Shaped by the journey, from start-up to $100M+.
One team behind the whole road: founders finding their feet, CEOs scaling through the messy middle, and the essentials done properly at every stage.
Playdough was never meant to be a toy.
Originally created in the 1930s to clean soot from coal-heated homes, it was practical, adaptable, and surprisingly versatile. Today many companies sell playdough as a child's toy, others as an educational tool.
Kiwis have always valued a simple version of making it: once a bach, a boat and a Beemer, now a home you own, some balance, and room in the budget to enjoy life. A bit of play money. 'Playdough'.
We like the name, for the soot, the grit, the change. What the journey represents.
We have helped build businesses from zero to $100M+, and the founders who make it are not the ones who avoid the messy middle. They are the ones who shape it on purpose.
Real people, practical experience
We have done this from the inside, from first invoice to $100M+ balance sheets, across agritech, SaaS and software, and deep tech products and services. Hundreds of M&A deals, more than $1 billion raised, and the scaling pains in between. That experience shapes how we show up: we listen first, cut through noise, and focus on what actually matters. Our work blends finance, systems and people, because in the real world, those things are never separate.
Wherever you are on the road, we have been there.
Your first $10M, without the white noise
Foundations, funding and a back office that scales, so the founder stays on growth.
Start-up ServicesSenior leadership through the messy middle
Fractional CFO and COO support for raises and the discipline after them, boards, group reporting, systems, and businesses becoming sale ready.
Fractional CFO & COOCompliant, confident, done properly
Chartered Accountants keeping companies, individuals and trusts compliant and confident, with systems that quietly do the heavy lifting.
Core AccountingSupporting growth with clarity and confidence
Our focus is simple: help businesses grow in a way that still feels good to run.
We do that by:
- Reducing unnecessary complexity
- Building systems that support people
- Keeping decisions grounded in reality
We're here to steady the foundations, sharpen priorities, and help leaders focus their energy where it counts.
Scale your why, not your back office
We know growth isn’t linear. It can be uncomfortable, a bit messy, and full of trade‑offs.
Good businesses don’t scale by chasing perfection, they scale by making clear decisions, learning quickly, and staying connected to their purpose.
Our role is to support that journey,
To align identity with cash flow,
Decisions with reality,
And ambition with systems that can carry the load.
A small team, with serious experience, from start-up scrappiness to $100M scale
You’ll deal with real people who are hands-on and accountable. We work closely with our clients, stay curious, and aren’t afraid to say when something isn’t needed.
Julia Ammundsen
Tom Barker
Maddy Wilson
Kylie Harrison
Edward Jansen
Cormac Denton
Fractional Controller
Think you belong on this page?
We are growing. If you grow people, embrace challenges and create experiences, reach out.
hello@playdough.co.nzReady to move forward?
If you’re building something meaningful and want support that’s calm, practical, and grounded in experience, we’d love to talk.
Book a chat