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Shutterspeed
Techstars '24Auckland, NZ · 12 employees on LinkedIn · 13 known investors
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Shutterspeed builds Manifest, an AI-based cost-to-serve platform for agencies that automatically tracks team time, effort, and software tool usage without manual timesheets. It provides dashboards and reports on labor costs, billable utilization, tool spend, and project profitability, integrating with existing ERP systems.
Also known as Manifest · Nextdoor Technologies
Founders & leadership
Investors · 13
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · funding news · press coverage · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · research · nzentrepreneur.co.nz · Not right? Tell us
Also in the syndicate · 10
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Shutterspeed is a New Zealand-founded software company that develops Manifest, an AI-based cost-to-serve platform for advertising and creative agencies. Manifest automatically captures how work is done across an agency's teams, software tools and AI platforms, removing the need for manually entered timesheets. It surfaces daily data on labour cost, billable versus non-billable utilisation, tool and subscription usage, and how value is delivered at each phase of a workflow.
The product is organised around an activity calendar that records time and effort in the background as teams work; a toolkit analysis view that maps software spend and tool adoption to projects and clients; and dashboards and reports intended to show clients a breakdown of human effort, AI acceleration and underlying project costs. Stated use cases include identifying the most profitable services and clients, pricing and quoting from historical project data, assessing tool return on investment, and cutting unprofitable work. The platform connects to an agency's existing ERP system. An earlier version of the technology, presented as a performance metrics tool for content creators and creative professionals, integrated with production software including Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro and Audition, with further integrations to Final Cut Pro, Photoshop and Lightroom described as planned.
Founding story
Co-founders Freddie McKenzie and Henry Collinson were originally neighbours and bonded over a shared interest in technology and innovation. Both had industry experience in production, and built the product in response to production companies' difficulty understanding how time is spent, who spends it on what, which resources are in use, and what should be billed to which client. The product emerged from McKenzie's Auckland production company, VIVID Creative.
Business model
Software platform sold to agencies and creative services businesses, integrating with customers' existing ERP systems and creative tooling to report on labour cost, utilisation, tool spend and project profitability.
Traction
Selected for the 2024 Techstars Sydney cohort. Raised $2 million in pre-seed funding announced in April 2026, with participation from institutional investors and a group of agency and media industry angels, and began rolling out to agencies across three cities.
Latest developments
Manifest officially launched in April 2026 together with a $2 million pre-seed round led by Brand Fund by Previously Unavailable, with Antler, Icehouse Ventures, Techstars and the Huljich & Bhatnagar Family Offices also participating.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Positioned as an alternative to timesheet-based measurement of agency work, on the argument that self-reported hours no longer reflect how work happens as agencies adopt AI. At the time of its Techstars selection the company described itself as the first performance metrics tool to automatically track time across stages of the production process without manual user input.
Automatic, background capture of time, effort and tool usage rather than manual timesheets, combined with visibility into AI tool usage and software spend, and the ability to report to clients on human effort versus AI acceleration alongside underlying project cost.
Technology
An AI-powered intelligence platform that automatically tracks and unifies data across an agency's teams, tools and AI platforms without manual input. The earlier Shutterspeed product was described as powered by contextual conversational AI, giving real-time data on project timelines, profit margins and productivity. Chief technology officer Tom Reid, previously at Microsoft, has led development of Manifest's proprietary AI model. The platform integrates with creative software such as Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro and Audition, and with existing ERP systems.
Go-to-market
Manifest launched publicly in April 2026 with an initial rollout to a group of agencies in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, with global expansion described as planned. The company has also used accelerator participation (Techstars Sydney) and earned media to reach investors and industry buyers, and lists prominent agency and media executives among its investors.
Advertising, creative and production agencies, and content creators and creative professionals, including agency owners and operators responsible for pricing, billing and margin.
Geography
Founded in New Zealand with roots in Auckland; described as a trans-Tasman startup, with initial customer rollout in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland and stated global expansion plans. Participated in the Techstars accelerator in Sydney, Australia.
History
Shutterspeed began as an internal tool at Auckland creative production agency Vivid Creative, which Freddie McKenzie founded in 2018. It was launched as a separate business in early 2023 under the company name Nextdoor Technologies. In 2024 Shutterspeed was selected for the Techstars Sydney accelerator alongside New Zealand legal tech startup Dispute Buddy, receiving US$120,000 in accompanying funding; communications agency Botica Butler Raudon Partners worked with the founders on media coverage of the accelerator, including in BusinessDesk and on Radio New Zealand. McKenzie exited Vivid Creative in 2025, and that agency is now known as Chameleon. In April 2026 the company launched the Manifest platform alongside a $2 million pre-seed round.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsRound led by Brand Fund by Previously Unavailable, with Antler, Icehouse Ventures, Techstars, the Huljich & Bhatnagar Family Offices and a group of industry investors participating.
$2M source ↗
Manifest, an AI-powered platform for agencies to automatically capture work across teams, tools and AI platforms, officially launched alongside a $2 million pre-seed round, with initial rollout to agencies in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.
McKenzie exited the Auckland agency he founded in 2018; that business is now known as Chameleon.
Shutterspeed was selected for the 2024 Techstars Sydney cohort, accompanied by US$120,000 in funding.
$120K source ↗
Shutterspeed, originally an internal tool at Auckland production agency VIVID Creative, was launched as a separate company in early 2023 under the name Nextdoor Technologies.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Shutterspeedshutterspeed.io · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Shutterspeed do?
- Trans-Tasman startup behind Manifest, an AI platform that tracks agency time, tools and cost-to-serve without timesheets.
- Who founded Shutterspeed?
- Shutterspeed was founded by Henry Collinson.
- Who are Shutterspeed's investors?
- Shutterspeed's investors include Techstars, Antler, Icehouse Ventures.
- Where is Shutterspeed headquartered?
- Shutterspeed is headquartered in Auckland, NZ.