STARTUP STORY
BUILDING AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR SMEs
Larissa Logan has taken calls most founders will never hear.
Not about growth or scaling - but about survival. About whether a business can make wages. About how someone is going to keep a roof over their family’s head.
It’s not a one-off. It’s constant.
And after years working in insolvency and alongside small businesses, she decided she didn’t want to just respond to the crisis anymore—she wanted to stop it from happening in the first place.
That’s where Fixity started. And now, it’s where ALYRT is being built.
Where does this story really start?
Larissa grew up watching her dad run a swimming pool business. And from an early age, she saw what economic cycles actually do - not in theory, but in real life. When things were good, they were good. But when the market turned, everything tightened. Nobody is buying a pool in an economic downturn - so that led to uncertainty and pressure at home. Experiencing the economic cycle for herself, she knew early on that she wanted to work with small businesses to help them survive the 7,8,10 year cycles that can leave a mark.
Why do so many businesses still get caught off guard?
After years in accounting - and then stepping into insolvency - Larissa saw the same pattern play out again and again. Businesses weren’t failing overnight, they were slowly slipping - over 12, sometimes 18 months - without real visibility of what was happening underneath. They thought they were covered - an internal person doing the books, or an external accountant. In reality, nobody was actively watching the numbers in a way to help them make decisions. Most external accountants were focused on compliance - GST, PAYE, year-end accounts. By the time anyone really looked closely, it was too late. There were no levers left to pull.
What if you didn’t find out the night before?
That question became the turning point -because for most business owners, that’s exactly what happens - they realise there’s a problem when they’re already out of time. ALYRT is being built to change that. Instead of looking backwards, it looks forward - giving business owners early warning signs, sometimes up to six weeks out, so they have time to act.
Is this about avoiding failure - or unlocking growth?
While Fixity focuses on restructuring and distress, ALYRT is aiming earlier in the lifecycle.
This isn’t just about preventing businesses from going under. It’s about helping them operate better day-to-day.
The platform is being built as an end-to-end system - pulling in accounting data, banking data, and eventually construction-specific tools - to give a full picture of what’s happening inside a business.
From there, it uses AI to generate what Larissa calls “super prompts” - clear, practical steps that help improve margins, manage risk, and identify opportunities.
It’s less about survival, and more about control.
If ALYRT works the way it’s intended to, it won’t just be a tool for construction businesses. It could become a new layer of financial visibility for SMEs more broadly.
How do you go from zero tech experience to building an AI platform?
You start by asking for help.
Larissa spoke to the only AI person she knew and asked a simple question: Is there something we can build that actually improves this?
That kicked things off.
From there, it’s been a crash course - accelerators, mentors, customer interviews, prototypes.
Through Startup Aotearoa coaching, she worked with Simon Leckey from Startup Queenstown Lakes, and was then accepted into CreativeHQ’s Ignite programme, she was paired with mentors who helped navigate what initially felt like an entirely new language.
That guidance mattered.
At one point, it likely saved the business from giving away a huge chunk of equity too early - something that could have derailed everything.
At the same time, the team has been built around the problem.
Her partner Luke has been out speaking directly with construction businesses - running dozens of interviews and building a pipeline of early users.
On the product side, experienced builders have been brought in, alongside support from programmes like the New Zealand Product Accelerator and Mission Ready.
Simon Leckey- Startup Aotearoa Coach
What needs to happen next?
Right now, the focus is on testing, refining, and proving the value.
ALYRT is integrating with accounting platforms and open banking, with plans to expand into deeper construction-specific data. The first pilot users are not far off.
At the same time, Larissa is actively engaging with industry bodies, banks, and regulators - building relationships that will be critical as the product scales. Funding is part of the picture too. While the journey so far has been self-funded, conversations with investors are underway.
And where could this go?
The immediate focus is New Zealand. But the opportunity doesn’t stop here.
The same challenges exist in Australia - and beyond.
If ALYRT works the way it’s intended to, it won’t just be a tool for construction businesses. It could become a new layer of financial visibility for SMEs more broadly.
Something that quietly sits in the background, helping business owners stay ahead - without needing to become financial experts themselves.