Finance teams often spend hours on repetitive accounting work such as processing invoices, reconciling bank transactions and preparing for month-end close. New Zealand startup Sterling wants to change that with software designed to automate these routine finance processes.
Sterling has raised A$3.15 million (NZ$3.8 million) in seed funding in a round led by Blackbird. The Wellington-based B2B software company will use the new funding to expand its team and pursue larger enterprise customers in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
Sterling Builds an Automated Finance Platform
Founded in 2025 by Nik Wakelin and Ludwig Wendzich, Sterling develops software for finance and accounting teams. The company describes its product as an “autopilot” for finance teams, with the goal of handling routine financial workflows with less manual intervention.
The platform focuses on tasks that can consume significant amounts of time for finance professionals. These include invoice processing, bank reconciliation, and month-end routines. Sterling’s software connects with existing financial tools and systems, allowing companies to automate workflows without replacing their existing finance infrastructure.
The company says its system can continue working on finance processes without requiring employees to remain at their desks. It also keeps a record of the work it completes and sends cases that need additional judgment to people for review. This approach is intended to combine automated processing with human oversight.
Blackbird Leads the Seed Round
Blackbird led Sterling’s NZ$3.8 million seed round. The funding also received backing from investors including Rowan Simpson and Eliot Crowther, along with founders and investors associated with New Zealand technology companies such as Trade Me, Pushpay, Xero and Vend. The backing gives Sterling additional capital at an early stage as it looks to build its product and expand its presence in international markets.
Sterling was founded by Wakelin and Wendzich, who bring experience from technology companies including Deliveroo, Apple and Lightspeed. Their backgrounds have helped shape the company’s focus on building software for finance and accounting teams.
Sterling Targets Larger Enterprise Customers
The new funding will support Sterling’s next stage of growth. The company plans to expand its team while targeting larger enterprise customers across New Zealand, Australia and the United States. The expansion comes as businesses continue to look for ways to reduce repetitive administrative work. For finance departments, automation can help employees spend less time on routine processing and more time on activities that require financial judgment and business knowledge.
Sterling’s approach focuses specifically on running finance workflows rather than simply providing another tool for employees to use manually. Its platform connects with existing systems and handles defined processes while allowing people to review exceptions.
Early Customers Show Initial Traction
Sterling has already attracted early customers as it develops its platform. Reports have identified Manukora and Storypark among companies using the technology. Startup Researcher also reported that the platform had completed around 1,200 hours of automated finance work, indicating early activity for a company founded in 2025.
The company now has the opportunity to build on this early traction with the fresh capital. Its focus on enterprise customers could help Sterling expand the number and scale of businesses using its finance automation platform.
Sterling Looks Beyond New Zealand
Sterling’s seed funding marks an important step for the young New Zealand startup as it moves from early product development toward broader commercial growth. With Blackbird leading the round and support from experienced technology founders and investors, Sterling plans to strengthen its team and expand into Australia and the United States while continuing to serve customers in New Zealand.
The company’s longer-term opportunity will depend on how effectively it can automate complex finance workflows while maintaining the accuracy, transparency and human oversight that businesses require. For now, the NZ$3.8 million seed round gives Sterling the resources to continue developing its platform and pursue its next phase of growth.
