Found and chief executive of the Christchurch-based company Lumin. Photo: Supplied/Lumin
- NZ software company hits 100 million users
- Lumin's customers include Netflix and Uber
- Founder said the company is profitable
A New Zealand software company is reaping the rewards of investment in artificial intelligence, hitting a major milestone of 100 million users.
Christchurch-based Lumin started as a simple cloud-based PDF editor, but has since added AI features and e-signature services - which have proved popular.
Lumin was also integrated with Google Workspace.
Founder and chief executive Max Ferguson said key to recent growth had been investment in AI features and larger businesses adopting Lumin.
The company's major customers included Airbnb, Netflix and Uber.
He said Lumin - formed in 2014 - was also profitable, which can be uncommon for young tech companies.
"We've been of the philosophy that constant growth and profitability is the way we want to run the business," he said.
Ferguson said a key reason was that Lumin started with little capital and did not raise venture capital.
Lumin also focused on keeping its product offering simple and easy to use, he said.
Tech sector and its 'huge growth potential'
Ferguson said he was "passionate" about the New Zealand tech ecosystem, and was committed to keeping the business headquartered in the country, with offices around the world.
"I see Christchurch as a really good hub. We've got a great university here, great other educational facilities and there's a lot of people that are looking for opportunities in tech," Ferguson said.
He also believed the tech sector presented "huge [economic] growth potential" for New Zealand.
"A lot of the other exports and businesses we work on rely on physical products and then shipping costs get in the way and it becomes a bit more challenging."
Ferguson said tech could be exported "pretty much on an equal footing" to other major countries.
He also wanted to see younger New Zealanders inspired by the tech sector.
"When I went through the school careers process, there were few options presented to me. I could be an engineer, or a doctor, or a lawyer - which are all great professions," he said.
"We're trying to spread the word that, in the modern world, going niche in terms of your profession and going into things like tech could be a really great career option."
