the past ten years, Qrious has successfully initiated change across a multitude of industries and major organisations in the nation. Through its array of products, solutions, and consulting services, Qrious has continually leveraged the power of data and artificial intelligence to reinforce a culture of excellence and creativity.

"The proliferation of AI and data transformation across New Zealand organisations has significantly metamorphosed operations to enhance efficiency, scalability and innovation; but this widespread transformation always comes with significant challenges," says Stephen Ponsford, CEO of Qrious. From reimagining and rebuilding legacy systems to updating and future-proofing an organisation’s digital processes, Qrious is devoted to developing solutions that expedite data-driven intelligence and equip businesses to unlock the value ensnared in their data, powered by AI, which we've invested in from inception.

Martin Norgrove, Head of Professional Services at Qrious, emphasises that the firm is driven by the potential to create value. The company's mantra is not just about the implementation of solutions but carving out value. "We’re united in this approach on how we design and deliver for our customers. Does it add value? If the answer is 'no', we’re not doing that," he elucidates. Consulting is all about serving the customers, according to Norgrove, who has been a critical component of the team since its inception.

Among the firm's roster of impressive projects, their collaboration with Zespri stands out. They assisted Zespri in unlocking its data and delivering the highest-quality fruit onto consumers’ plates. Zespri, with thousands of orchards in New Zealand and across the globe, needed to replace a cumbersome legacy system with modern, future-proofed technology to automate its maturity clearance system (MCS). Teaming up with Qrious led to a seamless transition to a cloud-based platform that delivers insights using invaluable data from across the business.

Getting into the world of sports, Qrious developed an advanced data analysis platform for New Zealand Cricket. This gave New Zealand's top teams a competitive edge, allowing them to analyse more data than any other team in the world to make informed selections and devise tactics. The predictive models have also been extended to study fan behaviours and interests across the cricket ecosystem.

In a recent initiative, Qrious developed an AI-powered disease detection technology in association with Ingenum. This revolutionary platform predicts disease outbreaks, which enables countries to respond before the problem escalates, saving animal lives and potentially billions of dollars.

"Reflecting on our ten-year journey, we have made substantial strides in AI and data innovation as part of Spark Business Group," Ponsford remarks. The firm looks forward to a future in which organisations are universally driven by data and AI. Qrious's vision is to emblazon a new path of innovation and continue to empower organisations in transforming their businesses through data-driven insights.