Partner, Blackbird Ventures
Every published round Niki Scevak took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
Companies Niki Scevak has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No portfolio companies recorded yet. | ||||
This is a stake in the fund itself, money that the fund's manager invests, not a stake in the fund manager.
Companies Niki Scevak has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Niki Scevak did.
Stories naming Niki Scevak. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Blackbird partner Niki Scevak argues SaaS is not dead; winners will be companies that reinvent for AI, citing Canva's AI pivot and Kaleido acquisition, plus Heidi Health's new software category for doctors.
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Startmate chief Michael Batko departs following an eight-year stint; COO Phoebe Pincus steps up. The piece credits his tenure for the accelerator's growth, returns and alumni, and notes his exits from two side ventures.
Long-serving Startmate chief Michael Batko departs the accelerator's top job, with operations lead Phoebe Pincus promoted to CEO; the piece also recalls two side ventures Batko previously exited.
Meliora, Clive Dickens' advisory firm, has started backing AI companies alongside a student-focused venture fund that is closing in on its fundraising target.
Also Forbes Australia
Student-run venture fund NextGen Ventures has locked in $1.5 million toward a $2.5 million target, backed by Blackbird's cofounders, Airtree and angel investors, and has already invested in AI startup Fluency.
Sonder, a workplace health and wellbeing provider, closed a 40 million dollar round with Blackbird and Seek leading, Hostplus newly investing, and funds aimed at growth across Australia, New Zealand, Britain and AI features.
Blackbird's investment note explains why it led Index's A$3.5 million seed round with Bain Capital Ventures, Y Combinator and industry angels, profiling the planning platform built by two former Canva and Atlassian staff.
Blackbird's note explains its decision to lead Clutch's $2 million pre-seed round, citing the fashion-glue brand's organic social growth, strong Priceline sales, and upcoming United States retail launch.
A profile of Startmate ranking the twenty most valuable companies it has backed, noting their valuations, past raises and founders, plus Bugcrowd's newly announced purchase of Informer and its climate focus.
Blackbird's investor relations lead reflects on its limited partners, recalls the A$29 million first fund and A$1 billion returned to early backers, and flags her move to part-time as the firm seeks a replacement.
Also SmartCompany
Roundup of January raises: Sonder took $16 million in a Series B extension, Ultra Violette landed $15 million from Aria Growth Partners, VAPAR added $5 million; Sonder also named a new chairman.
Blackbird announces it led Clove's US$2.75 million pre-seed round. Founders Anna Guerrero and Sam Killin, formerly of Canva, are building a recipe creation and discovery platform ahead of a beta launch.
Sydney AI platform Leonardo.Ai has completed a Series A on top of its seed round, taking total backing past $47 million from Blackbird, Side Stage Ventures, Samsung Next, Smash Capital and TIRTA Ventures.
Quantum sensor startup Nomad Atomics, founded by three ANU physicists, has closed a Series A backed by Blackbird and Right Click Capital to commercialise miniaturised gravimeters for mining and navigation.
Melbourne virtual soccer league One Future Football launched and announced a $3 million pre-seed round led by Blackbird Ventures, with several athlete investors participating.
Bondi Partners reposts The Australian's coverage of Fleet Space Technologies' $50m Series C round, which Blackbird Ventures led and Bondi joined, valuing the Adelaide-based nanosatellite maker above $350m.
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Blackbird welcomes Michael Tolo, Tom Humphrey and Phoebe Harrop into its investment partnership, citing their craft, founder relationships and contribution to its New Zealand expansion.
Blackbird's investment notes explain why it led a seed round into Canberra printed-electronics startup Syenta, profiling co-founder Jekaterina Viktorova and the company's multi-material 3D printing technology.
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Blackbird's team marks the firm's tenth birthday by unveiling a new A$1 billion fund to back ambitious Australian and New Zealand startups, sketching a 2032 vision of technology dominating the economy.
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Blackbird closed its fifth fund at over A$1 billion, backed by super funds, sovereign wealth funds and hundreds of individual investors — which the firm calls Australia's largest venture fund yet.
Ignition Lane's weekly tech roundup covering fresh Australian startup raises, new venture funds and closes, a wave of acquisitions, delistings and a liquidation, executive moves, and Canva's product launch.
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Blackbird's investment note sets out why the firm led employee wellbeing company Sonder's Series B, recalling its earlier pass, angel Paul Waide's seed backing, and the startup's shift from student safety to corporate wellness.
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Ignition Lane's weekly wrap reports falling Australian venture funding, lists several startup raises and fund raises, covers Chargefox's acquisition, Volt's closure, the Zip-Sezzle merger termination, and global tech news.
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Blackbird's investment note announcing it led Edrolo's Series B, recalling Startmate's first cheque and Blackbird's seed leadership in 2013, and profiling the education company's growth since.
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Blackbird announces a pre-seed investment in Instant, a checkout startup founded by teenage co-founders Liam Millward and William Gao, aiming to simplify online checkouts and reduce cart abandonment for merchants.
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Adelaide proptech HappyCo raised US$52 million (A$72 million) in a Series B led by Camber Creek to build new products, hire locally and pursue acquisitions; it is a 2012 Startmate accelerator alumnus.
Also Startup Daily
Accelerator Startmate is lifting its per-startup investment to $120,000 and valuations to $1.5 million from the Summer22 intake, citing higher startup costs, with applications now open.
Venture firm Blackbird has provided pre-seed capital to EntryLevel, a cohort-based online platform reskilling jobseekers for tech roles, which reports tens of thousands of graduates.
Blackbird is recruiting its first Head of Investor Relations to manage relationships with existing and prospective LPs, describing the role, benefits, and the firm's assets under management and portfolio.
Blackbird advertises for a Portfolio FP&A Manager to analyse portfolio data, describing its billion dollars under management, 68-company portfolio, workplace benefits, and startups including Canva, SafetyCulture and Culture Amp.
Blackbird's investment note explains its participation in Forte Global's seed round, describing the education financing model that funds unemployed people's training using future tax revenue, and founder Nat Ware's background.
Also Startup Daily
Blackbird announces Robyn Denholm has joined the firm as an Operating Partner, supporting late-stage portfolio companies, while retaining her role as Tesla's board chair.
Ignition Lane's weekly roundup covers Canva's US$71 million raise, several Australian payments acquisitions and mergers, local raises by Cyble, Enboarder, Rendr and Basiq, plus overseas deals including Plaid, Box, Ramp and Coinbase's listing.
Blackbird's year-end review covers its fourth fund announcement, investments in companies including See-Mode, Morse Micro and SafetyCulture, Startmate's climate cohort intakes, Mike Cannon-Brookes joining its board, and numerous team hires.
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Blackbird led SunDrive's five million dollar Series A, part of an eight million dollar raising that includes an ARENA grant, while partner Niki Scevak joins the solar cell startup's board.
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Atlassian has launched a corporate venture vehicle to back startups building on its cloud products, with two companies already funded; the piece also notes recent fund raises by several Australian venture firms.
Startmate appoints Lauren Capelin from Reinventure as its first Principal and Blackbird's Samantha Wong to its board, replacing Nick Crocker, as it launches its first New Zealand accelerator cohort.
Blackbird's investment note on See-Mode's US$7 million Series A led by MassMutual Ventures, with Niki Scevak joining the board, recalling its earlier seed participation and the founders' relocation to Melbourne.
Blackbird announces it led an $8 million Series A in HIVERY, a Sydney AI startup optimising retail product placement for Walmart and Coca-Cola, co-founded by former Data61 data scientists.
Blackbird Ventures has closed a $500 million fourth fund backed by Australian institutional and international investors. The article recalls Square Peg and Tidal Ventures raises, Our Innovation Fund's new fund, and Amazon's Zoox acquisition.
Also SmartCompany