Funding announcement
Greatness from Within
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.
Partner, Blackbird Ventures
Sam Wong
Roles
Coverage
Stories naming Sam Wong. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Fund close
$1b
One billion for the ambitious
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.
Also Blackbird Ventures portfolio·TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·Dealroom·Startup Daily
3 deals
Blackbird's latest $1B AUD fund signals maturation of Australian, New Zealand venture scene
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.
News
Blackbird is hiring Three Investment Associates
Blackbird Ventures is recruiting three investment associates for its investment team, reporting to principals Michael Tolo, Tom Humphrey and partner Sam Wong. The post describes the role, benefits, culture and the firm's portfolio.
News
Learn More About Blackbird's First Aotearoa Community Lead Role
Blackbird answers common questions about its new Aotearoa Community Lead job, covering the New Zealand team's community events, programmes with partners, ethical investing approach, venture capital business model and application process.
Seed
Spotlight On: Nathan Taylor, Partly
Blackbird's profile interview with Partly co-founder and COO Nathan Taylor covers the auto parts platform's New Zealand origins, its Christchurch base, and recalls Blackbird's seed investment made the previous year.
Also Blackbird Ventures portfolio·Blackbird Ventures portfolio
13 deals
Year in Reflection: 2020
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.
Also Blackbird Ventures portfolio·TechCrunch Venture·TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Women's Agenda·Startup News (WA)·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Women's Agenda·Startup Daily
Accelerator
$75k
How Adelaide startup Good Thnx facilitated $1 million in charity donations, and built a Slack integration for speedy sales
Profile of Adelaide charity-donations startup Good Thnx after Startmate's demo day, covering its Slack integration, fast enterprise sales, mentor network, a $75,000 investment and $1 million in donations facilitated.
Funding announcement
“Move the needle and change the world”: Meet Startmate’s new eclectic and international cohort
Startmate reveals the startups joining its latest Melbourne cohort and its first New Zealand group, while discussing remote operations and new leadership appointments.
Grant
$125k
Kate Kendall's Atto pre-accelerator bags $125,000 grant, for program helping women embrace entrepreneurship
Kate Kendall's women-only pre-accelerator Atto received a 125,000-dollar LaunchVic grant and is preparing a second cohort, with mentors from Startmate, M8 Ventures and Pick & Shovel supporting the program.
3 deals
Blackbird Monthly, Edition 02, 2020
Blackbird's February newsletter reports new investments in Roborigger and Dovetail plus Process Street's Series A, alongside portfolio updates, a founder spotlight and hiring notices.