Icehouse Ventures
Venture capitalAuckland · Pre-Seed–Late Stage · 27 people tracked
Investment thesis
Icehouse Ventures backs exceptional New Zealand founders building globally transformative companies. Originating from Ice Angels, the country's first angel network established in 2003, it scaled into a venture capital firm having invested over $800m. It operates a suite of funds with varied portfolio strategies and maintains an active co-investor network of more than 3,000 investors. The firm believes New Zealand founders create world-class companies and significant value as an asset class, and includes funds focused on young founders (First Cut) and sustainable technologies.
Source: firm website, verified Jul 29, 2026.
Team · 27 people
from the firm's website & public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 34 of 65 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×12SaaS ×12Enterprise Software ×10Healthtech ×7Cleantech ×6New Materials ×6Deep Tech ×5Climate Tech ×4
HQs:New Zealand×13United States×7Australia×1
Investments · 65 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2025 · 12021 · 12 dated
Avertana extracts minerals and chemicals from steel manufacturing waste slag using chemical processes, producing sustainable raw materials for industrial manufacturers.
Advanced ManufacturingCircular EconomyCleantechNew MaterialsAuckland, NZ
James Obern(VP Commercial & Co-Founder)Michael Oliver(CEO)Brandon Swanepoel(VP Technical & Project Director)
Meal planning and grocery shopping tool connecting consumers with FMCG brands via data-driven insights.
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)
Aspiring Materials develops sustainable materials technology with environmental impact focus.
CleantechClimate TechNew Materials
Unnamed co-founder 1Unnamed co-founder 2
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
Uses UV light signals to boost seed and seedling genetic potential; domiciled in the USA.
Palmerston North
Mark Brown(Director)Mary Dimou(Director)Steven Sibulkin(Executive Officer, Director)John Bedbrook(Director)Jason Wargent(Executive Officer)
BoardAdrian Percy(Director)
Cogo provides carbon insights and electrification platforms to help home and car owners transition to clean energy and reduce costs, partnering with financial institutions to deliver climate technology solutions.
B2B MarketplacesCleantechClimate TechEnergyFintechSaaSWellington, NZ
Ben Gleisner(Founder)
Education company and 2025 Hi-Tech Awards finalist
Datch builds AI-first diagnostic and voice/data tools for technicians and operators in industrial settings, aimed at reducing parts and materials waste, extending asset lifespans, and improving maintenance decisions.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US
Ben Purcell(CTO)Aric Thorn(CPO)Ernst Sack(Director)Mark Fosdike(CEO)
Dexibit provides big data analytics and artificial intelligence tools to visitor attractions such as museums, galleries, theme parks, and stadiums to predict and analyze visitor behavior.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureSaaS
Angie Judge(Founder)Rick(Chair)JustinRaviPierre
FileInvite provides an automation layer for document collection in commercial lending, helping banks, credit unions, and other lenders reduce document turnaround times and improve borrower experiences.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSBroomfield, US
James Sampson(Founder and CEO)
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
Fuel50 is a workforce management platform that helps organizations identify internal talent, reveal career paths, and facilitate employee mobility.
Enterprise SoftwareHR TechSaaSLaguna Nigel, US
Brian Platz(Director)Anne Fulton(Executive Officer, Director)James Andelman(Director)Joanne Mills(Executive Officer, Director)Kerry McIntosh(Director)Philip Dur(Director)
Groov builds AI-powered platforms for healthcare systems and organizations to deliver personalized support in real time.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechHR TechMental HealthSaaS
John Kirwan(Co-founder & Board Member)Matt Krogstad(Chief Executive Officer)
Halter develops GPS-based collars and monitoring towers for livestock management on farms.
AgTechHardwareIoTWaikato, NZ
HeartLab provides a cloud-based platform that improves cardiology imaging workflows for medical teams.
Cloud ComputingDigital HealthHealthtechMedical Devices
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)
Greenville, US
Mike Buiter(Chief Financial Officer)Richard Mansell(Chief Executive Officer)Daniel Telehey(Chief Operating Officer)
Jasper is a commercial real estate fund management firm that deploys and manages capital for institutional investors into industrial, logistics, and other asset classes across Australia and New Zealand.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechPropTechAuckland, NZ
Mark Campbell(CEO and Executive Director)
Kitea Health is a medical device company spun out of the Auckland University Bioengineering Institute, developing the Kitea System, a microscale wireless sensor technology with applications in hydrocephalus and cerebrospinal fluid monitoring.
HardwareHealthtechMedical Devices
Simon Malpas(Director, Chief Executive Officer)Natalia Jones(Director, Chief Operations Officer)Bryon Wright(Chief Technical Officer)
LearnCoach provides online exam preparation and study tools for secondary school students, focusing on helping them improve grades in NCEA exams through personalized learning modules based on past exam questions.
AI & Machine LearningEdTech
David Cameron
Melodics is a learning app for keys, pads, and drums that uses motivational mechanics and structured practice goals to help musicians improve their skills and timing.
ConsumerCreator EconomyEdTechMedia & Entertainment
Sam Gribben(Founder)
Mihailo Bozic(Cofounder)Dylan Gibbs(Cofounder)
DermaLayr develops a transdermal delivery platform using ultrafine bioactive nanofibres to enable active ingredients to penetrate deeper into skin.
BiotechDeep TechHealthtechNew MaterialsWellness & Fitness
Narrative develops AI-powered software for organizing and culling digital photographs, designed for professional photographers.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomySaaSNew Zealand, NZ
James Broadbent(Founder)
Investment platform in Aotearoa providing access to global shares with no minimum investment; Even invested Series A 2020 and Series B 2021.
Shuttlerock helps brands, agencies, and media platforms create and scale digital content through in-house creative services combined with technology.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyMarketing TechNelson, NZ
Jonny Hendriksen(Chief Executive Officer / Founder)
Ternary Energy develops electrochemistry-based solutions to provide secure, affordable, emissions-free energy to industrial and urban customers.
CleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnergy
Sean Molloy(CEO & Co-founder)Dr Sean Simpson(Executive Chairman & Co-founder)Professor Aaron Marshall(CSO & Co-founder)
The Insides Company develops medical devices for patients recovering from severe intestinal conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and intestinal fistulas.
HardwareHealthtechMedical DevicesAuckland, NZ
Ian Bissett(Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer)John(Co-founder & COO)Rob(Co-founder & CTO)
Thinkladder is a mobile app that helps users identify negative or harmful thoughts and replace them with alternative perspectives through insights curated by mental wellbeing professionals and AI.
AI & Machine LearningMental HealthWellness & Fitness
Toku Eyes develops AI-driven solutions for eye health diagnostics and monitoring, bringing together medical expertise in endocrinology and ophthalmology with artificial intelligence capabilities.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMedical Devices
Michael V. McConnell(Chief Health Officer and Interim CEO)Francesca Logan(Chief Commercial Officer)Yariv Levin(Chief Compliance, Ethics and Clinical Affairs Officer)
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesAtomic Tessellator · b2bnews.co.nz · Jul 13, 2026
Wayve · secondarylink.com · Jul 2, 2026
Halter · ascendants.in · Mar 29, 2026
Hnry · startupdaily.net · Dec 12, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Icehouse Ventures invest at?
- Icehouse Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth, Late Stage stages.
- What is Icehouse Ventures's typical check size?
- Icehouse Ventures typically writes checks of $120K – $2.4M.
- What sectors does Icehouse Ventures focus on?
- Icehouse Ventures focuses on Consumer, EdTech, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Healthtech, Retail Tech, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Icehouse Ventures located?
- Icehouse Ventures is headquartered in Auckland, NZ.
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