New Zealand-based startup Huckleberry, which offers a voice-based 360° feedback platform, has raised NZ$2.1 million (US$1.84 million) in a pre-seed funding round.
The round was led by Oregon Venture Fund from the U.S., with support from Archangel Ventures and several U.S. and New Zealand founders, including Mineral CEO Nathan Christensen, TradeMe’s Rowan Simpson, and M-Com’s Serge Van Dam.
Huckleberry lets people give feedback by talking instead of writing. Its AI-powered platform listens, guides the conversation, and gives useful suggestions in just a few minutes — replacing long surveys and making feedback feel more like chatting with a personal AI coach.
The new funding will help Huckleberry develop its product faster, improve its AI models, grow the team, and expand in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand.
The company was founded earlier this year by Aaron Ward (of Māori descent), who also founded customer experience platform AskNicely, and Diogo Böhm, who leads engineering and AI development from Auckland.
Ward, now based in Portland, Oregon, where Huckleberry also has an office, said that most people’s careers don’t follow a straight path — they “zig-zag from one role to another.” Huckleberry aims to help people find meaningful work by applying lessons from AskNicely’s real-time feedback model to employee growth and recognition.
“Honest feedback can help people discover the work they love, where they can play to their natural strengths. Huckleberry turns that insight into a regular habit, not a once-a-year event,” he said.
“We’re using feedback from colleagues to help professional workers take charge of their career development. It’s a great example of how AI can make work better for people, not the other way around.”
Huckleberry’s new feature uses AI to create a personalised 90-day growth plan for each person, based on feedback from their colleagues. This helps employees take real action on what they learn.
According to Ward, adding AI to the feedback process helps companies build and maintain a continuous growth mindset across all their employees.
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