STARTUP STORY
TAKING THE GUESSWORK OUT OF SOCIAL IMPACT
Ana Fernandez turned a dinner-table rant into Purposense, a tool helping purpose-driven organisations measure real change.
From Frustration to Innovation
It all started with a moment of pure frustration. Sitting at her Auckland dinner table, Cuban-born PhD sociologist Ana was battling with a complex evaluation tool designed to measure social impact. She couldn’t make sense of it.
“I couldn’t figure it out, and it pissed me off that this tool was out there in the hands of change makers who are already stretched and time-poor”, she says. “It really was just overcomplicated, overengineered.”
Her developer friends, listening to her vent, suggested they could build something better. Her brother soon joined the team, and out of that conversation, Purposense was born, powered by a core team of three co-founders: Ana, who brings her training in social science and her experience in social innovation and impact measurement, joined by Ariel Fernandez, and Ileana Naya two experienced full-stack developers who ensure Purposense is a smooth, secure and user friendly tool that is built for scale.
Why is Measuring Impact Hard?
Purposense is a SaaS platform designed for organisations that may not have in-house evaluation teams or the time to wrestle with over-engineered systems. It provides changemakers with simple tools to collect evidence from the people they work with, link it back to their outcomes and Theory of Change, and see in real time what’s changing due to their work.
For many charities, social enterprises, and B-Corps, proving their impact is one of the hardest parts of their work.
“Measuring outcomes is always high on the priority list,” Ana says. “Everybody gets excited about the vision, but building the concrete evidence to back up the logic model that connects your work with the different layers of change you aim to make is really time-consuming and resource-intensive.”
Purposense was designed to reduce the busywork of measurement with simple survey builders, AI-powered qualitative data analysis and automated dashboards that map insights directly to an organisation’s theory of change.
Unlike many complex or costly tools, Purposense was built to enable small and medium-sized teams to take ownership over their measurement and data.
Everybody gets excited about the vision, but building the concrete evidence to back up the logic model that connects your work with the different layers of change you aim to make is really time-consuming and resource-intensive.
The Logic Model in Action
At its core, Purposense reflects what researchers call a logic model — a framework that connects activities to outcomes and longer-term change.
“When you are trying to make positive change in any area of society, you need to think about the different layers of change your activities aim to drive”, Ana explains. She uses food waste as an example. Say, an organisation runs food waste reduction workshops:
- The first layer of change may be that participants walk away with increased awareness about the impact of food waste and are equipped with practical skills to preserve food.
- A second layer of change may be fewer kilograms of food ending up in landfills.
- The ultimate change may be a long-term cultural shift into more sustainable consumption habits, reduced environmental impact and greater food security.
Each layer requires fit-for-purpose measurement strategies.
“While data about food in landfills is often external, data about how effectively the workshops are in shifting attitudes and practices is specific to the organisation, and is gold for understanding what works and what needs to be improved”, Ana says. “This is the layer Purposense measures really well”.
Treating Data as Taonga
For Ana, treating data ethically is just as important as collecting it.
“Data is expensive — not only in terms of money and resources, but in the effort it takes from your team and from the people who are sharing their experiences ” she says. “It’s a treasure. It’s a gift that you’re given, and it should be used in a way that benefits communities in the form of a better service.”
Purposense returns individual results to participants, so they can see their own growth — a rare feature in the evaluation world.
From Academia to Social Change to Startup Life
Ana’s path to entrepreneurship wasn’t traditional.
“My background is not technology and it’s not business,” she says. “What I want to put out there is that you don’t need to be a business person or a technologist to be the founder of a startup.You just need a clear idea, some validation about the need and be willing to try. ”
Ana spent time in academia, specialising in research methodologies that position the researcher as an insider within the community being studied. However, academia’s slow pace left her restless, so she brought her research skills into the world of social change and community action, where data can serve practice and drive change more directly.
“I found my purpose in the world of social innovation”, she says.. I had the opportunity to work as part of organisations like Talking Matters, who are doing the do and working for a more equitable society, without losing the drive to innovate. I could see first-hand how, when changemakers take ownership over their data and use it to improve, rather than just prove stuff, the quality and impact of the work is truly enhanced.
That is the vision now fueling Purposense, which is preparing for launch in the Summer.
Building a Business with Purpose
The Purposense team includes two co-founders alongside Ana, who bring full-stack development skills and QA expertise, ensuring the platform is secure and reliable. Together, they’ve worked nights and weekends to bring the product to life.
Ana acknowledges the challenges of building a purpose-driven startup.“I had a stage where I felt disconnected from many of the mainstream startup tools and pathways. Like, it’s not for us because we are in the purpose world and none of the commercial gimmicks apply” she says. “But at the end of the day, you do have to build a business that is sustainable, so the purpose can stand strong. I also found my crew of people who were navigating purpose and business, and those connections have been gold.”
Backed by New Zealand’s Startup Ecosystem
Building Purposense has required more than just technical development. Ana credits New Zealand’s startup community — particularly Startup Aotearoa — with helping her navigate the business side of launching a venture.
“What we need a lot of support with is building everything related to making sure there is cash flow, that we’re pricing in a way that’s both equitable and sustainable,” she explains. “You can have a beautiful product that doesn’t fly because the business structure is wrong or because you don’t have the legal foundations to keep everyone safe.”
Ana first connected with Chris O'Neill from Startup Aotearoa early in her journey. In hindsight, she says it may have been a bit too soon — “I almost wanted reassurance that I was onto something” — but now, with Purposense nearing its launch, she sees real value in re-engaging.
“The whole startup environment in New Zealand is extremely supportive,” she says. “They help you identify your weak spots and connect you with experienced people who can fill the gaps you don’t have in-house.”
Chris O'Neill - Startup Aotearoa Coach
When you’re just doing, doing, doing, it becomes hard to pause and ask: is this actually shifting the dial in the right direction?
A Vision for More Equitable Change
For Ana, the ultimate goal is simple: to empower organisations to keep their focus on what matters most — their purpose. With Purposense, those checkpoints are built in — giving even the smallest teams the tools to understand their impact and improve their services.
Her hope: that Purposense will be an enabler of positive change and an amplifier for those who are working hard to make Aotearoa and the world a better, more equitable place.