Blackbird Ventures
Venture capitalAuckland · Pre-Seed–Seed · 53 people tracked
Also known as BLACKBIRD VENTURES PTY LTD.
Investment thesis
Blackbird invests in founders rather than sectors or stages, believing that major breakthroughs come from a passionate few. The firm backs founders pursuing their life's work who aim to tackle the world's greatest problems. Beyond capital, Blackbird offers extensive support: the entire team assists portfolio companies with introductions, resources, and hands-on help. The firm is deeply committed to growing the Australian and New Zealand startup ecosystems (starting with Startmate) and seeks system-wide impact, not just successful investments. It fosters a portfolio community through programs and events including industry dinners, a Founder Retreat, and the Sunrise startup festival.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 53 people
from the firm's website & public directories
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What they invest in
from 59 of 137 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×22SaaS ×22Enterprise Software ×21Developer Tools ×11Hardware ×8Fintech ×6Consumer ×5Cybersecurity ×5
HQs:United States×15Australia×12United Kingdom×2New Zealand×2Singapore×1
Investments · 137 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathAugust Robotics builds modular robots that automate repetitive, hazardous, and labour-intensive tasks for companies in construction, exhibitions, and industrial fit-outs.
AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechHardwareRoboticsLas Vegas, US
AskNicely provides a customer experience management platform that helps service businesses capture customer feedback and motivate teams to take action on insights.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSPortland, US
Tony Ward(Chief Executive Officer)Reagan Nickl(Chief Commercial Officer)Sharon Babkes(Chief Financial Officer)Brian Fravel(VP of Marketing)Jolene Smith(VP of People and Culture)Vlad Pashchenko(VP of Product and Engineering)
Board seatNiki Scevak· per SEC Form D
Darwinium is a cyberfraud prevention platform that uses AI and behavioral analysis to identify genuine users, fraudsters, and AI agents across digital interactions in real time.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityFintechSan Francisco, US
Alisdair Faulkner(Co-founder, CEO)Ananth Gundabattula(Co-founder, Head of Data / Architecture)Ben Davey(Co-founder, VP Products)Caleb Moore(Co-founder, CTO)Colin Goldie(Co-founder, VP Engineering)Peng Leong(Executive Officer)
Board seatNiki Scevak· per SEC Form D
Alloy is a cloud-based platform that enables teams to prototype and build product changes using AI by connecting their codebase or capturing pages via browser extension, then pushing production-ready code directly to GitHub.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSSydney, AU
Aō-Air develops proprietary air-seal hardware for respiratory protection that analyzes air volumes and flow conditions in real-time.
HardwareHealthtechIoTAuckland, NZ
Atticus is a law firm that helps people navigate legal issues and find appropriate legal representation, offering free consultations and matching clients with qualified lawyers who work on contingency basis.
LegalTech
Atticus provides document verification and audit trail capabilities for various document types including annual reports, presentations, and prospectuses.
Enterprise SoftwareLegalTechSaaS
Authsignal provides a multi-factor authentication (MFA) and passkeys-as-a-service platform that enables brands to implement account security and reduce fraud.
CybersecurityDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Bugcrowd operates a platform that connects security researchers and hackers with organizations to identify and report vulnerabilities in their attack surface.
CybersecuritySan Francisco, US
Chris Raethke(Executive Officer)Neill Occhiogrosso(Director)Casey Ellis(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardCharles Beeler(Director)
Build Club operates a learning community and platform where individuals learn AI skills through courses and certifications, build projects collaboratively with other members, and access job opportunities and client connections.
AI & Machine LearningEdTech
Annie Liao(Founder)
Caligra is a computer hardware company designing devices for technical professionals including scientists, artists, engineers, and designers to support creative and technical work.
Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareHardware
Surry Hills, Nsw
Melanie Perkins(Executive Officer, Director)Clifford Obrecht(Executive Officer, Director)
CarbonChain provides software for companies and financial institutions to measure and account for greenhouse gas emissions across supply chains, from production to shipping to use of commodities and products.
Advanced ManufacturingClimate TechData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSaaSLondon, GB
Carepatron provides practice management and clinical workflow software for healthcare clinicians.
HealthtechSaaS
Surry Hills, Nsw
Holly Cardew(Executive Officer, Director)Michael Angell(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardMichael Tolo(Director)
Checkmate generates exclusive discount codes with partner brands and automatically finds the best prices across 200,000+ retail stores for shoppers.
B2B MarketplacesConsumerDirect to Consumer<UNKNOWN>
Chuffed is a crowdfunding platform for social and charitable campaigns, enabling organizers to raise funds for causes while providing supporters a way to contribute to community impact.
B2B MarketplacesImpact & Social GoodSaaSSocial
CLUTCH is a skin-adhesive product that holds clothes in place without traditional fasteners, offering up to 20 wears per tube for consumers seeking alternative clothing attachment methods.
Consumer
Coherence develops neurotechnology systems that measure and modulate brain activity to treat cancer and other neurological diseases.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechMedical DevicesSan Francisco, US
Ben Woodington(Co-founder & CEO)Elise Jenkins(Co-founder & CTO)
La Jolla, US
Neil Senturia(Executive Officer, Director)Neil Herring(Executive Officer, Director)Lynn Bry, M.D., Ph.D.(Director)Kent Smith(Executive Officer)
Cortical Labs develops biological computing systems by growing human neurons on chips to create a programmable computing platform.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechMelbourne, AU
Culture Amp builds a platform for employee surveys and feedback management that helps organizations improve workplace culture and employee experience.
Enterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkHR TechImpact & Social GoodSaaSSan Francisco, US
Didier Elzinga(Executive Officer, Director)Kevin Diestel(Director)Douglas English(Director)Ilya Fushman(Director)
BoardWesley Chan(Director)
Dgraph is an open-source, distributed graph database that operates at terabyte-scale for real-time applications, offering both direct database operations and GraphQL API interfaces for developers.
Data & InfrastructureDeveloper Tools
Sunandita Nijhawan(Director)Manish Jain(Executive Officer, Director)Prashanth Koppula(Executive Officer, Director)
Disputify (operating as Reshop) provides instant refund services to consumers making returns at online retailers, allowing customers to receive their money back immediately rather than waiting days or weeks, with flexibility in refund delivery method and a 7-day shipping window.
ConsumerE-commerceFintechRetail Tech
Earth AI uses AI to locate critical mineral deposits by analyzing geological data, supporting the supply chain for hardware and emerging technologies.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningClimate TechDeep TechNew MaterialsSan Francisco, US
Roman Teslyuk(Founder)in
BoardIan Rountree(Director)Mikhail Taver(Director)Jamie Lee(Director)Isabella Sykes(Director)Arnoud Balhuizen(Director)
Elyos provides AI agents designed for trades and field service businesses, automating customer service, scheduling, sales, and administrative tasks.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSLondon, GB
Adrian Johnston(Founder)inPhilippa Brown(Founder)inPanos Stravopodis(Founder & Chief Technology Officer)in
Enhance provides a live, isolated mirror of a web application from a GitHub repository that allows teams to iterate on real UI and features with AI assistance before merging changes to production.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper Tools
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Blackbird Ventures invest at?
- Blackbird Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What sectors does Blackbird Ventures focus on?
- Blackbird Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Data & Infrastructure, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Blackbird Ventures located?
- Blackbird Ventures is headquartered in Auckland, NZ.
- Does Blackbird Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Blackbird Ventures leads investment rounds.
From the blog
visit blog ↗Blackbird has invested in AI infrastructure (Baseten's inference and model training platform), workforce transformation (NextWork's skills verification), and backed multiple category-leading New Zealand startups reaching global scale. AI summary
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamWhy Innovation Bay? Rick Baker, Founder, Blackbird Ventures - YouTube
Innovation Bay · Rick Baker
Silicon Dragon Global: Ask A VC! Niki Scevak, Blackbird Ventures - YouTube
Silicon Global Online · Niki Scevak
Q&A with Niki Scevak: Co-Founder of Blackbird Ventures - YouTube
Dion Guagliardo · Niki Scevak
Pitch Deck Evaluation | Nick Crocker, General Partner @ Blackbird Ventures - YouTube
Territory 3: Kiwi Landing Pad Reimagined · Nick Crocker
THE DELLY PODCAST: EPISODE 5 - NICK CROCKER, BLACKBIRD VENTURES - YouTube
Matthew Delly · Nick Crocker
Rick Baker of Blackbird Ventures speaking about Mike Knapp - YouTube
Rebekah Campbell · Rick Baker
Images
Co-investors · 72
Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders to build technology companies, with a strong current focus on artificial intelligence.
Founders Fund is a venture capital firm that invests in technology companies across sectors, backing companies such as Anduril and Palantir.
Lightspeed Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm known for backing AI and technology founders, emphasizing deep, hands-on partnerships with the companies it funds.
Craft Ventures is a venture capital firm founded and run by former founders, operators, and investors who provide startups with hands-on support, senior talent access, and proven scaling playbooks.
Bessemer Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs from early stages through every stage of growth, publishing investment roadmaps across multiple technology sectors.
Accel is a venture capital firm that partners with exceptional founding teams, positioning itself as a first partner to startups globally.
Index Ventures is a venture capital firm that backs founders across the globe, investing in the people behind ideas from early through later stages.
Alumni Ventures (AV) is a venture firm that gives accredited individual investors access to professionally managed, diversified venture portfolios by co-investing alongside leading lead VC firms. It offers annual funds, syndicate deal-by-deal investing, and various investor clubs.
Insight Partners is a software-focused investment firm that provides capital and operational support to companies from early to late stage, backed by its in-house Insight Onsite operating team.
Felicis Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that has backed founders for over 20 years, leading or co-leading the majority of its investments across seed and Series A rounds.
Bain Capital Ventures is the venture arm of Bain Capital, backing founders from incubation and seed through growth-stage, leveraging Bain Capital's global platform, industry expertise, and network.
Kleiner Perkins is a venture capital firm that backs founders across technology and life sciences, with a portfolio of companies from early stage through growth.
▶60 more co-investors
Menlo VenturesEverywhere VenturesDCVC (Data Collective)Tiger Global ManagementSapphire VenturesSOSVACME CapitalPartech VenturesSciFi VCHeadlineCaffeinated CapitalSoftBank Vision FundAmplify PartnersBond Capital ManagementResolute Ventures8VCCrosslink CapitalThrive Capital2048 VenturesNexus Venture Partners500 StartupsSalesforce Japan Co.,Ltd.Shasta VenturesCostanoa VenturesAngelPadFootworkNextGen Venture PartnersComcast VenturesZetta Venture PartnersPoint72 VenturesHeartcore CapitalPolychain CapitalValar VenturesMucker CapitalCP VenturesCollaborative Fund (Collab Fund)Possible VenturesNext Coast VenturesJigsaw VCmuru-DSquare Peg CapitalE1 VenturesSpace Tech VenturesRembrandt Venture PartnersAirTree VenturesLightspeed India PartnersHorizonV3 VenturesIn-Q-TelGeneration Investment ManagementMorpheus VenturesMain Sequence VenturesTreble CapitalProsperity7 VenturesYOBE VenturesKing River CapitalPlaneteer CapitalOmni VenturesThe Robotics HubJelix Ventures
Firms observed investing alongside Blackbird Ventures, from public investor directories.
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