Punakaiki Fund
Venture capitalAuckland · Seed–Growth · 11 people tracked
Investment thesis
Punakaiki Fund is an evergreen, shareholder-owned venture capital investment company focused on funding under-capitalised high-growth technology companies in New Zealand and helping accelerate the transition to a value economy. Since its first investment in 2014 it has made over 120 investments across more than 30 companies. It operates a permanent-capital structure and is managed by 2040 Ventures Limited, with a sister fund (Climate VC Fund) focused on climate. Its aim is to help New Zealand technology companies grow into global leaders.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 7, 2026.
Team · 11 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 26 of 37 portfolio companiesSaaS ×18Enterprise Software ×6AI & Machine Learning ×4EdTech ×4Cybersecurity ×3Future of Work ×3Hardware ×3Cloud Computing ×2
HQs:New Zealand×5United States×1
Investments · 37 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathTeradyne provides automated test equipment for electronics—covering semiconductors, wireless, and photonics testing—as well as an AI-powered robotics platform with cobots and autonomous mobile robots for material handling and factory automation.
HardwareRoboticsSemiconductors
Astute Smart Locks provides enterprise access control combining smart lock hardware with LockVue, a lock-agnostic cloud software that lets organizations manage smart lock devices, grant and revoke user access, and track activity across their network.
Enterprise SoftwareHardwareIoT
Core Schedule provides workforce management and staff scheduling software for healthcare organizations, automating rostering, shift swaps, leave approvals, and compliance with fatigue management and labour rules.
HealthtechHR TechSaaSWellington, NZ
EverCommerce is a SaaS platform providing integrated business management, payment, and customer engagement software to service-based small and medium-sized businesses.
Enterprise SoftwareRetail TechSaaSDenver, US
Qustodio (which merged with Family Zone) provides parental control and digital wellbeing apps that let parents filter content, set screen-time limits, monitor activity, track location, and view calls and messages across their children's devices.
ConsumerCybersecurityWellness & Fitness
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)Thor Besier(Co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer)Antonije Velevski(Co-founder, former senior software engineer)Justin Fernandez(Co-founder, Science Advisor)Sarah Wixon(Head of Finance)Marco Schneider(Head of Product and Research)
GetHomeSafe is a workplace safety platform for organisations managing lone, remote, and field workers, offering automated check-ins, real-time location tracking, journey management, and SOS alerting.
Enterprise SoftwareIoTSaaS
IT Professionals NZ was a New Zealand membership organisation for IT professionals; as of December 2025 its members voted to place it into liquidation and it is winding down operations.
Future of Work
Moxion (now Flow Capture) is a dailies and content review platform for film and television production, offering secure delivery and review of media including instant dailies in HDR, secure screeners, and Dolby Vision, HDR10, and 4K playback.
Cloud ComputingMedia & EntertainmentSaaS
NZ Tech Podcast is a New Zealand technology news podcast featuring interviews, reviews, and opinions on topics such as AI, cybersecurity, and startups.
Media & Entertainment
Paul Spain(Host)
Projectworks is an AI-powered platform designed for consulting and professional services firms that integrates proposal management, time tracking, resource planning, invoicing, and financial reporting in a single system.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Projectworks is an AI-powered professional services automation (PSA) platform that combines deals, proposals, time tracking, resource management, invoicing, and financial forecasting in one system.
AI & Machine LearningFuture of WorkSaaS
Quantifi Photonics builds photonics and high-speed I/O test and measurement instruments that support product development, validation, characterization, and manufacturing.
Deep TechHardwareSemiconductors
Sea-Flux provides marine compliance and vessel management software offering real-time monitoring, planned maintenance, crew certification tracking, digital logbooks, safety management, and documentation for commercial marine operators, owners, and fleets.
Enterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainSaaS
Whip Around provides fleet management software for fleet operators to digitize inspections, automate preventive maintenance, manage work orders, and support DOT/FMCSA compliance across vehicles, equipment, and facilities.
Logistics & Supply ChainMobility & TransportationSaaS
Exits · 1
IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolioTeradyne IncNASDAQ: TER
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Punakaiki Fund invest at?
- Punakaiki Fund invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth stages.
- What is Punakaiki Fund's typical check size?
- Punakaiki Fund typically writes checks of $1M.
- What sectors does Punakaiki Fund focus on?
- Punakaiki Fund focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Consumer, Data & Infrastructure, Deep Tech, EdTech, Enterprise Software, Retail Tech, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Punakaiki Fund located?
- Punakaiki Fund is headquartered in Auckland, NZ.
- Does Punakaiki Fund lead rounds?
- Yes, Punakaiki Fund leads investment rounds.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the team
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