New Zealand’s fastest growing companies were announced yesterday at the NZ Deloitte Fast 50 event. It’s a chance for some of our most successful businesses to show off their revenue (and, in some rare cases, maybe even their profit), with a number of these companies making it on to the top 50 index with eye-popping growth. We count down a list of companies associated/loosely associated to the marcomms sector.
4. Vend
Vend has achieved 1097.74 percent growth in the past three years, making it the fourth fastest growing company in New Zealand.
Vend makes cloud-based point of sale and customer loyalty software. Their advice to young companies is to “raise capital before you need it, and be ambitious!”
Check out a video about Vend making their promo video.
5. I Love Ugly
This hipster fashion label worn seen in many creative departments shows that you don’t need to be in tech to be one of New Zealand’s fastest growing companies.
The menswear label was a rising star in the Deloitte Fast 50 last year and has now shot up to take fifth place on the grown-up companies list, with growth of 1086.68 percent.
The company has gone global fast, riding the growing demand for quality menswear and building their brand in LA within their first years in the market. The brand’s advice for other companies wanting to grow fast is to “identify the customer early on and then ensure that every product is built with them in mind”.
Here’s a short film from the brand featuring a trendy guy:
6. Touchcast
Digital experience agency Touchcast came in at number six on the Fast 50 list with growth of 804.98 percent. Calling itself “the agency for the age of on,” Touchcast has worked for big clients such as Spark, Fonterra, Te Papa and New Zealand Immigration.
Touchcast managing director Andrew Hawley thanked overlord Jim Moser and his team at Clemenger Group for their guidance, saying their input was “instrumental” in Touchcast’s performance, while Moser added that Touchcast is one of the biggest success stories in the Clemenger Group today.
“They have had explosive growth and keep getting better and better. Under the strong leadership of Andrew Hawley, they have expanded their offer to include both Wellington and Auckland on the back of a range of unprecedented new business wins. In addition, Touchcast have successfully introduced many of their clients to other Clemenger Group companies thereby growing the entire group’s business.”
It has been heavily involved in Spark’s much-admired The Boroughs initiative. And here is an extreme-unboxing Touchcast made for Spark, playing off the YouTube ‘unboxing’ trend, and a certain amount of bathos.
9. Sush Mobile
Coming in at number nine is Sush Mobile, a company developing innovative mobile apps for companies like The Warehouse and Kiwibank.
Sush Mobile, which recently sold out to Finzsoft for $1.9 million, managed growth of 666.92 percent, as well as being named New Zealand’s fourth fastest growing technology company.
Sush Mobile marketing coordinator Derrick Olivier says there is no secret formula to their success.
“But it helps if you genuinely love what you do. When you accept that your actions, no matter how small, have the capacity to affect those around you, and by extension, directly impact other people’s lives, you push yourself to be better, and to keep learning,” he says.
13. Pure SEO
There was nothing unlucky about the number 13 for this search engine optimisation company.
Pure SEO achieved 433.86 percent growth, which placed them securely in the top 20 fastest growing companies in New Zealand, their debut spot on the index.
The company counts Tony’s Tyre Service, Firestone, and Just Water International among its clients.
Last year Pure SEO was named by Google as New Zealand’s only winner of the Engage All Stars and were shouted a trip to the Googleplex in San Francisco.
Here’s what founder Richard Conway learned when he was there.
15. MEA Mobile
MEA Mobile is no new comer. It has been building mobile solutions since before the app store existed. Since then, it’s released more than 300 apps and websites and has had millions of downloads.
The company achieved growth of 389.64 percent, and has worked with international brands such as Levis, Samsung, ESPN, Intel, Walgreens, Blackberry and RipCurl.
It now has four offices worldwide, but still maintains one in Hamilton.
Check out some of their work below.
25. Young and Shand
Young and Shand is another digital media company growing rapidly. The company achieved 304.12 percent growth in the index, and this is their third appearance on the Deloitte Fast 50.
It’s worked with Cadbury, Jim Beam, and TV2 across a range of mediums. And it just keeps winning business, with its most recent victory coming in the Lion pitch.
Co-founder Ben Young is now based in New York hunting for the money in measurement wit its tool Nudge.
33. Snakk Media
Yet another mobile-focused company with extraordinary growth, Snakk Media grew by 254.05 percent to reach number 33 on the Fast 50 index.
The company, co-founded by Derek Handley, is expert at working out where brands should place their ads on smartphones, tablets and other smart screens to create the best possible returns. And it recently announced the ability to synch TV ads with mobile ads.
Here’s a recent showreel of the Snakk Media’s work:
For the full Deloitte Fast 50 list click here.
