# Derek Handley

> Derek Handley is a Series B investor at Aera VC backing Venture Capital and Financial Services. See 1 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [Aera VC](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/aera-vc)
- Location: Auckland, New Zealand
- Total investments: 1
- Last investment: Nov 2023
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/derekhandley
- X (Twitter): http://twitter.com/dgh
- Website: http://aera.vc
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/therealhandley

Derek Handley is a Series B investor at Aera VC in Auckland focused on Venture Capital and Financial Services. Derek is a futurist, serial entrepreneur and an aspiring civilian astronaut signed up to visit space with Virgin Galactic. Prior to establishing Aera VC, Derek, alongside Sir Richard Branson, was the Founding CEO of The B Team, a non-profit alliance of global business leaders committed to putting people and the planet at the heart of the economy.Prior to The B Team, Derek helped found over a dozen start-ups while based in New York, he built the venture-studio Human Ventures and has exited several companies including one acquired by Meredith Corporation/Time Inc for which he was named in the Silicon Alley 100 most influential tech people in NYC, and awarded New Zealand EY Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Returning to New Zealand, Derek founded the Aera Foundation and Aera VC. Derek is currently studying towards a Masters in Religion at Harvard. Previously he studied at MIT, Singularity University and Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Derek was appointed the Social Innovator in Residence at Wharton at University of Pennsylvania from 2016-2017. He was a board member of Sky Television from 2013 to 2021.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Venture Capital | 1 | 100% |
| Financial Services | 1 | 100% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Icehouse Ventures | Icehouse Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in investments in start-up and early stage companies. | $6.2M | Series B | Nov 30, 2023 |  |

1 of 1 investments shown.

## About Aera VC

VC Fund · Auckland, New Zealand

Aera VC invests at the frontier of deep technology and sustainability to accelerate the world to a better future. Those who create breakthrough ideas the fastest will generate new markets, exponential financial returns, and a better future for us all. Aera VC will be right behind them.We believe sustainability is the largest investmentopportunity of our lifetime. We have been generating outstanding financial returns since 2016 while investing in the pursuit of a better world. The companies we have backed are the best illustration of what we invest in, aspire to, and can achieve. We are excited that these companies are only just getting started and we have already established a truly global footprint. 70% of Aera Portfolio companies are co-founded by women or those from minority backgrounds.

4 contacts available at Aera VC.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nick Winstone | Founding Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/nick-winstone |
| Derek Handley | Founding Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/derek-handley |
| Josh Thompson | Venture Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/josh-thompson-72eb |
| Keenan Kwok | Founding Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/keenan-kwok |

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## FAQ

### What does Derek Handley invest in?

Derek Handley invests primarily in Venture Capital and Financial Services startups, most often at Series B stage. Most of the 1 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in New Zealand. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Derek Handley last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Derek Handley closed in Nov 2023. Shizune tracks 1 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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