Fundraising Fox

Rampersand

Venture capital

Melbourne · Pre-Seed–Series C · 12 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Rampersand invests at inception, pre-seed and seed into Australian and New Zealand founders regardless of where they are based, backing the global ANZ diaspora. The firm concentrates on three areas: vertical AI where founders with deep industry conviction rebuild specific industries with purpose-built AI; deep tech that puts software into physical products (quantum hardware, robotics, proteomics); and AI agents automating core business functions such as sales ops, customer success and onboarding. It leads or co-leads rounds, reserves deeply for follow-on, and supports founders long-term with partners, product counsel, hiring/legal help and a warm-intro network of LPs, venture partners and operator-advisors.

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage
Pre-Seed–Series C
Check
$165K – $2M
HQ
Melbourne, Victoria, AU
Leads rounds
Leads
Instruments
Equity
Founded
2013
AUM
$66M
Tracked investments
16

Team · 12 people

from the firm's website & public directories
Andrew Poesaste· Partner
Martin Casey· Partner
Michael Naphtali· Partner
Taryn Pieterse· Partner
Helen Souness· Venture Partner

Venture Partner at Rampersand, formerly at Etsy and SEEK.

Hugh Williams· Venture Partner

Venture Partner at Rampersand, formerly at eBay and Microsoft.

Rod Hamilton· Venture Partner

Venture Partner at Rampersand, formerly at Culture Amp.

Abhi Maran· Senior Associate
Phil Jacob· Senior Associate
Scott Dommett· Associate
Sunday Berry· Head of Operations

What they invest in

from 5 of 16 portfolio companies

SaaS ×2AI & Machine Learning ×1Deep Tech ×1Energy ×1Enterprise Software ×1Fintech ×1GovTech ×1Hardware ×1

HQs:Australia×2United States×2Germany×1New Zealand×1

Investments · 16 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path
Businessnewsaustraliabusinessnewsaustralia.com
Capitalbriefcapitalbrief.com

Capital Brief is a business and politics publication focused on Australia's economy and its intersection with entrepreneurship, capital allocation, and policy.

Media & EntertainmentSydney, AU

Chris Janz(Chief Executive Officer)inDavid Eisman(Chief Business Officer)inJohn McDuling(Editor-in-Chief)

Cuttablecuttable.comin
Dovetail
Goterragoterra.au
Hatch

Rampersand portfolio company and hiring platform for junior-to-mid roles, used by companies including Dovetail, Spriggy and Hnry.

Hnryhnry.co.nzin

Hnry provides financial administration and tax services for self-employed individuals and sole traders.

Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSAuckland, NZ

Claire(Co-founder)James(Co-founder)Karan(Managing Director, Australia)

JigSpace

Spatial computing company (Series A), based in Melbourne.

Melbourne

Numa Bertron(Director)Zachary Duff(Executive Officer, Director)

Launchviclaunchvic.orgin𝕏

LaunchVic is Victoria's startup agency that funds accelerator programs and provides support to founders, investors, and startup programs across the Australian state.

GovTechMelbourne, AU

Orkestraorkestra.energyin

Orkestra provides software for planning, selling, and operating commercial and industrial solar and battery projects.

AI & Machine LearningEnergySaaSCarmel, US

Bryan Spitzer(Executive Officer, Director)Andrew J. Macht(Executive Officer, Director)

PredictHQ

Enterprise AI demand-intelligence company (Series C) based in Auckland and SF.

Quantum Brilliancequantumbrilliance.comin

Quantum Brilliance designs and manufactures diamond-based quantum chips and products that operate at room temperature, targeting deployment across data centers, edge computing, and field applications.

Deep TechHardwareQuantum ComputingStuttgart, DE

Restoke

A restaurant operating system that replaces paper-based workflows and helps multi-venue restaurant groups run operations more efficiently across countries.

SmartCompanysmartcompany.com.au

Columbia, US

Mike Burnam(Chief Investment Officer)Cris Burnam(Chief Executive Officer)Tom Harrison(Internal Counsel)Thomas Shin(Director)Ryan McKenzie(Chief Financial Officer)Jason Gannon(Director)

Spriggyspriggy.com.au
Startup Dailystartupdaily.netin𝕏

Frequently asked questions

What stage does Rampersand invest at?
Rampersand invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C stages.
What is Rampersand's typical check size?
Rampersand typically writes checks of $165K – $2M.
What sectors does Rampersand focus on?
Rampersand focuses on AgTech, AI & Machine Learning, Climate Tech, Deep Tech, Enterprise Software, Hardware, Quantum Computing, Robotics, SaaS, Sales Tech, Sector Agnostic.
Where is Rampersand located?
Rampersand is headquartered in Melbourne, AU.
Does Rampersand lead rounds?
Yes, Rampersand leads investment rounds.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

Ep190 - Taryn Pieterse (Partner - Rampersand) on Rampersand's AAA approach to investing - YouTube

Rohit Bhargava · Taryn Pieterse

The Interview - Michael Naphtali AM, Rampersand - YouTube

The Interview Australia · Michael Naphtali

What VC's look for in startups - Paul Naphtali (Rampersand VC) | Startup Playbook Ep005 - YouTube

Rohit Bhargava · Paul Naphtali

Startup Grind Melbourne hosts Paul Naphtali (Rampersand) - YouTube

Startup Grind Local · Paul Naphtali

Startup advice by Paul Naphtali from Rampersand VC. @zendesk @startupgrindaustralia @startup #startup #vc #startupadvice #melbourne #siliconvalley #tech... | By Zuse Digital | Facebook

Paul Naphtali · facebook.com

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