About Creative HQ
Creative HQ, an accelerator and incubator program founded in 2003, is based in Wellington, New Zealand. With a presence in 3 countries, it has supported around 40 startups in sectors like Enterprise Applications, Retail. As of Oct 2026, Creative HQ has witnessed 2 portfolio exits. Most notable companies in
its portfolio include Sharesies, Roady and Speakia. The program is backed by a team of 11 people who primarily support Seed startups based in New Zealand. Its latest investment was a Undisclosed Seed round in Roll on Sep 2015.
Key Metrics
Founded Year
2003
Location
Wellington, New Zealand
Sectors of Investment
Stages of Investment
Seed
Locations of Investment
Creative HQ's List of Top Investments
Creative HQ has a portfolio of 40 companies. Their most notable investments are in Preno and CloudCannon.Their portfolio spans across New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States. They have invested in Enterprise Applications, Retail, Consumer and 20 other sectors, across stages such as Seed stage. Here is the list of top investments by Creative HQ:
1. Sharesies
Micro investing and savings platform. It allows users to set aside a minimal amount of funds as savings for consumers. It features tools for assessing risks, tracking portfolios, and managing the trends in the market.
Key facts about Sharesies
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: Wellington (New Zealand)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $65.1M
- Employee Count: 236 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Amplo, Icehouse Ventures and 35 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Oct 28, 2021, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
2. Roady
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Key facts about Roady
- Founded Year: 2017
- Location: Wellington (New Zealand)
- Stage: Seed
- Total Funding till date: $750K
- Employee Count: 8 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Creative HQ and Angel HQ
- Latest Funding Round: Seed, May 31, 2023, $*****
3. Speakia
Online platform offering gaming-based English language courses. Its platform provides real-life topics and scenarios to learn English and also provide real-time pronunciation feedback. Its mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices.
Key facts about Speakia
- Founded Year: 2019
- Location: New Zealand
- Stage: Acquired
- Employee Count: 5 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Flying Fox Ventures and Creative HQ
- Highlight: Acquired
4. FTN Motion
Manufacturer of electric motorbikes. The company is involved in the design and development of a motorbike named 'Streetdog' that include features like an 80 KM range, 30 L storage, wheel lock, alarm, 50 KM max speed, and more.
Key facts about FTN Motion
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: Wellington (New Zealand)
- Stage: Seed
- Total Funding till date: $4.6M
- Employee Count: 28 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Creative HQ
- Latest Funding Round: Seed, 2022, $*****
Footfalls Heartbeats provides smart sensor textiles. It provides a solution for the manufacturing process that allows the control and manipulation of both yarn-to-yarn interaction and the movement of micro-mechanical structures that form the basis of knitted fabrics. These fabrics can be used for making smart garments for infant monitoring, athlete monitoring, and remote monitoring of health and physiological symptoms for those in high-risk environments, such as first responders and defense personnel.
Key facts about Footfalls & Heartbeats
- Founded Year: 2010
- Location: Nottingham (United Kingdom)
- Stage: Series A
- Total Funding till date: $4.9M
- Employee Count: 7 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: QVentures, The University of Nottingham and 49 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series A, Mar 08, 2021, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
Creative HQ's Investments by Stage
Creative HQ has made 4 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $109K.Creative HQ's Investments by Sector
Creative HQ has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Enterprise Applications, HealthTech, Life Sciences, Travel and Hospitality Tech and Vertical SaaS. Notably, it has invested in 33 Tech companies, 22 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 17 Consumer (B2C) companies and at least 16 companies focusing on Software.Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Enterprise Applications | 3 |
HealthTech | 1 |
Life Sciences | 1 |
Travel and Hospitality Tech | 1 |
Vertical SaaS | 1 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Creative HQ's Investments by Geography
Creative HQ has made most investments in New Zealand (4).Creative HQ's recent investments
Creative HQ has not made any investment in 2026 so far.Here are the most recent investments by Creative HQ:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 2015 | New Zealand | Seed | 9006 | - | |
Mar 06, 2015 | New Zealand | Seed | 3520 | - | |
Mar 11, 2014 | New Zealand | Seed | 8148 | - | |
Oct 08, 2013 | New Zealand | Seed | 1333 | - |
Acquired companies in Creative HQ's Portfolio
2 companies from Creative HQ's portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was Speakia in May 2022 by EduMaxi for $*****.Here are Creative HQ's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
May 26, 2022 | - | - | 8423 | |
Jun 01, 2017 | Oct 08, 2013 | Seed | 6257 |
Team profile of Creative HQ
Creative HQ has a team of 11 members including 8 Partners located in United States and New Zealand. Creative HQ's team does not sit on the board of any company as of now.Here is a list of top team members in Creative HQ:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | Westfield | - | ||
Partner | Livingston | - | - | |
Partner | Wellington | - | ||
Partner | - | - | - | |
Partner | - | - | ||
Partner | New Zealand | - | ||
Partner | - | - | - | |
Partner | - | - | - |
Co-investors of Creative HQ
Over the past 13 years, 4 investors have co-invested in Creative HQ's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested after Creative HQ: A total of 4 investors have invested in Creative HQ's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include Sam Morgan (1 company) and Phil McCaw (1 company).
