Bridgewest Ventures
Venture capitalAuckland · Pre-Seed–Seed · 14 people tracked
Investment thesis
Bridgewest Ventures operates as New Zealand's only dedicated deep tech incubator with a global footprint through the US-based Bridgewest Group. It backs founders solving hard problems with proprietary technology, focusing on clean tech, AI/ML, medtech, life sciences, and advanced sensors, and is open to adjacent deep tech fields. Rather than passive investing, the firm builds alongside founders, refining business strategy, assembling teams, and providing patient capital plus access to specialized labs and international markets. Its structured process moves from initial contact through investment committee approval and due diligence to forming a joint venture, often pairing Bridgewest investment with matched Callaghan Innovation repayable grants (3:1).
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 14 people
from the firm's websiteCornell MBA who worked in real estate investment and Johnson & Johnson's venture platform before joining Bridgewest to operate portfolio companies; now CEO of Bridgewest Ventures leading investment strategy and incubation programs, including BVNZ's partnership with the NZ government.
Former aerospace engineer with 17 years supporting defence force missions who moved into venture capital in 2019 and has helped build Bridgewest Ventures' investment team and deep tech portfolio.
Investment manager focused on breakthrough science and scaling portfolio companies, with experience leading go-to-market, commercial operations, and governance at a NZ medical device company. Holds a Master of Bioscience Enterprise.
Executive Vice President of the parent Bridgewest Group, serving on Bridgewest Ventures' executive committee.
Law graduate and chartered governance professional originally from New Delhi who moved to New Zealand in 2020, with over eight years' experience as a legal associate and company secretary.
Supports BVNZ's portfolio and investment decisions, with a background in biomedical science, science commercialisation, and the medical device and science consulting industries.
Started as a neuroscience researcher and moved into commercializing deep tech IP from NZ research institutes, including a spinout from Plant & Food Research, before focusing on early-stage investment.
Chairman of the parent Bridgewest Group, serving on Bridgewest Ventures' executive committee.
General Counsel of the parent Bridgewest Group, serving on Bridgewest Ventures' executive committee.
Finance and investment professional with board governance experience; joined Bridgewest Group in 2017 (via a 2019 acquisition), previously led a NZ private banking group's investment team and spent over 11 years as a senior portfolio manager at Merrill Lynch.
Supports BVNZ's investment decisions and portfolio management; originally from the UK with a BSc in International Business, previously a finance analyst within the wider Bridgewest Group.
Executive Vice President of the parent Bridgewest Group, serving on Bridgewest Ventures' executive committee.
Operating Partner of the parent Bridgewest Group, serving on Bridgewest Ventures' executive committee.
Fund associate handling fund operations, investor communications, and portfolio management; previously worked at Enterprise Angels and founded a health and fitness tech startup. Holds degrees in economics/finance and nutrition/sport science from the University of Otago.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Bridgewest Ventures invest at?
- Bridgewest Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What sectors does Bridgewest Ventures focus on?
- Bridgewest Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Cleantech, Deep Tech, Impact & Social Good, Medical Devices.
- Where is Bridgewest Ventures located?
- Bridgewest Ventures is headquartered in Auckland, NZ.
- Does Bridgewest Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Bridgewest Ventures leads investment rounds.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamImages
Similar investors
Amadeus Capital Partners is a technology investor. It held a first close of $75M on its Amadeus IV Digital Prosperity Fund, focused on late-stage venture and growth companies building online and mobile services for emerging-market middle classes.
DCVC (Data Collective) is a deep tech venture capital firm backing entrepreneurs using computational approaches to solve large real-world problems across many industries. It operates six flagship funds plus DCVC Bio, spanning 13 funds to date.
Innovestor is a Finland-based investment group active in venture capital, life science and health, technology, real estate, and energy storage, also offering angel co-investment and corporate venturing services.
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm known for backing bold, contrarian bets in world-class teams that can reshape entire industries.
Osage University Partners (OUP) is a venture capital firm that invests in startups emerging from leading research universities and labs, backing academic founders and researchers commercializing breakthrough science and technology.