AI startup SupaHuman has raised a NZ$ 2.6 million Series A (A$2.1m) to expand in Australia and strengthen its business in Aotearoa.
The round was led by veteran Wellington VC Movac, with Ecliptic VC, K1W1, Snowball and Serge van Dam also participating. Movac’s David Beard will join the board.
Founded by CEO Dave Howden, Blair Woods and Zane Hemmingsen-Jensen, the company has offices in Auckland and Melbourne.
SupaHuman develops AI software for vocational education and workplace training, automating parts of the design, validation and delivery of training. Its customers include registered training organisations, TAFEs, private training establishments, industry training organisations and skills bodies.
Its lead products, VETos and Nova 5, help training providers and workforce teams design, validate and deliver training. VETos creates assessments and learning resources mapped to the courses a provider offers, and checks them before regulatory audits. Nova 5 turns those materials into learning activities for training providers and an employer’s’’s learning and development teams.
The company also operates AI Studio, an applied AI business that works across industries and develops products for individual sectors.
Howden said their software reduces the time and cost of developing training materials and checking compliance, allowing trainers to spend more time teaching.
“Our belief is simple: free smart minds from tedious work, and build them for what’s next,” he said.
“We’re building the horsepower to do that for workforce education. Designing, validating and delivering training has always taken months and cost a great deal, and learners and employers end up carrying that cost. We’re collapsing that time and cost.”
The business works with providers regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. New Zealand organisations Connexis, Competenz, ServiceIQ and Mast Academy helped shape its products.
After a soft launch in Melbourne in March, SupaHuman signed Australian providers including Canberra Institute of Technology and Hader Institute. It’s also entered a 12-month partnership with Future Skills Organisation’s Skills Accelerator to support the use of AI across Australia’s vocational education and training sector.
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is supporting its Australian expansion. The company has also received support from GridAKL through its Propel scholarship.
