Funded Artificial Intelligence Startups in New Zealand
The 13 AI funding rounds shown here span July 2020 to May 2025, with Auckland-headquartered companies accounting for nine entries.
The 13 AI funding rounds shown here span July 2020 to May 2025, with Auckland-headquartered companies accounting for nine entries. Soul Machines holds the largest disclosed amount at $70M (Series B, February 2022), followed by Auror's $49M Series C closed in November 2024 — the most recent eight-figure raise in this set. Seed rounds appear frequently across the timeline: Watchful ($3M, December 2024), HeartLab ($3M, September 2021), and Altered State Machine ($100K, March 2022) all raised at that stage.
Christchurch produced three rounds across two companies. VXT raised a $1M Seed in April 2024 and returned for a $3M Series Unknown by May 2025, making it the only company in this dataset with consecutive disclosed rounds. Green Planet Eco also closed a $130K Series A from Christchurch in July 2023. Wellington's sole entry is Chatterize, with a $1M round in mid-2020.
Most recent rounds
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Frequently asked
What are the largest AI funding rounds in New Zealand shown here?
Soul Machines leads with a $70M Series B closed in February 2022, followed by Auror's $49M Series C in November 2024. The next largest is StretchSense at $8M (Series A, November 2022). Those three rounds account for the bulk of total capital in this dataset.
Which city produces the most AI startup funding activity in New Zealand?
Auckland dominates, with nine of the thirteen entries headquartered there — including Auror, Soul Machines, StretchSense, Watchful, and HeartLab. Christchurch accounts for three rounds (VXT twice, Green Planet Eco once), and Wellington contributes one entry: Chatterize's $1M round from July 2020.
Which NZ AI companies closed rounds most recently?
The three most recent entries are VXT ($3M Series Unknown, May 2025), Watchful ($3M Seed, December 2024), and Auror ($49M Series C, November 2024) — all within a roughly six-month window spanning late 2024 into early 2025.
Has any company raised more than one round in this dataset?
Yes. VXT appears twice: a $1M Seed in April 2024 and a $3M Series Unknown round in May 2025, both from Christchurch. It is the only company in the dataset with back-to-back disclosed raises.
What funding stages are most common among the NZ AI startups listed here?
Seed is the most frequently labeled stage, appearing four times: Watchful, VXT (April 2024), HeartLab, and Altered State Machine. Series A appears twice (Green Planet Eco, StretchSense). Three entries — Mooven, Aider International, and Chatterize — have no round type disclosed.
How wide is the range of round sizes across this dataset?
Round sizes span from Altered State Machine's $100K Seed (March 2022) to Soul Machines' $70M Series B (February 2022) — a roughly 700x gap. Outside those two extremes, most rounds fall between $1M and $49M, with several clustering in the $3M–$8M range.
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