9 Best Venture Capital (VC) Firms In Sydney
Sydney is a key player in the Asia-Pacific region, known for its vibrant startup ecosystem. If you’re an entrepreneur eager to kickstart or expand your business, finding the right venture capital can be crucial. This article highlights the leading VC firms in Sydney, known for their supportive roles in growing innovative businesses.
AirTree Ventures
AirTree Ventures is a VC firm primarily focused on investing in tech founders from Australia and New Zealand. They are committed to supporting these founders from the start, aiming to be long-term partners. The firm has partnered with over 100 fast-growing and impactful tech companies across various industries. Additionally, they reserve a significant portion of their funds to support their companies in subsequent funding rounds.
Headquarters: Australia
Investment Geography: Australia, USA, UK, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Germany, Argentina, Finland, Estonia
Operating since: 2014
Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
Investment Focus: Tech (Consumer, Data, E-commerce, Education, Energy, Enterprise, Finance, Hardware, Health, Industrials, Infrastructure, Marketplaces, SaaS, Security)
Number of investments: 168
Number of exits: 15
Check size: $200k to $50m
Notable investments: Canva, Linktree
Founders/Key People: Craig Blair, Daniel Petre AO
Website: https://www.airtree.vc
Artesian Capital Management
Artesian Capital Management, founded in 2004 by Jeremy Colless, Matthew Clunies-Ross, and John McCartney, is a global alternative investment management firm based in Sydney, Australia. They specialize in public and private debt, venture capital, and impact investment strategies. The firm is known for its Venture Capital as a Service (VCaaS) solutions, catering to governments, corporations, and industry groups. With over $1.1 billion in assets under management (AUM), Artesian operates offices in Australia, China, Indonesia, Singapore, the UK, and the US. Their investment focus includes areas such as agri-food, health, AI, robotics, and education, primarily targeting early-stage ventures.
Headquarters: Australia
Investment Geography: Australia, USA, China, Singapore, India, Canada, Hong Kong, UK, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Senegal, Israel, Belgium, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Portugal
Operating since: 2004
Stages: Seed, Series A
Investment Focus: Software/Hardware (AgriFood/AgTech/FoodTech, Clean Energy/CleanTech, AI/Robotics, MedTech/Medical Devices)
Number of investments: 722
Number of exits: 186
Check size: $50k – $1m
Notable investments: Fleet Space Technologies, TurtleTree
Founders/Key People: Jeremy Colless, Matthew Clunies-Ross, John McCartney
Website: https://www.artesianinvest.com/overview-vc
Blackbird Ventures
Since its inception in 2012, Blackbird has demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting startups throughout their journey from idea to beyond IPO. The firm’s portfolio is notable, worth over $7 billion, and includes some of the most successful startups from Australia and New Zealand, such as Canva, Zoox, SafetyCulture, and Culture Amp. Blackbird Ventures focuses on backing generational ambition with generational belief, a philosophy that extends to its approach to investment. They have backed over 100 companies across Australia and New Zealand, with 20% now worth over $100 million and six valued at over $1 billion.
Headquarters: Australia
Investment Geography: USA, New Zealand, UK, Hong Kong
Operating since: 2012
Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B
Investment Focus: Consumer Tech, Consumer Brands, D2C, FoodTech, AgTech, FinTech, Crypto, EdTech, E-commerce, Marketplace, Enterprise Software, Cloud, HRTech, MarTech, RetailTech, CyberSecurity, Databases, Synthetic Biology, BioTech, MedTech, Digital Health, HealthTech, Robotics, IoT, Autonomous, SpaceTech, Semiconductors, Solar
Number of investments: 246
Number of exits: 23
Check size: $25k – $5m
Notable investments: Canva, Zoox
Founders/Key People: Alex Gifford, James Palmer
Website: https://www.blackbird.vc
Carthona Capital
Founded in 2014, Carthona Capital began as a group of venture investors collaborating on a deal-by-deal basis. It has since evolved into a more traditional venture capital fund structure, now managing its third fund with approximately $360 million in funds under management. Carthona Capital primarily invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, or Series A stages. The firm follows a strategy of making initial investments early and then continuing to invest larger amounts as the business matures, even supporting businesses across multiple financing rounds.
Headquarters: Australia
Investment Geography: Australia, UK, USA, Switzerland, New Zealand
Operating since: 2014
Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
Investment Focus: FinTech, Crypto, AI, Robotics, AgTech, Aviation, Digital Health, Mobile, Enterprise Software, MarTech, CyberSecurity, HRTech, Retail, PropTech, Sensors, IoT, Wireless, Autonomous Vehicles, Entertainment, VR, Marketplaces
Number of investments: 97
Number of exits: 26
Check size: $150k – $5m
Notable investments: Ouster, Cisco
Founders/Key People: Tonino Belmonte, Jonathan Chow
Website: https://www.carthonacapital.com
King River Capital
King River Capital is a venture capital firm with a strong focus on technology-driven companies. Founded with the aim of providing a personal, attentive, and accessible service, King River Capital has built a reputation as a firm that is highly aligned with the long-term success of the companies it invests in. Its approach is based on global experience, intentional focus, aligned values, and flexible capital, ensuring that each company in its portfolio receives the attention it deserves.
Headquarters: Australia
Investment Geography: United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan
Operating since: 2018
Investment Focus: Software
Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Post-Seed, Series A, Series B+.
Number of investments: 39
Number of exits: 1
Check size: $100K – $5M
Notable investments: Sendle, Discord
Founders/Key People: Zebediah Rice
Website: https://kingriver.co/
OneVentures
OneVentures is a leading venture capital firm based in Sydney, Australia, founded in 2006. The firm specializes in seed-stage, early-stage, and later-stage investments. They primarily focus on sectors like information technology, healthcare, life sciences, mobile, TMT, SaaS, and health tech, predominantly in Australia. OneVentures is known for its hands-on approach and partners with companies to leverage its experience and expertise for growth. The firm also emphasizes responsible investment, aligning with environmental, social, governance, and UN Sustainability goals.
Headquarters: Australia (Sydney)
Investment Geography: Australia, Europe
Operating since: 2006
Investment Focus: Therapeutics, Medical Devices, MedTech, Diagnostics, Digital Health, HealthTech, SaaS, FinTech, EdTech, Marketplaces, E-commerce, Digital Media, Enterprise Software, Business Intelligence, HRTech, EnergyTech, Mobility, Telecom
Stages: Series A, Series B, Series C
Number of investments: 91
Number of exits: 19
Check size: $5 – $20m
Notable investments: Employment Hero, Vaxxas, Zoomo
Founders/Key People: Matthew Sinnamon, Michelle Deaker Ph.D
Website: https://one-ventures.com.au/
Skip Capital
Skip Capital is a private investment firm focusing on technology and infrastructure sectors. Founded by Kim Jackson, an experienced investor with a background in investment banking and technology, and Scott Farquhar, co-founder and co-CEO of Atlassian, the firm embodies a strong leadership team with diverse backgrounds, including venture capital, funds management, and listed equities. The team is passionate about innovation, with investments spanning various domains such as tech startups, infrastructure, and real assets.
Headquarters: Australia
Investment Geography: Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, United States.
Operating since: 2018
Investment Focus: HealthTech, Enterprise Software, Robotics, IoT, Genetics, Energy, Data Analytics, AI, AgTech, FoodTech, EdTech, HRTech
Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B.
Number of investments: 45
Number of exits: 0
Check size: $100K – $3M
Notable investments: 1Password, Canva
Founders/Key People: Kim Jackson
Website: https://www.skipcapital.com/
Square Peg Capital
Square Peg Capital is a global venture capital firm established in 2012, focused on empowering exceptional founders. It operates across several key regions, including Sydney, Melbourne, Tel Aviv, and Singapore, targeting investments in emerging technology companies within the internet economy. The firm manages assets worth US$3 billion and has achieved substantial realized returns of US$0.6 billion.
Headquarters: Australia
Investment Geography: United States, Australia, Singapore, Israel, Indonesia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, India, Malaysia, Germany, Hong Kong, Vietnam.
Operating since: 2012
Investment Focus: Agriculture, Cloud Infrastructure, Consumer, Cyber Security, FinTech, HealthTech, Digital Health, MarTech, Marketplaces, Retail, Supply Chain, SaaS
Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B.
Number of investments: 138
Number of exits: 12
Check size: $1M – $50M
Notable investments: Uber, Stripe
Founders/Key People: Tony Holt
Website: https://www.squarepeg.vc/
Stoic Venture Capital
Stoic Venture Capital is a venture capital firm based in Sydney, Australia, founded in 2020. It primarily focuses on investing in companies’ early stages, including seed-stage, early-stage, and later-stage investments. The firm is particularly interested in a wide array of sectors, such as business products and services, consumer products and services, energy, financial services, and materials. Stoic Venture Capital emphasizes its interest in life sciences but acknowledges that innovation can be found across all domains of research.
Headquarters: Australia
Investment Geography: Australia, United States, United Kingdom.
Operating since: 2019
Investment Focus: University Research Commercialization (Drugs, Medical Devices/MedTech, Software, Robotics, Hardware, AgTech, EdTech, AgBio, Electronics)
Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B.
Number of investments: 19
Number of exits: 2
Check size: $100K – $1M
Notable investments: Certa, Morse Micro
Founders/Key People: Guy Hedley
Website: https://stoicvc.com.au/
Conclusion
Choosing the right VC firm is a vital step for your business, especially in a competitive and diverse market like Sydney. The VC firms we’ve featured offer a blend of financial investment, industry expertise, and networking opportunities. Consider what each firm can contribute to your startup’s growth and how they align with your vision and needs. With the right backing, your business is well-positioned to thrive in Sydney’s dynamic economic landscape.
