https://www.icehouseventures.co.nz/, https://linktr.ee/icehouseventures

Icehouse Ventures, 125 St Georges Bay Road, Parnell (2026)

30/04/2026

Agencies are facing a fundamental shift: AI is changing how work gets created, but most are still measuring it with timesheets.

Manifest is an AI-powered operational intelligence platform for agencies. The team have just raised A$2m in pre-seed funding, and are already working with agencies across Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland.

The platform automatically captures labour cost, tool usage, and billable time across teams in real time, giving agency leaders an accurate picture of how work is being delivered, without chasing a single timesheet.

"As agencies adopt AI, the gap between how work actually happens and how it is measured is widening. You cannot price or optimise for outcomes if you are still only measuring self-reported hours." – Freddie McKenzie, CEO and co-founder of Manifest.

Founded by three Kiwis, Freddie Mckenzie, Henry Collinson, and Tom Reid, the team brings together expertise in agency operations, product, and deep AI.

21/04/2026

Big milestone for Ideally - the team have raised a $16m Series A at a $100m valuation, just over two years after launching.

Founded in 2023 by James Donald, Joshua Nu'u-Steele, and Brendan Cervin, Ideally is reinventing market research by putting real human insight into every creative and commercial decision.

Traditional research takes months and costs six figures, which means insights often arrive too late to shape the work. Ideally delivers overnight responses from real people, with AI sharpening both the questions and the analysis.

Brands like DoorDash, Telstra, Google, and Asahi are using the platform to test ideas early, understand what consumers actually want, and make decisions at the speed modern markets demand.

Since launching, Ideally has grown 750%, serving 250+ brands across 30 countries from offices in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, and New York - where US revenue has grown 350% since opening earlier this year.

This funding will accelerate US expansion and the launch of Ideally Canvas, a new product that gives brands a living, continuously updated picture of their consumers rather than a static snapshot.

Congrats, Ideally team!

Read more via NZ Herald: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/ideally-raises-16m-at-100m-valuation-for-its-ai-powered-market-research-software/premium/H6Q2JTAOIFBHJOK2XDSNPCRNY4/

20/04/2026

Congratulations to Alain Richardt and the Atomic Tessellator team on raising A$11.3m.

The materials that power modern technology - semiconductors, clean energy systems, advanced manufacturing - come from concentrated supply chains. Designing new materials has traditionally taken up to a decade, physically synthesising candidates one by one and testing to see what works.

Atomic Tessellator use AI and quantum physics to simulate mechanical strength, thermal properties, and magnetic performance before any physical development begins. By the time a material reaches the lab, it is already a strong candidate. What normally takes years, Atomic Tessellator are compressing into weeks.

As founder Alain describes it: "It's like a GPT, but it's a physics model that speaks physics instead of text."

Their first breakthrough is Vireon, a new material made from Australian-mined resources that produces magnets as good as or better than those made with rare earth elements like samarium and cobalt.

Ten materials have now been synthesised, with 20 more in the pipeline. This month alone, the team have developed four new materials. ⚛️

Read more via AFR (paywall):

https://www.afr.com/technology/investors-tip-millions-into-start-up-inventing-rare-earths-replacements-20260413-p5zndh

Check out their website (they’re hiring!): https://atomictessellator.com/

15/04/2026

Caruso has raised an NZ$11.2m Series A at a nearly NZ$100m valuation.

Founded in Auckland by Mark Hurley and Ollie Shaw, Caruso provides AI-native fund administration for private markets.

The private markets industry now manages over $21 trillion globally, but most back-office operations are still reliant on spreadsheets, manual workflows, and outdated systems. Caruso replaces this with a unified platform where people and AI agents work together, giving fund managers a single source of truth for investor and fund data across CRM, registry, compliance, capital raising, and investor portals.

In 12 months, Caruso's assets under administration grew from NZ$10 billion to NZ$100 billion while revenue increased by 400%. The company is now trusted by 900+ funds, including two of Australia's largest real estate fund managers.

Proud to support Mark, Ollie, and the team. Congrats!

Read more via AFR (paywall): https://www.afr.com/street-talk/fintech-caruso-s-valuation-soars-in-new-funding-round-20260413-p5zni7

Or check out their website: https://www.getcaruso.com/en-nz

08/04/2026

Scentian Bio have raised a $7m pre-Series A round to bring their digital nose technology to market. 👃

Their technology is an AI-powered sensor on a chip that replicates insect olfactory receptors to detect volatile organic compounds. It is 1,000 times more sensitive than a dog's nose, detecting smells at parts per quadrillion - equivalent to one drop of water in 20,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The initial focus is food and beverage quality monitoring where late detection of spoilage and contamination triggers costly recalls, waste, and reputational damage. Their sensor detects these issues on-site in minutes, using AI to interpret results without lab equipment. Seven global food companies are currently running pilots in a market worth approximately US$8b annually.

“Scentian is initially focused on food, but the underlying sensing technology also has applications across human and environmental health. Technologies with that breadth of application are rare, and it will be exciting to see how this ‘digital nose’ develops.” - Bex Gidall, Principal at Icehouse Ventures.

Co-founder Andrew Kralicek spent two decades at Plant and Food Research perfecting the science before launching Scentian Bio with Jonathan Good in 2020. Congrats on this milestone, team!

Read more via NZ Herald (paywall): https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/scentian-bio-raises-7m-to-take-its-ai-and-insect-powered-digital-nose-to-market/premium/N5B6QKNXCRCQJHM65M3VTTSRZ4/

01/04/2026

A clicker and a question. A decade later, an acquisition.

Ten years ago, Angie Judge was touring a museum and noticed a security guard manually counting visitors with a clicker. She wondered: what if visitor attractions had the data and insights to make better decisions?

That question became Dexibit - the only AI and analytics platform purpose-built for visitor attractions. Angie (CEO) and co-founder Justin Kearney (COO), alongside Ravi Chandra (CPTO) and the team, built something the industry didn't know it needed yet: connecting data across 100+ systems to help museums, aquariums, and entertainment venues turn insight into action.

This week, Dexibit was acquired by accesso Technology Group - a global technology provider powering ticketing, virtual queuing, and retail systems for leisure, entertainment, and cultural markets worldwide. The combination brings together intelligence and ex*****on: Dexibit provides the insights, accesso provides the operational systems to act on them in real time.

Congratulations to Angie, Justin, Ravi, and the whole Dexibit team.

Read more: https://dexibit.com/accesso-announces-acquisition-of-dexibit/

24/03/2026

Record-breaking news today for Craig Piggott and the Halter team as they announce their $377m Series E raise, valuing Halter at $3.3b (US $2b) – the largest venture capital raise by a New Zealand-founded company. 🥂

The round was heavily oversubscribed, with participation from investors including Icehouse Ventures, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Bessemer Ventures, and Bond Capital.

Founded in 2016, Halter is a New Zealand tech company transforming farming with their virtual fencing and animal management system. The Halter system includes a solar-powered smart collar for each cow, towers for connectivity, and an app that lets farmers manage their cattle and pasture from their phone.

“We started Halter because we believed technology could fundamentally change what it means to run a farm, and enable farmers to use innovation to build long-term futures on their land,” – Craig Piggott, Founder and CEO of Halter.

With more than 2,000 farms and ranches across New Zealand, Australia, and the US – and over one million smart collars in market – Halter will use the new funds to accelerate product development, deepen operations in existing markets, and expand into Ireland and the UK, with further expansion across the Americas on the horizon.

We’re proud to have backed Craig and the Halter team from the beginning, what a journey it’s been! Congrats again, team. 🎉

Read more about Halter's Series E raise: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/halter-raises-377m-at-33-billion-valuation-reveals-customer-numbers/premium/TQQEMUA52RCFHHSJHZF4KDTLUI/

19/03/2026

Craig Piggott, founder and CEO, has been named New Zealand Innovator of the Year! 👏

Ten years ago, Craig pitched us his vision of virtual fencing and the idea of moving cattle herds from an app on your phone. He was 22, fresh out of university, and had just landed his first job at Rocket Lab.

Today, Halter has changed the lives of thousands of farmers globally. Their app and collar allow farmers to virtually fence, move, and monitor cows with real-time animal and pasture insights, helping them run more productive farms. They were valued at $1.65b in 2025 and are now one of the most recognised agritech companies in the startup world.

We are so pleased to see Craig acknowledged for the brave act of not just having an innovative idea, but executing brilliantly and consistently for 10+ years to build the world-class company you know today.

Craig, you are the definition of an exceptional Kiwi founder. Congratulations!! 👏🦸‍♂️🐄

A special mention to the other finalists: Jonathan Ring and Leatham Landon-Lane (CEO and CTO of Zethos, previously Zincovery), and James Hayes (founder of Virtual Medical Coaching).

10/03/2026

In celebration of International Women's Day, we brought together women and non-binary founders, operators, and investors to connect over lunch.

We heard from four inspiring entrepreneurs: Alison Mau, Helen Robinson, Tahlia Crabtree, and Y-Vonne Hutchinson, who each shared the most powerful piece of advice they have learned throughout their careers. Their reflections offered hard-won perspective and generous wisdom, setting the tone for the open conversations that followed.

We also announced our IWD Grants: four $1,000 non-equity grants for early-stage women and non-binary founders in New Zealand, with each speaker selecting one recipient.

Applications close at 11:59 pm, Sunday the 15th of March 2026.

Find out more here: https://www.icehouseventures.co.nz/landing-pages/international-womens-day-grant-application

Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to the kōrero!

05/03/2026

Congratulations to Amber Winton and the NextWork team on their US$4.45m Seed round!

NextWork is reimagining how people prove what they can actually do by teaching AI skills through hands-on, project-based learning. They help users build online portfolios that showcase verifiable work, shifting hiring and skills development from credentials on paper to verified outcomes in practice.

Since launching, 190,000 people have signed up for NextWork courses, with a significant portion based in the US. They are now moving their headquarters from Wellington to Austin to be closer to their US learners.

The funding will accelerate three priorities: extending their AI content range, expanding skill authentication and live portfolio generation, and growing the team.

“I kept seeing the same pattern. Learners would spend thousands and take months of their life to get a certificate that no one in the industry was taking seriously. The learners who had the biggest breakthroughs were the ones who could point to something they built along the way; a portfolio.” - Amber Winton, CEO and Founder.

Read more via NZ Herald: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/wellington-ai-startup-nextwork-raises-75m-and-shifts-hq-to-austin/premium/UUMTZ6GN6VHE3ELUY23X75OHL4/

02/03/2026

Flat White Meetup returned to Auckland last week with Anna Henwood (CEO, Stickybeak), Helen Moore (VP Growth & Marketing, Halter), and Guy Horrocks (serial entrepreneur) unpacking the realities of US go-to-market strategy and ex*****on.

For those who weren’t in the room, here are some of the top takeaways:

▪️ Know your strengths before you pick your market. The US has a $140 billion SaaS market, but market size alone is not a reason to go there first. Ask whether your unique advantage fits that market and the competition in it.

▪️ Niche down, then go all in. Attempting to be everything to everyone stalls momentum. Own a specific segment - a vertical, geography, or customer type - completely before expanding.

▪️ Relationships before revenue. The US rewards the long game. Build genuine relationships and give value before making the ask. It takes longer, but the compounding effect is real.

▪️ Local knowledge matters. Pricing, marketing channels, and customer behaviour differ by market. What works in New Zealand does not automatically translate.

▪️ Culture carriers need to go first. When expanding offshore, experienced team members who embody your values should establish the foundations. Getting this right early sets new expansions up for success.

Flat White Meetup is a global community connecting Kiwi entrepreneurs around the world, running regular events in New York, London, and New Zealand.

Find out more via their Linkedin group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/15613014/

Icehouse Ventures

30/04/2026

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