Booster Innovation Fund
Venture capitalWellington · Seed–Growth · 13 people tracked
Investment thesis
Booster's specialist investment funds, including the Booster Innovation Fund (NZX: BIF), aim to build the financial resilience of New Zealanders by backing homegrown innovation. The fund invests directly into early-stage Kiwi startups and commercialises breakthrough research from partnerships with universities such as Victoria University of Wellington (Wellington UniVentures) and the University of Otago. Investments span biotech (e.g. Rekover Therapeutics), advanced materials (Inhibit Coatings), and green hydrogen (Bspkl). The approach favours long-term, yield-focused partnering, keeping opportunities, profits and jobs in New Zealand while giving everyday retail investors a chance to share in local companies' success.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 13 people
from the firm's websiteWhat they invest in
from 39 of 58 portfolio companiesBiotech ×13Deep Tech ×10Healthtech ×9Cleantech ×8Hardware ×8Medical Devices ×8AI & Machine Learning ×6New Materials ×6
HQs:New Zealand×17Australia×4United States×2United Kingdom×1
Investments · 58 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2018 · 12017 · 12 dated
Advemto maps complex cell function to genetic sequences at scale without requiring new laboratory instruments.
BiotechDeep Tech
Co-investorsNuance CapitalNZ Growth Capital Partners
Alimetry develops the Gastric Alimetry system, a non-invasive body surface gastric mapping device that provides objective diagnostics for patients with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesAuckland, NZ
Greg O'Grady(Co-founder)Armen Gharibans(Co-founder)Karen O'Regan(CBO)Craig Shannon(CTO)Christie Dunwoodie(CFO)Christopher Andrews(CMO)
Co-investorsCerity Partners VenturesGD1MatūMovac
Allegro Energy develops long-duration flow batteries using a water-based microemulsion electrolyte made from common, globally available materials for grid and industrial energy storage.
CleantechEnergyNew MaterialsThornton, AU
Co-investorsMelt Ventures
Amaroq Therapeutics develops first-in-class therapies targeting long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) implicated in oncology and other diseases.
Biotech
Co-investorsCure Kids VenturesTenmile
Co-investorsAngel HQNZ Growth Capital Partners
Co-investorsOutset Ventures
Proprietary vaccine and immunotherapy platform for infectious disease and cancer.
Avasa develops technology to simplify microsurgical procedures, replacing manual hand sewing with automated microvascular connection methods.
HardwareMedical Devices
Co-investorsBridgewest VenturesCure Kids VenturesMovacNZ Growth Capital Partners
Banzpay is a payments technology provider serving financial institutions, including credit unions and small-to-medium banks, across New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
FintechSaaSNew Zealand, NZ
Sean Morrison(CEO Banzpay Group, Executive Director)Tony Rae(General Manager Banzpay)Toby Koller(Chief Security and Infrastructure Officer)
Uses UV light signals to boost seed and seedling genetic potential; domiciled in the USA.
Palmerston North
Jason Wargent(Executive Officer)Steven Sibulkin(Executive Officer, Director)Mark Brown(Director)Mary Dimou(Director)John Bedbrook(Director)Kirsty Bellringer(Director)
Co-investorsAngel HQArc AngelsAzolla VenturesIcehouse VenturesiSelect FundNelson Angels+2 more
BioOra develops and manufactures CAR-T cell therapies from New Zealand, targeting patients with cancer who currently lack access to these treatments in their local regions.
BiotechDigital HealthMedical DevicesNew Zealand, NZ
Co-investorsBridgewest VenturesCure Kids Ventures
Bontia Bio is a synthetic biology company that uses proprietary fermentation technology to create natural bioactive compounds for animal health and agriculture, with its first product targeting fleas and ticks in companion animals.
AgTechBiotechHealthtechWellington, NZ
Co-investorsSprout
A New Zealand-based hydrogen technology company that manufactures Catalyst Coated Membrane (CCM) products for fuel cells with significantly reduced catalyst loading, enabling lower-cost production at scale.
CleantechDeep TechEnergyNew Zealand, NZ
Co-investorsCreative HQ — The IncubatorInvestible Climate Tech FundNZ Growth Capital PartnersWNT Ventures
Cadmus Animal Health develops an immunotherapeutic to treat chronic periodontal disease caused by the bacterium Porphyromonas in companion animals.
BiotechHealthtech
Calocurb makes a prescription-free, plant-based appetite-suppressing capsule containing Amarasate, a New Zealand hop extract that activates the body's natural satiety hormones (GLP-1, CCK, PYY) to reduce hunger and support weight management.
Direct to ConsumerLongevityWellness & Fitness
Captivate develops a proprietary Metal-Organic Framework material and Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption process for low-energy, cost-effective carbon dioxide capture and separation in industrial applications including biogas, geothermal, and cement production.
CleantechClimate TechDeep Tech
Co-investorsCreative Destruction Lab (CDL)NZ Growth Capital PartnersWNT Ventures
Co-investorsCure Kids VenturesMatū
Based on customer reviews, the site appears to sell cleaning products and household items such as foams, powders, and bathroom accessories online.
ConsumerE-commerce
Co-investorsAngel HQClimate Venture Capital FundCreative HQ — The IncubatorSoul Capital
Cloud-based software (ACABIM engine) automating compliance, auditing, and management of built assets for the AECO industries, supporting ISO-standard BIM and other open standards.
Co-investorsMatū
EdPotential offers a data analytics platform that consolidates educational data such as NCEA, PAT, and e-asTTle results for school leaders to identify trends and guide interventions.
Data & InfrastructureEdTechSaaS
Ferronova develops FerroTrace, a mannose-labelled iron-oxide nanoparticle tracer that maps the lymphatic network and detects high-risk lymph nodes for staging and surgical planning in patients with upper gastrointestinal cancers such as esophageal cancer.
BiotechHealthtechMedical Devices
Co-investorsMatūSouth Australian Venture Capital FundStoic VCUniSeed Pty Ltd.
Goodair Nosebuds makes a nasal breathing device that produces a soothing hum during nasal breathing to help clear mucus, reduce nasal congestion, and improve airflow for people seeking relief from nasal congestion symptoms.
ConsumerMedical DevicesWellness & FitnessAuckland, NZ
Dr David White(Founder)
Co-investorsAlt VenturesWNT Ventures
Inhibit Coatings develops antimicrobial coatings and additives that use silver permanently bound to polymer resin to inhibit bacterial growth without leaching.
CleantechHealthtechNew MaterialsWellington, NZ
Dr Tate(Co-founder / Scientist)Prof. Johnston(Co-founder / Scientist)
Co-investorsAngel HQArc AngelsIcehouse VenturesMatūNZ Growth Capital Partners
InsituGen develops cell-free bioassay technology for steroid hormone testing, offering a low-cost test to detect androgen and estrogen bioactivity in companion animal diagnostics.
AgTechBiotechDeep TechHealthtech
Heather(Professor (research lead))Alison Heather(Founder)
Co-investorsNZ Growth Capital PartnersPacific Channel
Co-investorsAngel HQNZ Growth Capital PartnersSoul Capital
Komodo Wellbeing publishes content on fostering a growth mindset and building resilience in students within the school environment.
EdTechMental HealthWellness & Fitness
Co-investorsCure Kids VenturesFlying Fox VenturesFolklore VenturesTiger Global Management
Commercialises Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for molecule capture and extraction.
Co-investorsNZ Growth Capital Partners
Liquium develops a new catalyst technology for producing clean (zero-carbon) ammonia under milder operating conditions than the traditional Haber-Bosch process, aiming to lower production and operating costs.
CleantechClimate TechNew Materials
Dr Franck Natali(CSO & Co-Founder)Dr Paul Geraghty(CEO & Co-Founder)
Co-investorsClimate Venture Capital FundMatū
MACSO develops technology that makes AI, IoT, and edge computing capabilities more accessible and cost-effective for industries.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardwareIoT
Saba Samiei(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsBridgewest VenturesPacific Channel
Marama Labs builds CloudSpec, a UV/Vis spectroscopy instrument using patented Scatter-Free Absorption (SFA) technology to quantify nucleic acid payloads and ligands in lipid nanoparticle (LNP) samples without lysing particles or using fluorescent dyes.
BiotechDeep TechHardware
Co-investorsNZ Growth Capital PartnersNZVCRadar VenturesWNT VenturesThe Yield LabThe Yield Lab Europe
MARS develops point-of-care photon counting CT imaging systems for community healthcare settings.
Deep TechHealthtechMedical DevicesChristchurch, NZ
Anthony Philip Howard Butler(Executive Officer, Director)Philip Howard Butler(Executive Officer, Director)Colin Ernest Dawson(Director)
Co-investorsCure Kids VenturesPacific Channel
Advancing gene and cell therapy delivery systems to address precision targeting challenges in living patients.
BiotechSan Francisco, US
Anil Narasimha(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardKurt Keilhacker(Director)inNeil Tiwari(Director)
Co-investorsGood AI CapitalMatūElementum Ventures
Co-investorsNZ Growth Capital Partners
A nutrition technology company that uses wild-type unicellular aquatic organisms to produce protein- and fiber-rich, non-GMO ingredients (marketed as Marine Whey) for food applications.
BiotechFoodTechImpact & Social Good
Co-investorsAugust OneOutset Ventures
Food technology firm producing marine whey protein from water and microalgae.
Opo develops bio-based ingredients and cell lines for cosmetic, medical, and cultivated meat applications using synthetic biology and biomanufacturing.
BiotechDeep TechFoodTechAuckland, NZ
Co-investorsMatūWNT Ventures
AI-based automated care platform for knee injury recovery and chronic conditions.
Orbis Diagnostics is developing a point-of-care diagnostics platform that produces blood test results from a single fingerstick of blood.
BiotechHealthtechMedical Devices
Co-investorsEven CapitalNZ Growth Capital PartnersPacific Channel
Commercialising soft electronics technology for robotics applications.
Co-investorsMatūNZ Growth Capital PartnersPacific Channel
Scentian Bio combines synthetic biology and AI to develop biosensors based on synthesized insect odorant receptors, creating a digital sense of smell and taste that can detect and measure the concentration of thousands of compounds.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep Tech
Andrew Králíček(Founder & Chief Technology Officer)Jonathan Good(Chief Executive Officer)Colm Carraher(Chief Scientific Officer)Nikki Lorigan(Chief Financial Officer)
Co-investorsDYDX CapitalSproutToyota Ventures
Commercialising brain health focused therapies with novel mechanisms of action.
StretchSense builds sensor hardware and AI models that capture human hand motion and convert it into data for robotics, XR training, and gaming applications.
AI & Machine LearningGamingHardwareEdinburgh, GB
Developing an immunotherapy medicine to help patients' immune systems destroy cancer cells.
TasmanIon develops rechargeable aluminum-ion batteries positioned as a safer and lower-cost alternative for energy storage.
CleantechEnergyHardwareNew Materials
Co-investorsCreative HQ — The IncubatorPacific Channel
Tectonus designs and manufactures seismic resilience devices and structural systems that protect buildings from earthquake damage, working directly with structural engineers on projects across education, healthcare, commercial, and transport buildings.
Climate TechConstruction TechHardwareNew MaterialsAuckland, NZ
Co-investorsAngel HQPacific Channel
Tectrax designs and manufactures electric amphibious drive systems that let boats be driven on land and launched into the water, offering both integrated amphibious boats and a retrofit boat-launching system.
CleantechHardwareMobility & TransportationAuckland, NZ
Biomarker-based testing for rapid front line diagnosis of heart disease.
Co-investorsNZ Growth Capital PartnersPacific Channel
Merged entity of ZeroJet and Tectrax developing electric marine propulsion systems.
Wellumio develops axana®, a portable, energy-efficient MRI system based on its Pulsed Gradient Free Mapping (PGFM) technology, designed to detect acute stroke quickly in front-line care settings.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechHealthtechMedical Devices
Shieak Tzeng(Co-founder & Co-CEO)Sergei Obruchkov(Co-founder & Co-CEO)Gyan Barik(Executive Director, Business Operations & Australia)Ziad Rouag(General Manager USA)Harry Marfatia(Head of Finance)
BoardSia Moussavi(Board Chairman)
Co-investorsCure Kids VenturesNuance CapitalOutset VenturesPacific Channel
Woolchemy develops wool-based nonwoven and absorbent materials, such as its neweZorb product, for use in more sustainable personal hygiene and personal care products.
Circular EconomyConsumerNew Materials
Co-investorsEven CapitalPacific Channel
ZeroJet builds electric jet propulsion powertrains for the marine industry, offering plug-and-play 48V 22kW electric jet systems that boat and tender manufacturers integrate into small vessels as an alternative to combustion engines.
CleantechHardwareMobility & TransportationAuckland, NZ
San Francisco, US
Ryan Sandler(President, Chief Executive Officer, Secretary, and Director)Ethan Winchell(Director)
Co-investorsClimate Venture Capital FundOutset Ventures
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesKomodo · animalsaroundtheglobe.com · Aug 18, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Booster Innovation Fund made?
- Booster Innovation Fund has 58 tracked investments.
- What stage does Booster Innovation Fund invest at?
- Booster Innovation Fund invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth stages.
- What sectors does Booster Innovation Fund focus on?
- Booster Innovation Fund focuses on Biotech, Cleantech, Deep Tech, Fintech, New Materials, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Booster Innovation Fund located?
- Booster Innovation Fund is headquartered in Wellington, NZ.
- Who does Booster Innovation Fund co-invest with?
- Booster Innovation Fund most often shares deals with NZ Growth Capital Partners, Matū, Pacific Channel, among 37 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamMelissa Yiannoutsos manages the publicly listed Booster Innovation Fund (BIF)
Robbie Schneider · Melissa Yiannoutsos
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