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Active investors backing this sector, from the Cut Through Venture investor database.
This page lists investors from the Cut Through Venture investor database that back Australian AI and data companies, covering AI-first applications, AI models and data infrastructure, and AI-enabled vertical software.
AI is now the centre of gravity for Australian venture. It was the top funded sector in 2025 at $1.0B per the State of Australian Startup Funding 2025, with 61% of all capital going to startups with an AI offering. By Q2 2026, AI-first, AI-enabled and AI infrastructure companies represented roughly three quarters of capital and two thirds of deals, and 85% of investors said AI-first startups were priced above non-AI peers. Capital is rotating toward AI-first and infrastructure businesses and away from thin AI-enabled wrappers.
Filter by stage, and read the latest quarterly report for AI penetration by stage and the valuation premium investors are paying.
UNSW Founders is an accelerator based in Sydney, backing companies at the angel, pre-seed, seed and accelerator stages. Founded in 2018 and based at the Michael Crouch Innovation Centre, it has supported more than 140 companies across hardware and robotics, life sciences and biotech, climate and energy and AI infrastructure. Recent investments include VOQO AI and GonGlobal.
View profileUniversity of Melbourne Genesis is a university-linked fund based in Melbourne, backing companies from angel and pre-seed through seed and accelerator stages. Launched in 2024 as a $15 million pre-seed fund with Breakthrough Victoria, it targets research spinouts across climate and energy, life sciences and biotech, horizontal business software and AI infrastructure. Recent investments include Fluent and exteRNA.
View profileTin Alley Ventures is a university-linked venture fund based in Melbourne, investing from seed through to accelerator and Series B+ stages. Created by the University of Melbourne with Tanarra Capital, it manages $125 million backing deep tech spinouts across horizontal business software, climate and energy, life sciences and biotech and AI infrastructure. Recent investments include Apromore and Proxima Bio.
View profileTechstars is an accelerator based in Boulder, Colorado, running seed and pre-seed programs through to Series A across its global cohorts. Founded in 2006 by David Cohen, its portfolio spans AI infrastructure, hardware and robotics, horizontal business software and healthtech, and includes 29 unicorns such as Uber, Twilio and DigitalOcean. Recent investments include Manifest and VetNotes.
View profileBreakthrough Victoria is a Melbourne-based government-owned investment fund, launched in 2021, that invests from pre-seed through to growth capital rounds. Owned by the Victorian Government, it provides patient capital across advanced manufacturing, clean economy, digital technologies and health and life sciences, with recent deals spanning hardware and robotics, climate and energy, education and life sciences and biotech. Recent investments include GonGlobal and Amber Electric.
View profileTall Order Ventures, formerly Skalata Ventures, is a venture capital fund based in Melbourne, investing from pre-seed through Series B+. It describes itself as a first-cheque fund backing AI-native founders across vertical business software, horizontal business software, education and training and marketplace sectors, and is raising Fund III with cheques up to $1 million. Recent investments include Enrola and Viewa.
View profileTidal Ventures is a venture capital fund based in Sydney, investing from angel and pre-seed through seed, Series A and Series B+ rounds. It focuses on AI companies reshaping how work gets done, backing vertical and horizontal business software, healthtech and AI infrastructure across Australia and the US. Recent investments include Operata and Checkbox.
View profileSquare Peg is a venture capital fund based in Melbourne, founded in 2012, investing from pre-seed through Series B+. The firm manages billions of US dollars in assets under management, backing deals across fintech, life sciences and biotech, healthtech and vertical business software in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Israel. Recent investments include Alloy and Constantinople.
View profileStartmate is an accelerator based in Sydney, founded in 2010 by Niki Scevak, investing from pre-seed through Series B+. It runs cohort-based programs across marketplace, vertical business software, horizontal business software and climate and energy, with a portfolio of over 350 companies valued at a combined $4.5 billion. Recent investments include EstiMate AI and GlowBack.
View profileSkip Capital is a family office based in Sydney, investing from pre-seed through Series B+. It is the private investment fund of Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar and Kim Jackson, with deals spanning hardware, robotics and sensors, consumer brands, vertical business software and fintech. Recent investments include Alloy and MicroTau.
View profileSide Stage Ventures is a venture capital fund based in Sydney, founded in 2023, investing from pre-seed through Series A. It runs a $15 million fund across consumer brands, healthtech, AI models and data infrastructure and horizontal business software, co-founded by Markus Kahlbetzer and Ben Grabiner. Recent investments include Kantoko and Fabra.
View profileMain Sequence is a Sydney-based venture capital fund, founded in 2017, investing from pre-seed and seed through to Series A and Series B and beyond. Its recent deals span climate and energy, hardware and robotics, space and defence and AI infrastructure, and it spun out of CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, raising a $450 million third fund in 2022. Recent investments include Kinoxis Therapeutics and Avarni.
View profileKing River is a Sydney-based venture capital fund investing from Series A through to Series B and beyond. Its recent deals span consumer tech, vertical business software, crypto and web3, and fintech, and it launched a $150 million AI-focused fund in March 2025. Recent investments include Block Earner and Sendle.
View profileGalileo Ventures is a venture capital fund based in Sydney, founded in 2020 and backing pre-seed and seed companies. It invests across vertical business software, healthtech, AI infrastructure and hardware and robotics, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and San Francisco and typical cheques of $200,000 to $500,000. Recent investments include Relevance AI and Isaacus.
View profileFolklore is a venture capital fund based in Sydney, backing pre-seed through Series B companies. It invests across healthtech, vertical and horizontal business software and fintech, and follows a long-term partnership model supporting Australian and New Zealand founders from first cheque onward. Recent investments include Arkeus and Hullbot.
View profileAirTree Ventures is a Sydney-based venture capital fund that invests from pre-seed through to growth-stage rounds. Its recent deals span fintech, healthtech, education and vertical software, and it announced a $250 million seed fund alongside a $400 million growth fund in 2025. Recent investments include High Earth Orbit Robotics and Gridsight.
View profileArtesian is a Sydney-based venture capital fund, founded in 2004, that invests from pre-seed through to growth rounds. It manages roughly $1.5 billion across debt and venture platforms, with recent deals spanning life sciences and biotech, cybersecurity, space and defence, and healthtech, and has backed more than 600 ventures under founders Jeremy Colless and Matt Clunies-Ross. Recent investments include Elita and Strong Room AI.
View profileArchangel Ventures is a Sydney-based venture capital fund that invests from pre-seed through to later growth rounds. It backs companies across Australia and South East Asia, with recent deals spanning healthtech, vertical software, education and fintech, and is currently deploying its 2026 Fund. Recent investments include Sophiie and Refresh.
View profileBlackbird is a Sydney-based venture capital fund that invests from pre-seed through to growth-stage rounds. It backs companies across Australia and New Zealand, with a portfolio valued at more than $10 billion across 100+ companies, and recent deals spanning hardware and robotics, consumer brands, healthtech and vertical software. Recent investments include OpenDebt and Heidi Health.
View profileAura Ventures is a Sydney-based venture capital fund, founded in 2013, that invests from pre-seed through to growth rounds. It takes a thesis-driven approach across Australia and South East Asia, with recent deals spanning marketplaces, vertical software, consumer tech and fintech. Recent investments include Isaacus and Haast.
View profileCarthona Capital is a venture capital fund based in Sydney, investing from seed through to Series B and beyond. It backs companies across fintech, climate and energy, and hardware and robotics, and has raised a third fund of roughly $360 million from super funds, family offices and high net worth investors. Recent investments include Safewill and BuildPass.
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