Fundraising Fox
Croc Pitch
AcceleratorDarwin · Pre-Seed–Seed · 4 people tracked
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Investment thesis
Croc Pitch is a pitch competition run by the Darwin Innovation Hub in Australia's Northern Territory, now in its 8th year. It connects global entrepreneurs with investors for a chance at up to $1 million in venture capital provided by Paspalis. Finalists progress through an information session, a pitch deck submission, and a 'Croc Camp' mentoring stage before final presentations of 10 minutes plus Q&A. The program emphasizes scalable startups with strong teams and clear exit strategies, and highlights the Northern Territory as a real-world test-bed across mining, agriculture, space, and defence, with proximity to Asian markets.
Source: firm website, verified Nov 1, 2026.
Team · 4 people
from the firm's website & curatedInvestment Manager at Paspalis Capital who served on the Croc Pitch judging panel and worked one-on-one with finalists during Croc Camp to refine their pitches.
Director of the Innovation Activation team at the Northern Territory Government's Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations, and a member of the Croc Pitch expert panel.
Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Community Connection at Charles Darwin University who served on the Croc Pitch judging panel.
Harley Paroulakis is CEO of Paspalis Corporation and founder and CEO of both Paspalis Capital and the Darwin Innovation Hub, having been appointed CEO in 2017. He oversees the company's investment management business, the Darwin Innovation Hub, and its commercial property portfolio, and focuses on backing deep-tech startups across the APAC region. He previously held senior roles at Merrill Lynch Bank of America in Singapore (FINRA Series 7 and 3 qualified) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Murdoch University.
What they invest in
from 6 of 6 portfolio companiesAgTech ×3Data & Infrastructure ×3AI & Machine Learning ×2Hardware ×2Robotics ×2SaaS ×2Space Tech ×2Circular Economy ×1
HQs:Australia×3United States×1
Portfolio companies · 6 tracked
alumni founders can tell you what the program is really likeArlula builds infrastructure for Earth Observation, providing automated, secure systems that move satellite data through organizations at scale.
Data & InfrastructureSaaSSpace Tech
Sebastian Chaoui(Founder)in
Co-investorsBlack Nova VCMain Sequence VenturesLockheed Martin VenturesStartmate
Blueflite develops electric drones for logistics and package delivery, with vertical take-off and landing capabilities designed for last-mile deliveries, emergency medical transport, and industrial supply missions.
HardwareLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsAustin, US
Frank Noppel(CEO)inJames McClearen(CTO)in
Co-investorsBoot64 VenturesGENIUS NYMichigan RiseTechstars
Drone-Hand Essential is a semi-autonomous quadcopter solution that enables farmers to monitor livestock, infrastructure, and water points across paddocks without manual ground checks.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningHardwareIoTRoboticsDarwin, AU
Co-investorsRadius Capital Ventures
Esper provides hyperspectral satellite imagery and geochemical analysis to identify critical minerals and alteration zones for mining exploration and environmental monitoring.
AgTechData & InfrastructureDeep TechSpace TechPatterson Lakes, AU
JoeyShoaib Iqbal(Founder)inPrzemyslaw Lorenczak(Founder)
Co-investorsDolby Family VenturesInvestible Climate Tech FundNZVCPaspalisScale Venture PartnersStellar+1 more
NatureHelm offers a platform for rapid biodiversity risk screening that aggregates site-specific data on plants and animals and links business dependencies on ecosystem services to actual records.
AI & Machine LearningClimate TechData & InfrastructureImpact & Social GoodSaaS
Dr Debbie Saunders(Co-founder, Conservation Ecologist & CEO)inPhil Keaton(Co-founder, Innovative Technology & CPO)inAlexandra Kmita(CMO)Debbie Saunders(Co-founder, Conservation Ecologist & CEO)Christine Seeliger(Data Science and Engineering Lead)Helen Crowley(Non-executive Director)
Co-investorsStoic VCUniSeed Pty Ltd.
North Australian SeaCulture develops seaweed supply chains in regional Australia, cultivating native seaweed at community-owned sites and processing it into soil health products for agriculture and gels/thickeners such as agar and pigments for food and pharmaceutical markets.
AgTechCircular EconomyFoodTech
Alison Duguid
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesEsper Satellite Imagery · startupintros.com · Jul 13, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Croc Pitch made?
- Croc Pitch has 6 tracked investments.
- What stage does Croc Pitch invest at?
- Croc Pitch invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is Croc Pitch's typical check size?
- Croc Pitch typically writes checks of $1M.
- What sectors does Croc Pitch focus on?
- Croc Pitch focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, AgTech, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Deep Tech, Defense Tech, Energy, FoodTech, New Materials, Space Tech.
- Where is Croc Pitch located?
- Croc Pitch is headquartered in Darwin, AU.
- Who does Croc Pitch co-invest with?
- Croc Pitch most often shares deals with Techstars, Boot64 Ventures, Dolby Family Ventures, among 15 tracked co-investors.
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