Making websites fun again
For over 15 years, we've been all about making website building fun and easy. We help businesses get awesome websites without the hassle or high costs.
OUR STORY
The year was 2008. Netflix was still sending movies in the mail, Facebook passed Myspace as the biggest social network and Beyonce’s “All the single ladies” was #1 on the music charts. 5690 nautical miles from Silicon Valley, graphic designer Jeremy was freelancing from a flat in Hamilton, New Zealand. He loved designing websites but didn’t like writing code.
The sparks that launched the rocket
In 2007, Jeremy was road tripping across the USA with a group of friends, including web developers Richard and Lee. The imposter syndrome of being a self-taught graphic designer had caught up with Jeremy and he’d been accepted to study a Diploma in Graphic Design in Auckland after the trip. While staying in a budget motel only 80km from Silicon Valley, he received an email that the course had been cancelled.
Back in New Zealand and diving back into freelancing, Jeremy started flatting with Richard and Lee. Richard and Lee started helping out with the website coding but having to code websites from scratch was killing the vibe in the flat—even more than when other flatmate Lester ate all the ice cream straight after grocery day.
Jeremy thought, “if only I could design and build websites without code (and clients could make changes themselves instead of coming to me).” Tired of coding websites from scratch after work and keen to get back to playing computer games, Richard was happy to kick around the idea of a “website that makes websites.”
On the opposite side of the world from Hamilton, Jeremy’s brother Grant had been on his own travel adventure—living, working and travelling in Canada, the UK and Europe. Now in Spain while his wife worked for an America’s Cup team, Grant was learning Spanish and kiteboarding after years of working in product, marketing and management roles with some of the world’s top brands.
From a flat in the middle of New Zealand cow country to the Mediterranean, they got chatting about this idea of a website that makes websites. Grant got to work asking friends and family about their experience getting a website. The common problems were platforms were difficult to use and the support was rubbish. So that was the problem they set about solving.
After years of working for other people, Grant was keen to be part of a startup. Oceans 11 likely still fresh in their mind from DVD movie night at the flat, Jeremy and Richard recruited Lee from upstairs (who was studying computer science at the University of Waikato). Like the crew from Ocean’s 11, Lee’s special skill was the ability to find answers to almost anything on Google—which they desperately needed, because they had a lot to learn. The founders built the first version of Rocketspark moonlighting around their day jobs or studying, eventually launching the business in February 2009 with an email to friends and family.
Only months after the global financial crisis, they each put in $1500 of startup cash and Rocketspark was born—an easy way for anyone to create a website and keep it up to date (and get great support).
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
Now we’re a team of 20. Far from the tech hubs of San Francisco, London or Wellington, Rocketspark HQ is in Cambridge, New Zealand. We help thousands of customers in 33 countries.
TEAM GOLF DAY 2024, BEN BEHIND THE WHEEL AT TIEKE GOLF ESTATE
JOIN THE TEAM
We’re hiring! Cambridge is a great place to live. Small town vibes—but with cities, beaches and mountains just up the road. Plus some of the team work from home in Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne & Featherston.
Why the name “Rocketspark”?
Rocketspark started from a kitchen table and has grown into a business with thousands of clients in 33 countries. We wanted a name that represented helping people take their small spark of an idea and making it fly.
Graphic designers at our door
In 2017, Karen from Cambridge Graphic Design business Kaz Design reached out asking if they could use our platform to design websites for clients. Designers loved that they could design and build the website themselves without outsourcing to developers. But more importantly, Rocketspark was easy enough that when they handed over the keys to clients, the clients could drive it—without coming back and bothering them.
Plus, Rocketspark doubled down on really hands on support. So if designers clients need help, they could reach out to the Rocketspark team. This mix of easy tools and strong support is perfect for freelance graphic designers. They can focus on new projects instead of dealing with support issues. Designers have helped us build the tools they need to do great work for their clients, while keeping things simple. And we're still working on more great things!—there's more on the horizon!
Since 2017, the Rocketspark designer community has grown into a vibrant group of designers who support each other and share knowledge at Rocketspark events and online communities. Now Rocketspark refers all web design leads to this community of designers, even helping matchmake designers with clients.
