Top 50 Hardware Startup Investors in Australia in January 2026

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Sydney Angels is a not-for-profit angel investment membership organisation. Since our establishment in 2008, they have stayed true to our mission of supporting the early-stage ecosystem by running processes and events that connect our investing members with promising early-stage companiesThey believe that encouraging smart investment in startupcompanies will benefit both our members’ portfolios and Australia’s emergent innovation economy.They see this as the ultimate win-win situation. Sydney Angels is led by an elected committee of ten volunteers who meet weekly. It is supported by an operations manager and alliance partners.

Investible is an early-stage venture capital firm backing the visionaries advancing humanity through technology in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and globally.

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

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

Significant Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund backing transformative technologies and the ambitious founders behind them.Founded by the Hindmarsh family, Significant Ventures invests in deep tech, applied science and research-driven innovation emerging from Australia’s leading universities and research institutions. The fundcombines capital with active, hands-on support—helping early-stage companies shape their strategy, attract talent, and access follow-on funding.With a network of expert operators, advisors and institutional partners, Significant Ventures focuses on turning high-potential ideas into globally scalable businesses. The team works closely with founders across sectors including life sciences, climate tech, AI, education and advanced manufacturing.Driven by a commitment to impact, collaboration and long-term value creation, Significant Ventures exists to build the next generation of high-growth companies that will lead Australia’s innovation economy

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.

EVP is an early stage venture capital firm based in Sydney Australia with c. $300M FUM across four fund vintages.Our most recent fund was launched in December 2022 and is a $100M fund. The fund targets early Series-A investments initially with cheque sizes in the range of $0.5 – $5.0 million. Our funds invest in software, are sector agnosticand have a focus on Australian based B2B SaaS companies.Over the years, we’ve backed brilliant founders building global software companies like SiteMinder, Deputy, Ignition and Shippit. We make high conviction investments, underpinned by ambition, pragmatism and a deep understanding of the software journey.

Skip Capital is a private investment fund investing in technology and infrastructure

Reinventure is pioneering Founder-First Corporate Venture Capital. They champion founders who have the vision, ambition and hustle to transform an industry across Asia-Pacific and beyond, propelling them with the support of a top 20 bank globally.With $150 million under management and Westpac Banking Corporation as its largest limited partner,Reinventure is focused on uncovering, investing in and nurturing scalable early businesses in FinTech and adjacent areas that will be the future of the industry.

We are a highly experienced Australian-US venture capital firm ready to back seed phase startups with brilliant ideas & global potential.

OIF is a venture capital firm focusing on partnering with entrepreneurs building businesses.

Right Click Capital - Australian Venture Capital Firm

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

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

TEN13 is Australia's leading Venture Capital Syndicate.

Acorn Capital Specialist Emerging & Microcap Investment Management. We research and invest in the most attractive Australian based emerging or microcap companies.

Paspalis is a leading venture capital investor in Northern Australia. We invest in innovative companies, both locally and globally, looking to do business in the Northern Territory.

In-Q-Tel identifies and partners with companies developing cutting-edge technologies to help deliver these solutions to the Central Intelligence Agency and the broader U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) to further their missions.

We back ambitious ANZ tech founders from inception to seed, with proven support, no empty promises, and a track record of helping startups scale smarter.

Qualgro is a venture capital (VC) fund based in Singapore that provides funding to tech startups across Southeast Asia, in areas like Data, Software, and AI.

We are a community-powered VC fund making pre-seed / seed stage investments in Australian and New Zealand startups. Our community is rallied around a shared goal: to invest in the next generation of Australia and New Zealand startups at the very earliest stage, and then support them on their long a

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation invests using a commercial approach to overcome market barriers and mobilize investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and low emissions technologies. They seek to catalyze and leverage private sector funding for the commercialization and deployment of clean energy technologies necessary for thetransition to a carbon-constrained economy.

Stoic VC is an early-stage venture fund backing founders at the forefront of University Innovation. We partner with Uniseed to accelerate the commercialisation of university research across the ANZ.

Archangel is an early stage venture capital fund based in Australia. We work with great founders and investors to build game changing companies together.

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

Larsen Ventures is a lean, driven and strategic venture investment firmWe believe in alignment, long-term thinking & investor due diligence
 We like metrics, traction & perseverance
 We invest in people
1/3 of our focus is on Health and Education; 
We like the thematic & overall gains for society2/3 of our time is spentlearning from peers, digging into research, 
chasing leads & hanging out on caffeinated zooms in the endless search for;Founders with Traction 
Founders with Insight
 Founders with Perseverance and Courage 
Founders with an innate ability to question EverythingWe have patient capital that engages & contributes to your Journey 
Accelerate your business with our portfolios' intellectual capital

The Breakthrough Victoria Fund is a $2 billion investment by the Victorian Government to drive investment in research and innovation.

Julian Tobias is the Early investor and founder of Whizz Technologies.

Ip Group Australia build and support outstanding intellectual property-based companies.

INVEST IN TECH TOGETHER

Helping passionate founders build the future Saniel Ventures is a private investment group supporting high growth technology companies. Get in touch We invest in people first Smart, passionate, resilient founders building the future We don't expect you to have all the answers, but we do expect that you are humble enough to know

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.

Digitize & improve elements of your operations. Give your teams the knowledge, tools & confidence to work safely & meet higher standards.

ANU Connect Ventures manages two funds: The Discovery Translation Fund, which aims to support emerging businesses in undertaking crucial proof-of-concept work; and the $27 million Seed Investment fund for ANU-MTAA Super Venture Capital Partnership.Both funds have been established with the support of the ACT Government to invest in promisingcommercial opportunities arising out of the ANU research, other ACT-based research institutions and local R&D companies. More information regarding our investment funds and their criteria can be found in the Investment section.

Uninhibited Venture Investing Southeast Asia & Australia-New Zealand

NAB Ventures is an Australian Venture Capital fund backed by National Australia Bank (one of the largest 20 banks globally).

Rio Tinto is a mining and exploration finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs. Steel is made from iron ore. Aluminum with a low carbon footprint for electric vehicles and smartphones. Copper is used in wind turbines, electric cars, and water pipes in our homes. Borates, which aid crop growth, and titanium, which is used inpaint.

Australian Business Growth Fund (ABGF) is a middle market private equity fund.

Regal Funds Management was founded in 2004 by Andrew and Philip King. Regal utilises a long/short investment strategy and performs investment management and investment advisory services to a number of Australian Unit Trusts and Cayman Island Companies.

Jelix is an early-stage venture capital firm backing daring founders in Australia and New Zealand.

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

We're an early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology companies at the Seed and Series A stage.

First established in London in 1985, our private equity firm was founded on one word. Patience. Now headquartered in Australia and with offices in Sydney and Hong Kong, patience still is, and always will be, our guiding principle and how we achieve superior long-term returns for our stakeholders.

Portfolio of the Global Innovation Share Fund at Perpetual (post-IPO). Angel investor in Australia. Mentor at Startmate, an Australian startup accelerator.

Starfish Ventures is an Australian venture capital firm focused on information technology, life sciences, and clean technology companies.