Happy Wednesday!
Kia ora Caffeinators,
Happy Wednesday arvo. Some great acquisition news today from a local star as well as some fascinating data fresh from the heart of the AI boom.
I am making an active effort to not centre AI at the heart of everything I write in this newsletter but unfortunately the world at large is making that difficult this week both locally and internationally so just bear with me until after the AI Summit tomorrow.
Here’s what’s brewing in your Daily Shot:
Kami acquires Book Creator
New data on how 700m of us use Chat GPT
Wellumio targets NZ $8.5M for Series Pre-A raise
Event: Fireside chat - Māori & Pasifika Voices
As always, thank you to everyone who has upgraded to a paid subscription or simply recommended Caffeine to friends and whānau. We couldn’t do any of this without you.
Finn and the CAFFEINE team
Kami acquires Book Creator: I don’t think I need to introduce you guys to Kami, particularly since I talked to their co-founder in these very pages almost a year ago exactly after they were valued at $300m
If you’ve somehow managed to miss them, they’re the NZ-founded edtech platform used in over 180 countries which absolutely exploded over the COVID lockdowns. Today it announced it has acquired UK based edutech platform and multimedia workbook creation tool, Book Creator, in a move which will take the number of users on the platform to over 70m.
I think there will be trend toward consolidation in the edtech market (and a lot of other places, frankly) over the coming years so wouldn’t be surprised if this was the first in a series of acquisitions. I will be hopping on another call with co-founder Henjie tomorrow for an update on the business which you can read all about in next week’s Caffeine.
New data on how 700m of us use ChatGPT: There will be a billion people using the app before long (wild considering it’s a toddler’s age) and having some large scale data on what we’re using it for is crucial for everyone. OpenAI released a fascinating snapshot of useage on the app.
The results are per OpenAI’s Economic Research team and Harvard economist David Deming, drawing on analysis of 1.5 million conversations. The data points are slightly fuzzy which makes sense when factoring in privacy considerations but definitely
Personally I will be very interested to watch the shift YoY as both the doing and expressing categories expand. I think the use of AI
(Sam Altman also just wrote a very interesting blog on this topic detailing how OpenAi plans to respond to the complex tension between privacy and safety when it comes to users but in the interests of not overloading on one company I will chat about that tomorrow)
Key Takeaways:
In January 2024, among users with names that could be classified as either masculine or feminine, 37% had typically feminine names. By July 2025, that share had risen to more than half (52%).
ChatGPT is becoming accessible global tool. By May 2025, ChatGPT adoption growth rates in the lowest income countries were over 4x those in the highest income countries.
About half of messages (49%) are “Asking,” a growing and highly rated category that shows people value ChatGPT most as an advisor rather than only for task completion.
Doing (40% of usage, including about one third of use for work) encompasses task-oriented interactions such as drafting text, planning, or programming, where the model is enlisted to generate outputs or complete practical work.
Expressing (11% of usage) captures uses that are neither asking nor doing, usually involving personal reflection, exploration, and play.
Shout out to Peter Walker over at Carta who simply couldn’t stomach the terrible graph OpenAI used to illustrate the above data and remade it in classic, Carta style above.
Wellumio targets NZ $8.5M for Series Pre-A raise: We love some healthtech news in Caffeine and now Wellumio, a startup building the future of stroke diagnostics is targeting NZ $8.5M for its Series Pre-A raise (with a minimum raise of NZ $7M and a maximum of NZ$8.5m).
The problem proposition is that less than 5% of stroke patients receive treatment within the critical 'golden hour' when the chance of disability free survival is highest. This means access to fast, accurate diagnosis tools can significantly improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes.Their proposed solution is the Axana scanner which brings some essential diagnostics to the bedside and they claim can reduce diagnosis time by over 90% while providing critical insights into the severity and extent of stroke-related damage.
Nuance Capital is leading the Series Pre-A round investment round, with other New Zealand VCs, and Snowball Effect campaign investors targeted to join the round. Wellumio raised a $4.25 million seed round in 2023 (investors included Outset Ventures, Nuance Capital, NZGCP’s Aspire Fund, Cure Kids Ventures, and Movac).
After talking about the world eating progress of OpenAI above, it’s nice to talk about a startup working in the physical world to do an unambiguous good.
Fireside chat: Māori & Pasifika Voices- It’s Te Wiki o te Reo Māori so wanted to shout out an event tomorrow for Māori or Pasifika curious about stepping into the world of tech. Whether you’re in your final years of study, just starting out, or simply interested in hearing more Māori and Pasifika voices in tech, this kaupapa is for you.
The panel will share their lived experiences, tips, and honest advice about
Getting ready to jump into the tech industry
Bringing your culture and identity into the workplace
Growing confidence and finding your voice
Balancing whānau, cultural values, and career growth
This is a safe space to ask questions, connect, and be inspired by those who are currently in tech. Get your ticket here.
Thu, 18 Sep, 5:30pm - 7:30pm NZST
Auror Auckland Office
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Want to get in touch with a news tip, bit of feedback or just to chat? Email hello@caffeinedaily.co