Help & Support To Invest In Startups In Victoria | LaunchVic
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Help & Support To Invest In Startups In Victoria

The number of startups in Victoria has more than tripled since 2017 to 3,500, but access to early-stage venture capital remains a barrier.

LaunchVic addresses this market challenge through targeted funds and programs that will catalyse investment in Victoria’s early-stage startups. By fostering connections with angel investment networks and attracting more venture capital, LaunchVic helps you invest in Victoria.

Build your confidence and capability to back Victorian startups.

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LaunchVic Funds Angel Groups VC Funds Investor education

What Is An Investor?

An investor provides funding for startups in exchange for an equity stake in the company.
Types of investors include:

  • Angel investors: Individuals with a high-risk appetite who provide seed investments into early-stage startups prior to institutional investors, including venture capitalists (VCs). Typically, angel investors offer more than investment alone—they bring business experience, mentorship, and networks that can help the invested startup accelerate its growth.
  • VC Firms: Investment entities set up to hold funds collected from other investors and invest on their behalf into startups or early-stage businesses with high growth potential. These investors can be institutions (superfunds, corporations) or high net worth individuals.

LaunchVic Funds That Invest In Startups

LaunchVic runs two targeted investment funds focusing on under serviced areas in the startup ecosystem:

Two girls close up in black and white smiling about LaunchVic's The Alice Anderson Fund investment for women founders

Alice Anderson Fund

Between 2018-2021 only 4% of Australian VC funding went to women-founded startups. LaunchVic is working to change things with the $10 million Alice Anderson Fund, a sidecar fund that co-invests in women-led startups with private sector investors.

A tractor spraying produce to keep it fresh on a farm

Hugh Victor McKay Fund

The Hugh Victor McKay Fund is a sidecar fund for Victorian AgTech startups run by LaunchVic with funding from Agriculture Victoria. The fund will co-invest between $100,000-$200,000 into at least ten early-stage AgTech startups over the next 12 months.

Can I invest in LaunchVic’s funds?

No. 100% of the funding comes from the Victorian Government. Instead, startup investors, whether that be angel networks or VCs, can get involved by putting forward promising startups in your pipeline for co-investment. This will unlock more capital for the startups you are working with, allowing them to scale faster and increasing your chances of a return.

Angel Investor Groups

An angel investment network is a formalised group of angel investors that collectively evaluate and invest in entrepreneurial ventures.

Key benefits for members include:

  • An increased pool of capital to make larger investments (and hopefully larger returns)
  • Greater diversification through smaller investments in several ventures
  • Shared costs of due diligence
  • Access to deal flow and connections to the best up-and-coming startups
  • Access to expertise of other sophisticated, active angels and angel networks

LaunchVic Funded Angel Groups

LaunchVic has funded ten angel networks to establish in Victoria and invest in startups.

The Playbook Angel Network is a syndicate of experienced founders and operators who want to lean in and support the next generation of founders.

Ecotone Ventures is a new climate-focused Angel Network based in Victoria connecting the growing number of climate-conscious investors to early-stage ventures with climate solutions.

Cut Through Angels is a new angel group from the makers of the hit startup newsletter Cut Through Venture. The fund is industry agnostic and technology-centric.

Australian Medical Angels is predominately made up of practising clinicians that offers both clinical validation and invaluable links to the healthcare industry for Victorian-based HealthTech Startups.

Flying Fox aims to back teams solving big problems in large markets that are undergoing macro shifts, with a preference for solutions that bring people together, improve everyday life, or address physical and environmental health.

Scale Investors is Australia’s first and only network of angel investors committed to investing in and empowering exceptional women entrepreneurs.

Innovation Bay brings together a group of passionate investors to meaningfully connect and fuel the future of startups.

Archangel is an early stage venture capital fund investing in Australian startups. They work with great technology founders and investors to build game changing companies together.

LaunchVic Funded VC Funds

VC Firms are investment entities set up to hold funds collected from other investors and invest on their behalf into startups or early-stage businesses with high growth potential. These investors can be institutions (superfunds, corporations) or high net worth individuals.

LaunchVic has funded eight new Venture Capital (VC) funds to set up in the state. The new VC funds will collectively target to raise over $300 million in capital for Victorian startups, significantly boosting funding for startups and supporting the broader startup ecosystem.

LaunchVic VC Support cut through ventures

Led by Dr Amandeep Hansra and Dr Bi Mian, will focus on investing in early-stage healthcare startups from pre-seed to Series A.
LaunchVic VC Support Ecotone Partners

Led by Nicole Kleid-Small and Amanda Goodman, will launch a fund focusing on investing in early-stage climate tech startups via both equity and debt.
LaunchVic VC Support ERA

Will focus on investing in early-stage transformative startups in the consumer products and associated technology ecosystem.
LaunchVic VC Support Flying Fox

Led by Rachael Neumann and Kylie Frazer, has established a novel VC fund structure that will use Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to hold multiple startup investments across different stages and sectors.
LaunchVic VC Support Mandalay

Will invest in high potential Australian agrifood technology ventures across Seed to Series A.
LaunchVic VC Support Pacific Channel

Will create and invest into deep-tech pre-seed to early-stage companies within the future of food, health and the environment in Victoria.
LaunchVic VC Support SBE

Led by Kerri Lee Sinclair and Nicole Cook, will focus on investing in women-led startups.
LaunchVic VC Support Synthesis Capital

A spin out of the MedTech Actuator, will focus on investing in early-stage, deeptech medical, health and wellbeing-related ventures, from pre-seed to series A+.

Education Programs for Angel Investors & VCs

VC Catalyst

LaunchVic also funds VC Catalyst, a venture capital investing course delivered by the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship at the University of Melbourne that focuses on providing the next wave of VCs with the knowledge, skills, confidence, and networks to invest in early-stage startups.

With LaunchVic’s funding, the program has supported more than 60 investors to unlock a collective $72.64 million in startup investment since 2019.

VC Events

LaunchVic runs a range of VC events throughout the year helping local investors connect with the Victorian startup ecosystem. Sign up to our newsletter for a monthly roundup of upcoming events.

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