Projectworks makes Inc. 5000 again as US push grows

Projectworks has been named to the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, marking the New Zealand-founded software company's second appearance on the ranking.

It placed No. 1032 overall, based on three-year revenue growth of 340%.

Projectworks also ranked No. 44 in the Bay Area and No. 91 in software. It first appeared on the list in 2024 at No. 557, making this a return to the ranking rather than a debut.

The Inc. 5000 ranks private companies by percentage revenue growth over three years and draws thousands of applicants from across the United States. Repeat appearances are less common, as some companies fall off the list after an initial burst of expansion.

The latest ranking comes as Projectworks continues to build its presence in the United States. It sells software to consulting firms and has been expanding that push with new investment, management changes and product development aimed at professional services businesses.

Its US expansion has been backed by a NZD $25 million Series A funding round. New US investor Ten Coves Capital joined existing shareholders Bridgewest Group and Punakaiki Fund in that round.

Leadership has also shifted as the company pushes further into the market. Mark Orttung was appointed Chief Executive Officer after helping scale US software consultancy Nexient and serving as President and Chief Operating Officer of Bill.com.

The business traces its origins to Provoke, a consulting firm in New Zealand, where an internal time-tracking tool was developed to handle administrative work. That software later became a standalone product and was spun out into a separate company.

That background has shaped Projectworks' customer focus. It serves engineering, architecture, software consulting and management consulting firms, which rely on project delivery, staff utilisation and invoicing discipline to manage margins.

More than 20,000 consultants use the platform across 56 countries, according to the company. Customers have invoiced a combined $3 billion in work through the system.

US strategy

Projectworks presented the latest recognition as an external marker of progress in the United States, where competition among software suppliers is intense and sustained growth can be hard to maintain.

"For a New Zealand-founded company to make the Inc. 5000 twice is a meaningful signal," said Mark Orttung, Chief Executive Officer, Projectworks. "It shows you can build from this part of the world, stay close to the customer problem, and still compete successfully in the largest software market in the world. For us, that validates both the US strategy and the product direction behind it, including AI capabilities that help consulting firms spend less time on admin and more time on delivery and growth."

Alongside its expansion, the company has continued adding artificial intelligence features to its software. These include Kea, which it describes as an AI teammate for operational work such as resourcing, an MCP server that connects Projectworks data to AI tools, and AI-assisted proposal drafting for consulting firms.

The platform combines proposals, resourcing, time and expense tracking, invoicing and forecasting in one system. Its aim is to help consulting firms reduce administrative work while improving visibility into delivery and financial performance.

Projectworks now operates from offices in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Its repeat inclusion on the Inc. 5000 adds a public benchmark to a period in which it has sought to turn growth in its home market into a larger position in the US software sector.