For founder Roscoe Price Moor, Roady NZ started with a simple idea: to monetise the classic Kiwi road trip. Initially, the business offered self-drive tour packages – car, accommodation, and personalised itineraries for international travellers.
The response was strong, but the process was highly manual. Roscoe recalls planning trips down to every detail – golf bookings, dining recommendations, and hidden hiking spots. Clearly, this wasn’t going to scale. Then COVID-19 hit, bringing international tourism to a halt and forcing a complete rethink.
The resurgence of Roady, thanks to Covid-19
What could have been the end of the journey instead became the turning point. With bookings gone, Roscoe was forced to rethink everything. Out of that challenge came an opportunity ahead – one that didn’t rely on a manual, one-to-one model. Instead, Roady has been able to transform into a scalable, tech-driven experience. Today, the Roady app is putting the power of planning, discovery, and adventure directly in travellers’ hands.
Acceleration with Creative HQ
With no technical background, Roscoe turned to Creative HQ to bring the idea and app to life. Joining Creative HQ’s incubator first – and then later the Tourism Accelerator Programme proved to be a turning point.
Over six months, Roscoe went from concept to validated wireframes, customer insights, and a growing pool of pre-signups. A strong social audience of now over 500,000 followers became integral to co-creating the app, shaping features, and testing ideas.
Creative HQ’s role went beyond validation. Roscoe secured $135,000 pre-seed investment through Angel HQ, connected with mentors who later became investors and directors, and gained the confidence to grow Roady into a sustainable business. Roady has more recently raised a seed round of over $500,000 to assist with their expansion into Australia.
Scaling Roady Beyond New Zealand
Roady’s app has now surpassed 200,000 downloads, with users logging over 300,000 adventures across New Zealand and Australia. On social platforms, Roady’s content reaches over two million unique accounts monthly, making it one of the most powerful travel media engines in Australasia.
The business cracked its revenue model by moving from a free app to a freemium model with integrated bookings. Today, users can plan, book, and tick off destinations seamlessly, while Roady monetises premium subscriptions, car and campervan hire, and activity bookings.
In August 2025, Roady officially expanded into Australia, partnering with local photographers and tourism boards to build a rich database of destinations. As of 2025, they feel they’re still just getting started.
The Future of Roady
Roscoe’s vision goes far beyond Australasia. With global ambitions, Roady is preparing to scale into new markets, exploring opportunities in Bali, North America, and beyond.
The mission remains clear: inspire travellers to discover more.
“We’ve already helped people plan over 300,000 adventures – but this is just the start.”
By dispersing visitors across lesser-known destinations, Roady supports regional tourism while helping users create richer, more meaningful travel experiences. By partnering with tourism boards and showcasing lesser-known destinations too, Roady is helping drive visitors to the places that need them most – creating a ripple effect for local economies and businesses.
