Auckland-based PR technology startup Drumbeat has raised NZD 2 million in seed funding to expand its communications platform for high-growth companies. The round was led by Icehouse Ventures, with participation from Brand Fund, and will support the company’s expansion into Australia and the United States. Drumbeat plans to use the capital to further develop its technology-driven approach to helping companies identify, distribute, and measure the impact of their stories.
Building a Technology-Driven Alternative to PR Retainers
Drumbeat positions its platform as an alternative to the traditional public relations agency retainer model, providing companies with tools to manage ongoing communications internally. Its system combines media relations management, content generation, campaign tracking, and media monitoring capabilities in a single platform. Rather than focusing primarily on individual announcements, Drumbeat is designed to turn routine business developments such as product launches, executive hires, company milestones, and corporate initiatives into recurring communications opportunities.
The company argues that building brand awareness requires sustained storytelling rather than occasional PR campaigns, particularly as digital discovery channels continue to evolve. Drumbeat believes earned media is becoming increasingly important as large language models and AI-powered search tools play a larger role in how people discover and assess businesses. CEO and co-founder Barney Chunn said advances in technology are enabling companies to communicate their stories at a scale that was previously difficult to achieve.
Early International Customer Growth
Drumbeat launched in March 2026 and has already signed more than 50 customers across New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Customers include Andfoods, Re-Leased, Levno, and Factor, while companies using the platform have secured media coverage across those four markets as well as Singapore and Hong Kong. The startup has also attracted backing from marketing industry figures including Thinkerbell co-founder Adam Ferrier and Mutinex co-founder Henry Innis.
Andfoods CEO Alex Devereux said the platform has helped the company manage public relations activity as it expands internationally without relying on multiple agency relationships. According to Devereux, Drumbeat allows the company to coordinate communications through a single platform while reaching media outlets in several Asia-Pacific markets. The approach reflects Drumbeat’s broader goal of giving growing businesses greater control over communications while maintaining access to international media opportunities.
Icehouse Ventures Backs Communications Shift
Icehouse Ventures Partner Jack McQuire said the investment was driven partly by changing expectations around how companies establish credibility and attract attention. He said discussions with Drumbeat customers and their early results reinforced the investor’s view that public relations remains strategically important, despite much of the industry continuing to operate through established agency models. Icehouse Ventures also pointed to the experience of Drumbeat’s founding team as an important factor behind its decision to invest.
Drumbeat was co-founded by Chunn, Chief Revenue Officer Fallon Savery, and Chief Product Officer Aaron Croft, who previously held senior roles at CONQA, Timely, and Hectre respectively. The company currently employs eight people, with its team largely composed of operators who have worked at high-growth businesses. Drumbeat is also the fourth company created through venture studio New+Improved Ventures, which previously helped build brand-tracking startup Tracksuit and research platform Ideally.
Expanding the New+Improved Ventures Portfolio
Drumbeat Chair and New+Improved Ventures Partner Simon Pound described the platform as part of a broader effort to put capabilities traditionally delivered by specialist service providers directly into companies’ hands. He compared Drumbeat’s approach to the way Tracksuit provides accessible brand measurement and Ideally enables companies to conduct market research. The venture studio sees communications technology as another area where software can help companies operate capabilities internally while making results easier to monitor.
With its NZD 2 million seed round, Drumbeat is preparing to expand internationally while investing further in the technology underpinning its communications platform. Its early customer growth suggests demand among scaling companies for alternatives to conventional agency-based public relations models, particularly as businesses seek more continuous and measurable ways to build awareness. The company will now focus on establishing a stronger presence in Australia and the United States while developing its platform for a wider international customer base.