GD1
Venture capitalAuckland · Pre-Seed–Series B · 9 people tracked
Find your way into GD1
1,911 people in our graph share verified history with the GD1 team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Investment thesis
GD1 backs founders and teams pursuing the world's biggest markets, with a focus on helping New Zealand companies scale globally. It emphasizes that the vast majority of its portfolio companies generate revenue outside Australia and New Zealand. The firm offers operating experience gained across global markets, VC-backed companies, leading funds, and big tech, and pairs face-to-face support in New Zealand with reliable in-market connections, advisory, and expertise to help startups launch and expand internationally.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 9 people
from the firm's website & curated & public directories
What they invest in
from 27 of 40 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×12SaaS ×8Enterprise Software ×7Fintech ×7Crypto & Web3 ×6Deep Tech ×4Medical Devices ×4Digital Health ×3
HQs:New Zealand×10United States×4Australia×1Canada×1United Kingdom×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 16 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×72 founders×63 founders×24+ founders×1
Where their founders studiedfrom 21 founders with education data
University of Auckland ×5Victoria University of Wellington ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 21 founders with field-of-study data
Computer Science ×10Engineering ×9Economics ×2Medicine ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 23 founders with career history
Auckland Bioengineering Institute ×3University of Auckland ×2Xero ×2Zenno Astronautics ×2
5 founders hold a PhD · 1 hold an MBA (of 21 with degree data)
Investments · 40 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 22025 · 12024 · 22022 · 32021 · 210 dated
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 & Chief Executive Officer)inArmen Gharibans(Co-founder & President, US)inKaren O'Regan(CBO)inCraig Shannon(CTO)inChristie Dunwoodie(CFO)inChristopher Andrews(CMO)
Co-investorsBooster Innovation FundCerity Partners VenturesMatūMovac
Atomic Tessellator combines computational physics with machine learning and enterprise software architecture, though the page does not specify its product offering or customer market.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechNew Materials
BoardDr. Priyank KumarProf. Simon Ringer
Co-investorsCrane Venture PartnersIn-Q-TelOutset VenturesSalus VenturesConfluentIcehouse Ventures+1 more
Auror operates a Retail Crime Intelligence platform that lets retailers record and share structured crime data and connect with law enforcement to identify repeat and organized offenders.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareGovTechRetail TechSaaS
James C.(Founder)in
PartnerJohn Kells· led
Co-investorsFolklore VenturesMovacNZ Growth Capital PartnersReinventure Group
TradeBuddy is a technology platform for the scrap metal trading and recycling industry, serving metal processors, traders, and exporters.
B2B MarketplacesCircular EconomyLogistics & Supply ChainNew Zealand, NZ
PartnerJohn Kells· led
Co-investorsBAM VenturesFirstMile VenturesService Provider CapitalNFX
Caruso provides investor management and fund administration services, handling onboarding, AML/KYC compliance, investor communications, and registry maintenance for investment funds and fundraisers.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Co-investorsIcehouse Ventures
New Zealand's largest crypto exchange offering secure digital asset trading and services for global crypto markets
Janine Grainger(Founder)in
Co-investorsEven CapitalNuance CapitalNZVC
Flowingly provides AI-powered process mapping and documentation software for organizations to create, visualize, and automate business workflows.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkGovTechSaaSAustralia, AU
Jon Kalaugher(Founder & CEO)in
PartnerJohn Kells· led
Co-investorsIcehouse Ventures
Formus Labs develops software and tools for orthopedic surgery and musculoskeletal care, serving surgeons and clinical practitioners.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesAuckland, NZ
Ju Zhang(Founder, Chief Executive Officer)inProf Thor Besier(Co-founder, Chief Scientific Officer)A/Prof Justin Fernandez(Co-founder, Science Advisor)Antonije Velevski(Co-founder, former senior software engineer)in
Co-investorsNuance CapitalIcehouse VenturesPacific ChannelPunakaiki Fund
Formus Labs develops software for orthopaedic surgery, applying AI and algorithmic modeling to support surgical planning for hip and knee procedures.
AI & Machine LearningHealthtechMedical DevicesAuckland, NZ
Ju Zhang(Founder & CEO)inThor Besier(Co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer)inAntonije Velevski(Co-founder, former senior software engineer)inJustin Fernandez(Co-founder, Science Advisor)inSarah Wixon(Head of Finance)inMarco Schneider(Head of Product and Research)in
PartnerJohn Kells· led
Co-investorsCure Kids VenturesNuance CapitalNZ Growth Capital PartnersPacific ChannelPunakaiki Fund
FoundryLab operates automated foundries that produce metal cast parts directly from CAD files using 3D-printed ceramic molds, delivering production-grade parts in 72 hours without hard tooling or minimum order quantities.
Advanced ManufacturingDefense TechHardwarePetone, Wellington
David Moodie(Executive Officer, Director)inPeter Beck(Director)Mike Collett(Director)
BoardVignesh Kumar(Director)inSamantha Wong(Director)in
Co-investorsBlackbird VenturesWNT VenturesFounders Fund
FoundryLab produces metal casting parts for defense, aerospace, and automotive industries using 3D-printed ceramic molds and automated processes, delivering production-grade parts from CAD to finished product in 72 hours without tooling delays.
Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechDefense Tech
David Moodie(Founder)in
Co-investorsArc AngelsIcehouse VenturesNZVCOutset VenturesBlackbird VenturesFounders Fund+2 more
Immersve is an issuing-as-a-service platform that enables cryptocurrency exchanges and decentralized applications to transact using Mastercard's network globally.
Crypto & Web3Fintech
Co-investorsAngel HQRed Beard Ventures
Ivo builds AI-based contract software for enterprise legal teams, used to review contracts and surface business insights from agreement portfolios.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLegalTechGreenville, US
Jacob Duligall(Founder)inMike Buiter(Chief Financial Officer)Richard Mansell(Chief Executive Officer)inDaniel Telehey(Chief Operating Officer)in
Co-investorsBlackbird VenturesCostanoa VenturesFikaIcehouse VenturesUncork CapitalFika Ventures+2 more
JUNOFEM is a New Zealand medtech company that makes femfit, a clinically designed pelvic floor training system pairing a medical device with eight pressure sensors and a mobile app to treat urinary incontinence in women.
Digital HealthFemTechMedical Devices
Jennifer Kruger(Founder)in
Co-investorsNZ Growth Capital Partners
Layer3 is a crypto platform where users create wallets, discover protocols, complete onchain tasks to earn rewards (CUBEs), trade, and stake L3 tokens for governance and boosted rewards.
ConsumerCrypto & Web3St. Peters, US
Jeffrey T. Binder(Executive Officer, Director)Dariya Khojasteh(Cofounder)inBrandon Kumar(Founder)inDavid M. Fellows(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardDavid Trujillo(Director)James Goldstein(Director)
Co-investors6th Man VenturesBitDAOElectric CapitalKing River CapitalLattice CapitalMantle Network+7 more
Amber Winton(Founder)in
PartnerJohn Kells· led
Co-investorsBlackbird VenturesCake Ventures
Opacity provides infrastructure for issuing compliant financial products with global distribution and liquidity through decentralized finance integration, targeting capital markets participants.
Crypto & Web3FintechNew York, US
Andrew Bledsoe(Executive Officer)in
BoardAaron Marz(Director)Hersh Patel(Director)
Co-investorsArchetypeDepartment of XYZEv3 Ventures LlcInception Capital (ex OP Crypto)Marin Digital VenturesNIV+2 more
PartnerJohn Kells· led
Polymath, operated by Celadon AI Limited, is an education product aimed at parents, children, and teachers, with a focus on maths learning resources.
AI & Machine LearningEdTech
Co-investorsBlackbird Ventures
A platform enabling the creation and management of tokenized investment campaigns with fractional ownership capabilities for attracting global investor bases.
Crypto & Web3FintechSaaS
Trevor Koverko(Founder)in
Co-investorsTrevor KoverkoBlackbird Ventures
Ribbon builds voice AI technology for recruiting that interviews every job candidate on demand, then turns those conversations into structured data and ranks applicants against a company's criteria.
AI & Machine LearningFuture of WorkHR TechSaaSToronto, CA
Arsham Ghahramani(Founder)inArsham Ghahramani, PhD(Founder)in
Co-investorsSocial LeverageBain Capital VenturesGreenspring AssociatesGreylock PartnersNFXNyca+2 more
Rilla augments content delivery networks with an AI-orchestrated peer-to-peer network layer to reduce costs and improve streaming performance for broadcasters and content platforms.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingMedia & Entertainment
Hal Smith Stevens(CEO | Co-Founder)inPul Bandara(CTO | Co-Founder)inJustin Tomlinson(CCO | Co-Founder)in
Co-investorsArrington CapitalEdessa CapitalFuture Perfect VenturesSMAPE CapitalArrington XRP CapitalCrew Capital
Rollfi provides an embedded payroll and benefits platform, offering an API and banking/treasury infrastructure that lets businesses add payroll and benefits capabilities to their own products.
FintechHR TechSaaS
Co-investorsAdapt VenturesRareBreed VenturesBrickyard
Runn provides software for managing time and talent allocation across modern workforces, helping organizations plan projects and optimize resource utilization around their people.
Enterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkHR TechSaaSAuckland, NZ
Co-investorsAfterWork VenturesNZ Growth Capital PartnersShearwater Capital
Sablier is a blockchain protocol for streaming token distributions, enabling vesting, airdrops, payroll, and grants by distributing assets continuously over time rather than in lump sums.
Crypto & Web3Fintech
Paul Razvan Berg(Founder)in
Co-investorsA.Capital VenturesAirTree Ventures
Simfuni provides a unified operating platform for life insurance companies that consolidates policy management, customer servicing, underwriting, claims, and payments into a single connected system.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechInsurTechSaaSAuckland, NZ
Shaun Quincey(Co-founder & CEO)inDamon O'Neill(Co-founder & CTO)inTim von Dadelszen(Chief Product Officer)in
PartnerJohn Kells· led
Co-investorsNZVC
StretchSense develops a control platform for managing extended reality (XR) headsets during instructor-led training, enabling real-time monitoring of learner progress, performance analytics, and device management across educational and industrial settings.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechEdTechEnterprise SoftwareGamingHardwareEdinburgh, GB
Co-investorsBooster Innovation FundGlobal from Day OneScottish Enterprise
Syndicate provides infrastructure to scale the Ethereum blockchain, supporting staking and development operations on the network.
Crypto & Web3Mountain View, US
William Raphael Papper(Executive Officer, Director)Ian John Lee(Executive Officer, Director)ian //(Founder)in
Co-investorsA.Capital Venturesa16z cryptoAndreessen HorowitzArchetypeAtelierBlueYard Capital+19 more
Type One Energy is a fusion energy startup founded by stellarator experts to design and commercialize a next-generation stellarator fusion power plant.
CleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnergy
Chris Mowry(CEO)in
Co-investorsBreakthrough Energy VenturesBreakthrough VictoriaOrbia VenturesTRIRECVoLo Earth VenturesSeaX Ventures+1 more
Vessev develops electric hydrofoiling technology and builds vessels for marine transport, aiming to make water travel more sustainable.
CleantechHardwareMobility & Transportation
Eric Laakmann(CEO & Co-founder)inMax Olson(CTO & Co-founder)inGarry Jolliffe(COO)in
PartnerJohn Kells· led
Co-investorsArc AngelsBlackbird VenturesIcehouse VenturesNZVCShasta Ventures
Zenno Astronautics builds superconducting electromagnet systems that let satellites point and manoeuvre without fuel.
Max Arshavsky(Founder)inSebastian Wieczorek(Founder)in
Co-investorsAlt VenturesGlobal BrainNZ Growth Capital PartnersNZVCOutset VenturesShasta Ventures
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
BasisDawn AerospaceEarnOSFlywheelInshAllahPhaseOne VenturesUnofficialVXTZenno
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Polymath · stocktitan.net · Aug 18, 2026
Vessev · nzherald.co.nz · Aug 16, 2026
Type One Energy · techcrunch.com · Aug 15, 2026
Zenno Astronautics · labusinessjournal.com · Jul 27, 2026
Syndicate · tekedia.com · Jul 18, 2026
Buddy · healthcare.digital · Jul 13, 2026
Atomic Tessellator · b2bnews.co.nz · Jul 13, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has GD1 made?
- GD1 has 40 tracked investments, including 4 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does GD1 invest at?
- GD1 invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B stages.
- What is GD1's typical check size?
- GD1 typically writes checks of $150K – $900K.
- What sectors does GD1 focus on?
- GD1 focuses on Consumer, Crypto & Web3, Data & Infrastructure, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Hardware, Media & Entertainment, SaaS.
- Where is GD1 located?
- GD1 is headquartered in Auckland, NZ.
- Does GD1 lead rounds?
- GD1 has led 3 of the 12 rounds where its role is on record.
- Who does GD1 co-invest with?
- GD1 most often shares deals with Blackbird Ventures, NZ Growth Capital Partners, NZVC, among 67 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamVignesh Kumar from GD1 - one of New Zealand’s most active early-stage tech investors
nzherald.co.nz · Vignesh Kumar
Images
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