Aether, a Kiwi AI startup turning advertising displays right into a stay paperwork, has raised NZ$3.8 million (A$3.4m) in Seed funding.
The AI-powered SaaS platform, cofounded by former TikTok NZ nation supervisor Carsten Grueber, has emerged from stealth mode with backing from Icehouse Ventures, and help from Model Fund 2.
The startup has emerged out of New+Improved, the enterprise studio from the folks behind Tracksuit and Ideally, and has already signed contracts with enterprise prospects Australia, New Zealand, and the US to construct income to NZ $600,000 ARR, with greater than half of that determine coming from the island to Aotearoa’s west.
Cofounded in 2025, Ursula von Keisenberg, the previous ANZ MD at Well timed and gross sales lead at Xero Asia, Aether’s HQ is shared between Auckland and Melbourne. The capital shall be used to speed up product growth and develop the group throughout ANZ.
Grueber mentioned Aether helps organisations clear up three key points: institutional amnesia (the place useful information insights are misplaced or under-utilised); wasted productiveness on repetitive analysis manufacturing; and outdated data embedded in static decks.
“They are saying measure twice, minimize as soon as, and this also needs to be true of promoting workflows. Because it stands, most slide decks are recut each time a presentation occurs, losing useful sources from inside groups,” he mentioned.
“Aether transforms displays from static paperwork into dwelling, linked belongings which are correct, at all times up-to-date, and able to share. As a substitute of entrepreneurs spending half every week constructing the month-to-month efficiency report, they will spend that very same time doing the precise advertising itself.”
The software program integrates stay information immediately into presentation and doc workflows, saving what Grueber estimates is as much as entrepreneurs’ time spent on handbook copy-paste.
As soon as plugged into information units, Aether creates customisable displays utilizing an organization’s branding inside minutes, with the underlying information up to date when wanted.
Grueber mentioned Aether prospects are utilizing the platform for board packs, quarterly enterprise critiques, marketing campaign experiences, company briefs and information administration.
“In minutes, Aether can take 150 advertising experiences, in 12 totally different languages and distill all of it right down to the ten slides that really matter; assess and strengthen your newest concept, plan or temporary in opposition to your advertising technique; or create exec-ready displays reporting final month’s efficiency with key charts and commentary,” he mentioned.
New+Improved cofounder Simon Pound mentioned Aether is the primary firm to be spun out of the enterprise studio, which developed the idea following interviews with 100s of promoting leaders and enterprise advertising companies.
“Aether represents a much bigger alternative than any of us have seen earlier than,” he mentioned.
Now, with robust income, huge international enterprise prospects, and the backing of main traders, we’re able to scale. We consider Aether might be the following breakout SaaS success story from this area.”
Icehouse Ventures companion Barnaby Marshall described the software program startup as “the dream intersection of clear downside, scalable answer, and powerful group”.
“Aether is fixing a common ache level, and the traction they’ve achieved with international enterprise prospects earlier than launch is outstanding,” he mentioned.
