STARTUP STORY
REDEFINING CULTURE FOR THE EMPATHY AGE
Forget employee sentiment surveys—Emplify, a new culture tool built in Aotearoa, is helping teams make innovation part of their daily behaviour.
Born out of frustration with how most organisations treat innovation as an isolated project, Emplify offers something different: a system that measures and grows the behaviours that drive sustainable innovation from within.
“We kept seeing the same thing,” says co-founder Craig Pethybridge. “Organisations weren’t short on strategy or tools. They were short on cultures that could actually support innovation.”
Alongside co-founders Jude Rutherford and Euan Kirkland, Pethybridge developed Emplify as both a diagnostic and a change engine. Rather than asking people how they feel, the platform gets to the heart of what they do—and how that behaviour stacks up across five key pillars of innovative culture: Empathy, Synergy, Focus, Motivation, and Magic.
Each pillar includes a set of traits teams assess together, creating a shared, data-backed view of how culture is showing up—and where it needs to grow.
Culture over sentiment
The team is quick to distinguish Emplify from traditional engagement platforms.
“We’re not another engagement survey,” says Rutherford. “Engagement looks at how people feel. Emplify looks at what they do—the habits, the behaviours, the collective mindsets that fuel or block progress.”
This behavioural lens makes Emplify especially useful for leaders navigating change. One use case: a high-performing but overwhelmed team facing constant structural shifts. “They didn’t need another vision document,” says Kirkland. “They needed a way to build resilience and focus. Emplify gave them a shared starting point.”
“Engagement looks at how people feel. Emplify looks at what they do—the habits, the behaviours, the collective mindsets that fuel or block progress.”
Designed for progressive teams
The Emplify team is targeting three core groups:
- Progressive SMEs – mid-sized businesses that want to grow but need to align their people.
- High-performing teams within corporates – often already doing well but hungry for a culture edge.
- Government agencies under pressure – seeking stability and adaptability in uncertain times.
“We’re also seeing interest from consultants and transformation coaches,” Rutherford adds. “They do brilliant work, but once they leave, change can disappear. Emplify helps organisations hold onto that progress—because the change is coming from within, not being externally imposed.”
A platform shaped by empathy
Empathy sits at the heart of Emplify’s framework—for good reason.
“People often think empathy is soft,” says Pethybridge, “but it’s a proven driver of innovation. When people can see and respond to each other’s perspectives, they’re more open to trying new things and solving hard problems.”
This emphasis on empathy has resonated with both leaders and transformation specialists. The team encourages newcomers to start with the free Empathy Scan, which gives a taste of the platform’s diagnostic power without needing full onboarding.
"People often think empathy is soft, but it’s a proven driver of innovation."
Early support and the Startup Dunedin effect
While the founding team brought decades of experience, they knew they needed community to test and grow their vision. That led them to Startup Dunedin, where they connected with coach Pete Lead.
“Pete’s been amazing,” says Rutherford. “He challenges us, sends resources we haven’t asked for, follows through. That kind of support makes a huge difference when you're building something new.”
Startup Dunedin also became an early testbed for Emplify itself. “We ran their team through Emplify Discover, the platform’s first product,” says Kirkland. “Their feedback helped us refine the experience and confirmed how powerful it could be—even in small teams.”
Pete Lead- Startup Aotearoa Coach
"We want to help organisations lift their performance and create happier, more human workplaces. If we can achieve both, we’re doing our job."
A vision beyond Aotearoa
The founders are ambitious about Emplify’s future. Their five-year goal? To become a globally recognised platform for behaviour-led innovation—while staying deeply values-driven.
“We want to help organisations lift their performance and create happier, more human workplaces,” says Kirkland. “If we can achieve both, we’re doing our job.”
Underlying it all is a concern for New Zealand’s lagging productivity and innovation rankings. “We keep slipping,” says Pethybridge. “That’s not sustainable. If we want to thrive as a country, we need to rethink how we work—and that starts with culture.”