Blackbird Foundry

Leads the Foundry program and is the main contact for applicant questions.

Theia Gabatan is the Grant Programs and Impact Lead at Blackbird Foundation, where she manages capital deployment, community building, and creative programs for young people. Filipino and raised in Australia, she also works in photography, jewelry making, and essay writing, and maintains a personal website and a Substack newsletter.

A Blackbird partner passionate about Australian and New Zealand startups.

Michael Tolo applies a law-to-finance, Italian immigrant family perspective and long-term mindset to back category-creating deep-tech companies like quantum computing, acting as an early-stage investor and anchor for global bets.

Partner who believes the more ambitious you are, the more likely you are to succeed.

Authored the firm's announcement of its sixth fund, writing on behalf of Blackbird about its strategy of backing founders at the very beginning.

Tom Humphrey is a Partner at Blackbird Ventures. Prior to his investing career, he was involved in two startups: Kanopy, acquired by KKR in 2020, and OurDeal, acquired by News Corp in 2011.

Nick Crocker sold We Are Hunted to Twitter and Sessions to MyFitnessPal; as an investor he brings decade-plus involvement and conviction, elite time-management, The Elephants for accountability, and reflective Substack.

An investment principal at Blackbird.

Max Meyer seeks founders with unconstrained ambition in contrarian domains—enterprise SaaS, space, robotics and AI—and commits long-term support, writing public Investment Notes that explain product and founder stories in depth.

Silk Kadala focuses on healthcare and AI-enabled software (Heidi Health, Harrison AI), authors the Indistinguishable From Magic AI series, and pairs MedTech commercialization, management consulting, and hands-on startup experience.

Alex Apoifis is Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Blackbird, overseeing finance, legal, compliance, operations, investor relations and fundraising. Before Blackbird, worked as a lawyer, investment banker and institutional stockbroker.

Investments Chief of Staff / Head of Investment Programs who supported Blackbird's investment team by improving communication, processes and productivity. Previously an environmental and human rights lawyer, a study skills presenter, co-host of a gender podcast, and a member of PwC's education consulting team. The page indicates she has since left the firm.

Impact Associate at Blackbird (now departed) who supported founders and the firm on impact and ESG initiatives. Previously a banking and finance lawyer at Allen & Overy and worked in startup and fintech teams at KPMG in Hong Kong and Sydney.

Oversees investment legal at Blackbird, handling the legal aspects of VC investments, exits and ongoing portfolio company management. Previously a private equity lawyer at King & Wood Mallesons in Sydney and worked in-house at an investment firm and investment bank in Sydney and London.

Former Investment Associate at Blackbird Ventures based in Sydney, Australia; the page indicates the person is no longer with the firm.

Canadian-born, Calgary native now based in Sydney, working alongside the CPO to support Blackbird's people and culture. Previously a critical care veterinary nurse at a specialty and referral hospital. Note: page indicates she has since left the firm.

Carlene Kemp served as Chief People Officer at Blackbird, based in Sydney. The page notes she has since departed the firm.

Handles Blackbird's operational functions, including investor and portfolio reporting, compliance, and fund operations. Previously spent five years in the finance team at Pacific Equity Partners and worked in EY's assurance practice.

Cindy Lam is a lawyer at Blackbird who advises on fundraisings, fund structuring, fund governance and maintenance, and special projects. She previously worked as a financial regulatory lawyer at a commercial law firm in Sydney. The page notes she has since left the firm.

Connor Wiltshire is a Data Analyst on Blackbird's Investments team, supporting decision-making by analyzing portfolio data, spotting trends, and building tools for insights. He previously worked at Halter in supply chain and QA, completed a coding bootcamp at Dev Academy, and worked at Element X AI on a language learning app for Pearson Education. The page notes he has since left Blackbird.

Davies Ayomide worked as an IT Operations Analyst at Blackbird, based in Sydney. The page notes they have since left the firm.

Ed Little leads Blackbird's Technology team, overseeing IT, security and data capabilities for the firm. He previously spent over a decade in technology and risk roles, most recently as a technology risk consultant focused on security and data. The page notes he has since left Blackbird.

Georgia Robertson is an Associate on Blackbird's investment team in Auckland, focused on finding and backing ambitious Australian and New Zealand founders from the earliest stage. Her prior career spans corporate law, technology, social impact and data consulting, including building the NZ arm of a fast-growing tech-charity and serving as CE of a data consultancy. She notes she has since left Blackbird.

Born in Indonesia and educated in law and economics in Melbourne, Jane worked across operations at Blackbird including investor onboarding, fund reporting, capital calls, and compliance. Before Blackbird she was a Customer Success Lead in the Digital Innovation team at Justice Connect, a community legal centre. She has since left the firm.

Head of Investor Relations at Blackbird, focused on connecting limited partners with the firm and addressing their needs. She previously worked in sustainable finance and funds management, with earlier experience in hospitality. The page notes she has since left the firm.

Jessica Tulp is a former Associate on Blackbird's New Zealand investments team, focused on finding and backing early-stage Kiwi founders. She holds an Honours degree in Biotechnology and previously worked in strategic operator and chief-of-staff roles at companies including Rocket Lab and Soul Machines, as well as in Amsterdam.

Josephine Tay runs the Giants program at Blackbird, an eight-week initiative supporting early-stage founders entering the ANZ ecosystem. Before Blackbird she was a Venture Growth and Community Lead at an agtech accelerator, a Product Manager at climate tech startup Cecil Earth, and worked in Treasury at Westpac.

Grew up in Perth and later moved to Melbourne. Supported Blackbird with operational functions including investor and portfolio reporting, compliance, and fund operations. No longer with the firm.

Justine Nangle is General Counsel at Blackbird Ventures. She holds an LLB in Law and a BA in International Studies with a focus on Japanese from the University of Technology, Sydney, and was admitted as a Solicitor in New South Wales in 2001.

Operating Principal at Blackbird and co-founder of Applied; previously worked at NESTA.

Authored the investment announcement on behalf of Blackbird, having first met the Superstat founders and led the firm's involvement in the seed round.

Mahalia Lum is an Executive Assistant to Alex Apoifis and Tom Humphrey at Blackbird Ventures. She previously served as Executive Assistant to a CEO and Operations Specialist, a role that included business development, sales, customer service, finance, HR, and marketing responsibilities, as well as setting up and managing a team in the Philippines from Sydney. Lum holds a Bachelor of International Studies, which included a semester in Lyon, France, and has worked as an Assistant Trade Advisor for the French Embassy Trade Commission and volunteered with the Cambodian Organisation for Children and Development in Phnom Penh.

Nick Erzetic is a Data & Product Manager at Blackbird Ventures. He focuses on data and product development within the venture capital firm.

Authored the post on behalf of Blackbird about the Tracksuit acquisition of Hall; involved with Blackbird's investment in Hall.

Robyn Denholm serves as Chair of the Board of Directors at Tesla Inc., where she is also a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees, and works as an Operating Partner at Blackbird Ventures. Her prior board roles include finance and audit committee positions at ABB Ltd. and Echelon Corporation Ltd. Her background covers financial and operational management, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and restructuring.

Sean Weston is a General Partner at Blackbird Ventures, a venture capital firm operating in Australia and New Zealand with over $12 billion in assets under management. He established the firm's New Zealand office in 2020 and raised $140 million across two vintages to invest in 36 companies, with a focus on enterprise software, robotics and AI, digital healthcare, and marketplaces. Weston serves on the boards of Halter, Partly, Vow, Harrison AI, FirstAML, Workyard, Foundry Lab, and Marloo, and is a member of Kauffman Fellows Class 26.

Sofia Echesortu is the Portfolio Program Lead at Blackbird Ventures, where she coordinates and produces events across Australia's startup ecosystem, including founder dinners, retreats, workshops, and larger gatherings, with more than 100 events planned for the year. She is also the founder of Atlas Outdoor Club, an agency that designs outdoor experiences, offsite retreats, and activations for communities and brands. Her background includes work in design and event production.

Sophie Steverson is an operations and project management professional serving as executive assistant to Blackbird co-founders Rick Baker and Niki Scevak. Her experience covers finance, business administration, and operational systems, processes, and procedures.

SKIP The name in the profile (Tom Harvey) conflicts with the self-identification in the About section (Theia), making the identity ambiguous and unreliable for a factual bio.

Tristan Edwards is a venture capital investor at Mercia Asset Management PLC. Based in Manchester, he invests nationwide at the Series A stage, with typical investments ranging from £3m to £6m.

Angel investor with 100+ early-stage investments, known for sharp instincts and informative LinkedIn content.