PaperKite
PaperKite is a Wellington-based digital agency founded in 2010 that designs and builds mobile apps, web platforms, and AI-enabled products for enterprise and government clients across New Zealand and Australia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersWellington, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What PaperKite does
PaperKite is a privately held digital agency headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, founded in 2010 by Nic Gibbens. The firm designs and builds mobile applications, web platforms, and AI-enabled digital products for enterprise and government clients across New Zealand and selectively in Australia. Notable client products include the BPme fuel payment app (500,000+ users, 4.9 App Store rating), the Rippl privacy-by-design contact tracing app (80,000+ downloads, NZ Ministry of Health integration partner), the My Health Record mobile app for Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand, the Hell Pizza consumer apps, the aG Locker companion app for aboutGOLF (CES 2020 Innovation Award Honoree), and conversational UX implementations such as the Volkswagen NZ 'Volts' chatbot on Intercom.
The company's technical stack spans native and cross-platform mobile (iOS, Android, Flutter), web applications, AWS-based cloud infrastructure, and emerging AI capabilities including retrieval-augmented generation, vector stores, large language model integration, and prompt engineering. The agency maintains a regulated-industry orientation, evidenced by official integration partnerships with the NZ Ministry of Health, data sovereignty via Catalyst Cloud, and an explicit endorsement from the NZ Privacy Commissioner for its privacy-by-design architecture.
Commercially, PaperKite operates on a project-based professional services model with monthly invoicing, 20-day payment terms, and long-term maintenance contracts. Revenue is generated through enterprise RFP processes, direct engagement with medium-to-large organisations, and client referrals, with a horizontal segmentation approach targeting enterprise and government as the primary segment alongside startups as a secondary segment. The firm is bootstrapped (no external funding), has 11–50 employees across discovery, design, delivery, and engineering functions, and markets itself primarily through case studies, thought leadership content, and referral-based demand generation.
PaperKite firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PaperKite
- Legal name
- PaperKite
- Website
- https://paperkite.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- PaperKite is a Wellington-based digital agency founded in 2010 that designs and builds mobile apps, web platforms, and AI-enabled products for enterprise and government clients across New Zealand and Australia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PaperKite industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Agency Services
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mobile App Development (iOS/Android) (EDAMACAD)
Keywords
Where PaperKite is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wellington
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
PaperKite business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Services & Consulting: Project-based professional services for digital product strategy, design, development, and ongoing support. Engagements typically follow a structured approach: discovery workshops, design sprints, iterative development in 2-week Agile sprints, and long-term maintenance contracts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Project-based professional services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
PaperKite product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PaperKite is a Wellington-based digital agency that designs, develops, and supports custom mobile apps, web applications, and AI-powered solutions for enterprise and government clients. Engagements follow a structured approach: discovery workshops, design sprints, iterative 2-week Agile development sprints, and ongoing maintenance contracts. Their portfolio spans native iOS/Android apps, Flutter and hybrid mobile, web platforms, RAG-based AI discovery prototypes, and privacy-by-design health and contact-tracing applications.
Product overview
PaperKite is a digital agency offering a portfolio of client-specific products and service offerings. Core client products include: BPme (fuel payment mobile app with 500,000+ users), Hell Pizza mobile apps (iOS/Android with custom branding), Rippl (privacy-first contact tracing app with 80,000+ downloads), My Health Record mobile app for Te Whatu Ora, and aG Locker companion app for aboutGOLF. They also developed AI-powered solutions including Life Education Trust's knowledge discovery prototype using vector stores and RAG, and Volkswagen NZ's 'Volts' chatbot. Service offerings span mobile app development (Flutter, native, hybrid), AI strategy and implementation, UX design and research, and digital product strategy consulting. The portfolio includes ongoing maintenance and support services with a 99.9% uptime target.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mobile App Development Custom mobile app development service for clients, covering native iOS, native Android, Flutter, and hybrid approaches. Used by enterprise and government clients (e.g., bp, Hell Pizza, Te Whatu Ora, Rippl, aboutGOLF) to build scalable consumer and operational mobile products.
- AI Implementation Services AI strategy, implementation, and consulting services for clients. Includes AI-powered content discovery using vector stores and RAG, smart data optimisation, learning and experimentation, and AI community meetups. Used by clients such as Life Education Trust to build AI search prototypes and Volkswagen NZ for the Intercom-based Volts chatbot.
- UX Design & Research Human-centred design services including user research, digital design, UX design, service design, accessible and inclusive design, and UX reviews. Used by clients across government (Wellington City Council), healthcare (Southern Cross), education (Life Education Trust), and consumer brands to inform product strategy and build.
- Digital Product Strategy Strategic consulting covering digital strategies, technical strategy, customer and market strategy, product coaching, and growth optimisation. Used by enterprise and government clients to define direction prior to design and build phases (e.g., bp NZ, Wellington City Council, AA Smartfuel).
Quantifiable outcome
- 500,000+ Kiwis use BPme app to skip fuel queues
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use PaperKite
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
PaperKite technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability6 records
Feature3 records
PaperKite partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- NZSL Online DictionaryminorCollaboration with NZSL Online Dictionary team to explore ways to make the Dictionary more useful for NZSL users and learners. Explored offline capability and school curriculum integration. Partnership supports Victoria University's Deaf Studies Research Unit.
- Victoria University - Deaf Studies Research UnitminorDr Micky Vale's team at Victoria University's Deaf Studies Research Unit developing relationship with PaperKite to explore users' needs and create mobile app that complements the NZSL Dictionary website.
- Ministry of Health NZcoreAs an official Ministry of Health integration partner, PaperKite integrated Rippl with the Ministry's contact tracing APIs. Phase 1 integration included automated event notification functionality, with ongoing work on further integration opportunities.
- ProvokecorePaperKite partnered with Provoke on the aboutGOLF project. Provoke managed the backend technical transformation while PaperKite delivered the mobile app component (aG Locker companion app).
- IntercomcorePaperKite is an Intercom partner and reseller. Determined Intercom as best fit chatbot solution for Volkswagen NZ, negotiated rates, integrated the platform, and manages Intercom support on behalf of clients.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PaperKite competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Springload: Wellington-based digital agency of comparable size building custom web and mobile products for NZ enterprise and government clients; directly competes for the same RFP pool and talent as PaperKite.
- Different: Auckland-based digital agency focused on strategy, design, and product development for NZ and Australian brands; overlaps with PaperKite's discovery, UX, and mobile app offering for similar mid-market and enterprise buyers.
- Think Design: NZ UX and digital product design agency with overlapping service lines in research, UX design, and digital product development for enterprise clients.
- Monkeys (Previously known as Monkeys): Wellington digital agency building websites, apps, and digital platforms for NZ enterprise, government, and not-for-profit clients; competes head-to-head with PaperKite on local RFPs.
- Inspired: NZ and Australia-headquartered digital consultancy delivering strategy, design, and technology services; competes for similar enterprise digital transformation mandates as PaperKite.
Broad incumbents
- Thoughtworks: Global technology consultancy delivering custom software, mobile, and AI engineering to enterprise; comparable on delivery model and stack though at significantly larger scale than PaperKite.
- Datacom: Largest NZ-owned IT services firm offering custom software, mobile, cloud, and digital transformation to government and enterprise; competes with PaperKite on larger bespoke app engagements from the same buyer pool.
- Deloitte Digital: Global digital agency arm of Deloitte delivering strategy, design, and engineering for enterprise transformation; competes with PaperKite on large NZ government and enterprise digital mandates.
Regional players
- Raygun: Wellington-based software company serving global enterprise developers with APM and error monitoring; comparable on geography, engineering culture, and serving large NZ enterprises, but operates a SaaS product model rather than bespoke services.
- Optimal Workshop: Wellington-based UX research platform company serving a similar enterprise buyer base with research tooling rather than custom services; comparable on geography, customer segment, and design-led culture but operates a SaaS model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PaperKite social profiles
Digital presencePaperKite financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PaperKite leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
PaperKite funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PaperKite M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PaperKite
What does PaperKite do?
PaperKite is a Wellington-based digital agency that designs, develops, and supports custom mobile apps, web applications, and AI-powered solutions for enterprise and government clients. Engagements follow a structured approach: discovery workshops, design sprints, iterative 2-week Agile development sprints, and ongoing maintenance contracts. Their portfolio spans native iOS/Android apps, Flutter and hybrid mobile, web platforms, RAG-based AI discovery prototypes, and privacy-by-design health and contact-tracing applications.
Is PaperKite a public or private company?
PaperKite is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PaperKite founded?
PaperKite was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is PaperKite based?
PaperKite is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does PaperKite make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Services & Consulting.
Who are PaperKite's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Springload, Different, Think Design, Monkeys (Previously known as Monkeys) and Inspired. Broad incumbents are Thoughtworks, Datacom and Deloitte Digital. Regional players are Raygun and Optimal Workshop.
Does PaperKite have an API?
No public API is recorded for PaperKite.
What industry is PaperKite in?
PaperKite's product category is Digital Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMACAD, Mobile App Development (iOS/Android). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7371.