Kiwi tech company seeks offshore market

Guy Horrocks Photo / supplied

A fledging Kiwi software company with a bunch of big name multi-nationals on its books is taking its business to the big apple in a bid to bring itself closer to key clients.

Its founder, 26-year-old Guy Horrocks is keen to chase lucrative market share, which could put the company on track to double in size within nine months of setting up office in New York.

Carnival Labs, which has its head office in Christchurch, is a Kiwi success story started by Horrocks and Cody Bunea in 2008.

Since its formation, the company has notched up 60 contracts to develop iPhone and iPad applications for big name clients including Kraft, Estee Lauder, HBO and Gloria Jean, as well as New Zealand's own Weta workshop.

The Weta iPhone application is a light entertainment gun application which allows users to test antique rayguns on various animals via the Weta branded Dr Grordbort's Infallible Aether Oscillators.

The application, developed in conjunction with Touch/Cast, was a good alternative to the 'real deal' rayguns, which retailed for anything from several hundred up to several thousand dollars, Horrocks said.

The contract and those with other New Zealand companies, represented about one third of Carnival Labs' business.

The remaining 70 per cent of deals were struck with companies offshore, he said.

Horrocks said he's been fortunate to have been in a market that has had such 'explosive growth'.

More than 3 billion applications were downloaded via Apple by iPhone and iPod touch users worldwide in less than 18 months.

"It's amazing to see the companies we met the founders of two years ago, sell out to people like Disney for $30 million - $40 million," he said.

While Carnival Labs would remain a New Zealand based company, with five full-time staff, it was a tough ask to secure a major offshore contract by phone, Horrocks said.

A move to the US is tipped in the next three months and would help the company keep pace with existing growth (the company recorded 300 per cent growth in revenue and profits in the last six months).

"Some of the contracts we have been pitching on are half million dollar contracts.

"To get in the door and be able to pitch is one thing, but be able to go over and actually be able to back it up and meet in person is quite a big difference.

"With some of the bigger Hollywood brands you can be on the cards, but they pick someone down the road, with less experience. It's hard to counter that from over here.

"Over there you get one contract and suddenly you double the size of your company.

"Setting up an office in the US really would be a big symbol of success for a small technology company from New Zealand," he said.

- NZ HERALD ONLINE