Kiwi AI startup building a finance teams autopilot banks $3.15 million

The round for Stirling was led by Blackbird, supported by the next generation of Kiwi founders-investors, including Rowan Simpson, Eliot Crowther and others from Trade Me, Pushpay, Xero and Vend.

Founded in 2025 by Nik Wakelin and Ludwig Wendzich, Sterling lets finance and accounting teams deploy AI workflows in minutes for tasks such as invoice processing, bank reconciliation and month-end routines. It plugs into the tools finance teams already use, from ERPs to the accounts inbox, and makes is documented and explainable.

Ludwig Wendzich, who worked at Vend, Lightspeed and Apple, said almost everyone at Sterling, including their investors, “cut their teeth” at companies such as Vend and Xero.

“We’re the ones who learned how to build world-class software from New Zealand — now we’re doing it again, for the people who keep every business running,” he said.

His wife is a senior accountant, and Wakelin’s wife works in finance, so the inspiration for Sterling was close to home.

Wakelin co-founded time tracking software MinuteDock and developer documentation tool Gelato.io, and had a senior engineering role at Deliveroo.

“Every finance team is experimenting with AI right now, but a co-pilot only works while you’re at the keyboard. Sterling is the autopilot – it keeps working when your laptop is closed and you’re asleep,” he said.

“Finance teams don’t want another chatbot to talk to about their work. They want something that does the work.”

Sterling’s early customers include Manukora, Storypark and Echelon, and the startup’s development was supported by a government R&D grant.

The new capital will fund hiring and a push toward larger enterprise customers in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

“The impact of AI on accounting workflows is going to be seismic. Accountants will see their roles shift from operational to strategic, and we’re excited to get them there,” Wendzich said.