# Top 50 Impact Startup Investors in Australia in October 2023

## Clean Energy Finance Corporation
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 7
- Stages: Series B, Series A, Seed
- Focus: Energy, Solar, Renewable Energy

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation invests, applying commercial rigour, to increase the flow of finance into the clean energy sector. Their mission is to accelerate Australia's transformation towards a more competitive economy in a carbon constrained world, by acting as a catalyst to increase investment in emissions reduction. They do thisthrough an investment strategy focused on cleaner power solutions, including large and small-scale solar, wind and bioenergy; and a better built environment, with investments to drive more energy efficient property, vehicles, infrastructure and industry. The CEFC also invests with co-financiers to develop new sources of capital for the clean energy sector, including climate bonds, equity funds, aggregation facilities and other financial solutions. The CEFC operates under the Clean Energy Finance Corporation Act 2012.

## Artesian VC
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Relevant deals: 7
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Pre-Seed
- Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology

Artesian Capital Management is an alternative investments management company, which was spun out of ANZ Banking Group's capital markets business in 2004, with backing from ANZ Private Equity. Artesian's founding partners, purchased ANZ's stake in 2005. The company has subsequently been fully owned by partners and staff. Since 2004,Artesian has managed specialised funds focused on credit arbitrage and relative-value strategies across global financial markets. In 2008, while continuing to manage credit relative value investment strategies from its New York, London and Singapore offices, Artesian began to make principal investments in seed/early-stage ventures from its offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Shanghai. In 2011, Artesian launched the first of its early stage venture capital funds and now manages AUD +255m. Artesian's VC strategy is to partner with best of breed accelerators, incubators, angel groups and university programs. In 2017, Artesian launched its China VC Fund with a USD 50m cornerstone investment industry super fund Hostplus. Artesian will soon launch a Southeast Asia VC Fund.

## Grok Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 6
- Stages: Series A, Series B, Seed
- Focus: Renewable Energy, Software, Internet of Things

Grok Ventures is a private investment company. They back world-class teams solving big problems to shape a better future. They invest in fast growing technology-enabled businesses.

## Giant Leap Fund
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Relevant deals: 5
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Health Care, Information Technology, SaaS

Giant Leap is Australia's first venture capital fund to be 100% dedicated to investing in exceptional, rapidly scalable impact businesses.

## Main Sequence Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 5
- Stages: Series A, Seed, Series B
- Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology

We work with inventors who are building something hard from their unique expertise in science. These inventors are building the industries that will thrive for the decades to come. We have a unique working model to accelerate a company's pathway to scale.

## Blackbird Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 5
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Focus: Software, SaaS, Information Technology

Blackbird is a venture capital fund based in Australia and New Zealand. We invest in every type of technology from software to space, unified by the biggest of ambitions.

## Nicholas Assef
- Type: Angel
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 4
- Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed
- Focus: Renewable Energy, Energy, Battery

Investment banker, founder, angel capitalist. FOcussed on industrial technology applications including renewable energy and recycling technology.

## AirTree Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Paddington, Western Australia, Australia
- Relevant deals: 4
- Stages: Series A, Seed, Series B
- Focus: Software, Information Technology, SaaS

AirTree is a venture capital firm investing in Australian and New Zealand technology founders from seed stage or earlier.

## Uniseed Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Relevant deals: 4
- Stages: Series A, Seed
- Focus: Biotechnology, Manufacturing, Health Care

Uniseed was established in October 2000 as a $20 million joint venture between the University of Melbourne (UM) and the University of Queensland (UQ). This proof of concept fund (Fund-1) operated with significant input and support from the commercialization offices of the two universities (UniQuest and Melbourne Ventures Limited), with staff ofthese organizations making up the majority of the Investment Committee and leading due diligence and management of most investment opportunities. Over 20 investments, typically of $250,000 - $500,000 were made from this fund.A new $40 million venture fund (Fund-2) ran from 2005-15, with the addition of a third leading university, the University of New South Wales, and a major private institutional investor, the Westscheme superannuation fund. The founding universities (UQ & UM) also committed further funds. Australian Super took over Westscheme's essets and commitments in July 2011.With the start of Fund-2, an independent management team was established, consisting of the CEO and three Investment Managers; one at each university catchment. The Investment Committee was restructured, with dedicated committees established for biotechnology or other technologies. The nominal investment limit was increased to $2.5 million to allow participation in follow-on funding rounds so as to preserve Uniseed's equity position.On 1 November 2015, Uniseed started its third and largest fund (Fund-3) with the addition of the University of Sydney and the CSIRO to the Universities of Queensland, Melbourne and NSW. This followed three high profile exits in the preceding 14 months (Fibrotech; Spinifex & Hatchtech). Each of the five partners committed $10 million over 10 years to the new fund (total fund $50 million).Uniseed’s partner research organisations spent nearly $4 billion on research, making up over 40% of the total research spend at 67 research organisations in Australia. Together, these organisations accounted for nearly 500 invention disclosures (34% of total) and 500 new registered IP rights filed (45% of total) over the same period(2013 National Survey of Research Commercialisation). Unlike private venture capital funds, Uniseed is dedicated to the needs of its research partners, and committed to servicing them consistently over the long term, irrespective of the short term conditions in external capital markets. It works in very close partnership with the research partner commercialisation companies and staff, providing a valuable adjunct to the capabilities these companies and staff provide. They in turn provide a best-practice commercialisation service tailored to their respective organisations. These companies are able to leverage to great effect the scale of operation and expertise of the Uniseed network.The fund is run with commercial discipline, ensuring independence and financial rigor in its investment decision-making processes. Success is measured by a balance of return on investment (including the flow of funds for research to further the commercialisation of intellectual property generated within the research partner catchments), the establishment of viable start-up companies, the generation of research income for research partners and the improvement of partner commercialisation processes.

## Antler Australia
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 4
- Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed, Series A
- Focus: Health Care, Software, Financial Services

Australia's only truly global early stage VC, we believe in and back the most ambitious founders from the earliest stage.

## Artesian Clean Energy Seed Fund
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 4
- Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed, Series A
- Focus: Renewable Energy, Clean Energy, Energy

Artesian Clean Energy Seed Fund The Fund makes seed & follow-on investments in clean energy focused startups from approved accelerators, incubators, university programs & angel

## Southern Cross Venture Partners
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 4
- Stages: Series B, Series A
- Focus: Software, Manufacturing, Renewable Energy

Southern Cross Venture Partners was launched in 2006 by veteran venture capitalists who have managed and operated companies themselves. Southern Cross Venture Partners assist early stage technology companies that demonstrate the potential for exceptional growth and market leadership build significant businesses. The founding principle of SouthernCross is partnership -- they are passionately committed to doing everything they can to help their portfolio companies succeed. Their team has a strong record of utilizing their start-up and management experience, industry knowledge, network of business/customer relationships, and recruiting skills to assist in building significant shareholder value.Southern Cross is currently investing in companies that fit their investment criteria. They prefer to act as lead or co-lead in the early stages where they have experience that can help build value rapidly. They do not have a minimum investment amount, however, a typical initial investment will be $2 million to $5 million with an ability to invest more money in later rounds.

## Tenacious Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Relevant deals: 4
- Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed, Series A
- Focus: Agriculture, AgTech, Software

Tenacious Ventures - Australia's first and only dedicated agrifood tech VC firm.

## Antler
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Singapore, Central Region, Singapore
- Relevant deals: 3
- Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
- Focus: Software, Information Technology, SaaS

Build your next company with Antler, a global day zero investor enabling exceptional founders to start great companies, from the very beginning. Apply now!

## Transmedia Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: San Francisco, California, United States
- Relevant deals: 3
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Convertible Note
- Focus: Software, Mobile, Internet

Transmedia Capital is a top performing technology venture fund providing
deep domain expertise, operating experience, and advisory relationships.

## Carthona Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 3
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Focus: Software, Financial Services, Artificial Intelligence

Carthona Capital is a hands-on, proactive, and thematic venture capital investor based in Sydney, Australia that invests globally.

## Melbourne Angels
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Relevant deals: 3
- Stages: Angel, Seed
- Focus: Biotechnology, Information Technology, Manufacturing

Melbourne Angels was formed in Melbourne, Australia in early 2007. Melbourne Angels is the leading group of private investors in Victoria who actively invest in early stage and growth technology companies.The group has a strong and experienced core of members that generate deal flow, are experienced in evaluation of business propositions and actas mentors for the other members and the entrepreneurs. The members vary in age, gender, ethnicity, profession and type of experience. All members have experience of success at being entrepreneurial.This award winning group is consistently one of the most active startup investors in the country.

## Brisbane Angels
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Relevant deals: 3
- Stages: Seed, Angel
- Focus: Software, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence

Formed in late 2006, the Brisbane Angels Pty Ltd is a large group of private investors who actively invest in early stage technology companies, usually in South East Queensland, Australia. The members are typically active or semi-retired former senior business executives, who apart from financial input can provide much needed value adding toinvestee companies through hands-on management experience and high level business networks.

## Allen & Buckeridge
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Series C, Series A
- Focus: Telecommunications, Chemical, Hardware

Working on something fresh. Also, Partner @Acceleprise & columnist @TheNextWeb.

## Virescent Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Series A
- Focus: Renewable Energy, Solar, Semiconductor

Virescent Ventures invests in founders, technologies, and businesses that can help achieve zero emissions and beyond.

## Black Sheep Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Series C
- Focus: Software, Internet, E-Commerce

Black Sheep Capital is making its mark as a preferred investment capital provider due to their 'Everyone Wins' approach. Their philosophy is to work with their investment partners to create and grow opportunities where they can all enjoy success. Through this approach, they have been able to create a diverse portfolio of investments thatcontinues to grow.

## OneVentures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Series A, Debt Financing
- Focus: Software, Health Care, Information Technology

OneVentures is one of Australia’s leading venture capital firms, with over $330M in funds under management. But they do more than invest. They take companies to that all important next stage, by actively shaping their future. They apply their years of international experience, operational and executional expertise to accelerate the growth of theirportfolio companies. A global growth focus drives their investment selection with their current portfolio including companies with truly innovative products tackling multi-billion-dollar problems, from needle-free vaccinations to virtual communications to adaptive e-learning.

## AFSquare
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Culver City, California, United States
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Series A, Seed, Angel
- Focus: Social Media, Music, Mobile

Short term financing makes it possible to acquire highly sought-after domains without the strain of upfront costs. Find your domain name today.

## Alberts Impact Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Music, Energy, Events

We back pioneers who share our vision for a better tomorrow.

## John Clifford
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Solar, Energy, Energy Storage

John Clifford

## Kurt Alexander
- Type: Angel
- Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Mining, Retail, Medical

Kurt Alexander

## DCVC
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: San Francisco, California, United States
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Health Care

We are deep tech venture capital.

## Capitor
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Angel, Pre-Seed
- Focus: E-Commerce, Marketplace, Sustainability

An international boutique consultancy group and family office providing comprehensive advisory and administrative support with financial, security and lifestyle affairs. We speak English, Spanish, German, Italian and Afrikaans.

## Taronga Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Series A, Series B
- Focus: Software, Real Estate, Smart Building

Taronga Ventures is an investment firm that invests in emerging innovation, technology, and business.
Taronga Ventures is headquartered in Australia.

## ACAC Innovation
- Type: VC Fund
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed
- Focus: Information Technology, Software, Renewable Energy

ACAC Innovation provides angel investment, mentoring and support to game-changing startups. We work with founders to turn their innovative ideas into successful businesses.

## GRIDS Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Brasil, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Series B, Series A, Seed
- Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Health Care

Deep Tech Venture Capital firm. We invest in AI, Robotics, Life Sciences, Tech Infrastructure, Advanced Materials and others. Deep Tech is where Science meets Technology. Deep tech companies are building a better future, thanks to entrepreneurs, researchers, scientists, engineers, academics, and subject matter experts who develop new algorithms,models, systems, devices and products.

## Skalata
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed
- Focus: Software, Education, Apps

Giving Australian founders access to the education, capital and networks needed to build significant, sustainable, global businesses of the future.

## Flying Fox Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Pre-Seed
- Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology

Flying Fox Ventures is an early stage investment firm that invests across industry and across the micro-stages of pre-seed and seed.

## Jolimont Global Mining Systems
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Denver, Colorado, United States
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Convertible Note
- Focus: Construction, Software, SaaS

Resource Capital Funds is a mining-focused alternative investments firm that partners with companies to build strong, successful, and sustainable businesses.

## CP Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed, Series A
- Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning

CP Ventures is a VC fund that invests internationally in early stage, highly scalable, breakthrough technology companies driven by the 4IR

## Possible Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Munich, Bayern, Germany
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed, Series A
- Focus: Software, Information Technology, Biotechnology

Possible Ventures backs ambitious teams building frontier technology to positively impact society. We invest globally in the early stages, actively supporting founders via our collective of global entrepreneurs.

## Phillip Vernon
- Type: Angel
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A
- Focus: SaaS, Software, CleanTech

Phil has 25 years experience in financial services covering funds management, superannuation and capital markets. He was a member of the Executive Committee of Perpetual Limited heading up its Corporate Trust division and has extensive experience in corporate governance and industry regulation including a long involvement with the AustralianSecuritisation Forum, Australia’s peak body representing the securitisation industry in Australia acting as chairman of its National Committee, Education and Regulatory committees. Phil has a long involvement in sustainability and corporate social responsibility and is a director of Planet Ark, a not for profit environmental organisation.

## Square Peg Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A, Series B, Seed
- Focus: Software, Internet, IT

Square Peg is a global investment firm on a mission to empower exceptional founders. With investing teams in Sydney, Melbourne, Tel Aviv, and Singapore, Square Peg invests in emerging technology companies across the internet economy.

## Yaax Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Cannabis, Software, Analytics

Yaax Capital is a multi-stage Venture Capital Fund.

## Vestas Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Aarhus, Midtjylland, Denmark
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A
- Focus: Semiconductor, Renewable Energy

With our strategic partnerships we are taking our collaboration initiatives to the next level. The partnerships range from strategic awareness campaign to commercial partnerships.

## James Height
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A
- Focus: Consumer Goods, Sustainability

James Height Co-Founder at Adore Beauty

## Vulpes Investment Management Pte Ltd
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Singapore, Central Region, Singapore
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Convertible Note
- Focus: Health Care, Internet, Biotechnology

At Vulpes, we think differently. We create long-term sustainable capital appreciation by welcoming co-investment and aligning incentives. We choose to be patient and invest in ways that are profitable, yet with benefits that are not solely financial.

## Magnolia Capital Group
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 1
- Focus: Mining, Mineral

Magnolia Capital Group operates as a property, finance, asset management and investment specialist.

## Innovation Endeavors
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Palo Alto, California, United States
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A, Series B, Seed
- Focus: Software, Data and Analytics, Science/Engineering

Innovation Endeavors is helping entrepreneurs drive a super evolution of industry. We invest in visionary founders, transformational technology and emergent ecosystems for a new world. The firm manages $1.5 billion, and is headquartered in three major regions of innovation: Silicon Valley; Tel Aviv; and New York City. Investments include: Astra,Fabric; Vicarious Surgical; Planet; Plenty; SoFi; Uber; and Zymergen.

## Ellerston Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Software, Information Technology, E-Commerce

Ellerston Capital is a specialist investment manager with a distinctive approach to portfolio construction and investment selection.

## Accelerating Commercialisation - AusIndustry
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Grant
- Focus: Hardware, Software, Health Care

A grant program offered by AusIndustry as part of the Australian Government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda

## Hostplus
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series B, Series A, Series C
- Focus: Renewable Energy, Biotechnology, Financial Services

Join our leading Australian superannuation fund, committed to putting our members first, with a low admin fee and strong returns. Become a member today!

## AES
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Private Equity, Grant, Series A
- Focus: Energy, Sustainability, Science/Engineering

AES provides affordable and reliable energy to customers around the world through its distribution businesses and thermal and renewable power generation facilities. With more than 30 years of experience, diverse mix of generation and utility sources provides the strength and flexibility to adapt to local and regional market needs, maximize plantefficiency and deliver reliable, affordable electricity.

## Touchdown Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Haddonfield, New Jersey, United States
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series B, Seed, Series A
- Focus: Software, Science/Engineering, Data and Analytics

Founded in 2014, Touchdown Ventures is a corporate venture capital (CVC) firm that partners with corporations to invest in early and growth-stage companies across a variety of industries, including information technology, media, consumer, health, and industrial. The firm maintains offices in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

## Macdoch Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Software, Commerce/Shopping, Internet

Our mission is to support Australia & New Zealand’s late seed stage founders. Since 2011, we have partnered with extraordinary founders building companies using technology to build a better future.We are looking for late seed stage founders who have a product and paying customers, in businesses across Australia & New Zealand. Our currentthesis surrounds networked businesses (like platforms and marketplaces) and select SaaS, but we do engage more broadly.We have been active seed investors since 2011. We invested in Cliff, Mel and Cameron when Canva was just starting to offer paid subscription plans. We partnered with Dylan and Mark at Qwilr based on their first public beta. Peter and Tony at Mable had 350 carers on their Sydney-based marketplace when we first partnered with them.

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