New Zealand AI Startup Sterling Raises $2.23 Million to Automate Finance Teams

Stirling’s funding round was led by Blackbird, a venture capital firm. The round also received support from several successful New Zealand founders and investors.

The investors included Rowan Simpson and Eliot Crowther, along with other founders and executives from companies such as Trade Me, Pushpay, Xero, and Vend.

Chief executive and co-founder Nik Wakelin said Sterling was designed to act as an "autopilot" for finance teams rather than just another AI chatbot.

"It sits in your finance team, in your inbox and all your systems, picks up things as they arrive and works out where everything goes and files it for you," he told RNZ.

"The idea is by the time your finance team turns up in the morning and has their coffee, everything's done and prepped for them, ready to review and tick off."

Founded in 2025 by Nik Wakelin and Ludwig Wendzich, Sterling helps finance and accounting teams set up AI-powered workflows within minutes. These workflows can handle tasks such as invoice processing, bank reconciliation, and month-end accounting work.

Sterling connects with the tools finance teams already use, including ERP systems and accounting inboxes. It also keeps the work documented and easy to understand, helping teams see how the AI completes each task.

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