Icehouse Ventures logo

Icehouse Ventures

Oceania, Auckland, New Zealand, Auckland

Description

Icehouse Ventures stands as a prominent venture capital firm headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, with a core mission to empower brave Kiwi founders building companies with global aspirations. Recognized as one of New Zealand's most active and impactful VC investors, the firm has cultivated a robust portfolio, having backed over 300 companies since its inception. This extensive reach underscores its deep commitment to fostering the local startup ecosystem and propelling innovative New Zealand businesses onto the international stage.

The firm employs a comprehensive investment strategy that spans the entire startup lifecycle, from nascent pre-seed stages through to Series A and beyond. This broad mandate is supported by a diverse suite of 10 active funds, including a dedicated pre-seed fund for early-stage ventures and a flagship fund for more mature opportunities. Icehouse Ventures also manages specialized vehicles, such as those focused on high-growth sectors like climate technology, demonstrating its adaptability and strategic focus on emerging trends.

Beyond capital deployment, Icehouse Ventures distinguishes itself through its hands-on approach and extensive network. Leveraging the broader Icehouse business growth ecosystem, the firm provides portfolio companies with invaluable strategic guidance, mentorship, and operational support. This ecosystem approach aims to equip founders with the resources necessary to navigate the complexities of scaling a global business, often facilitating co-investments with international venture capital firms to unlock larger funding rounds and accelerate global expansion.

Financially, Icehouse Ventures has demonstrated significant capacity, having successfully raised over NZD $200 million (approximately $122 million USD) across its various funds. Their typical first check sizes reflect their multi-stage investment approach, ranging from initial pre-seed commitments as small as $15,000 USD for nascent ideas to substantial Series A investments that can reach up to $1,800,000 USD for companies poised for significant growth. This flexible investment range allows them to be a consistent partner for founders from their earliest days through to significant growth milestones.

Investor Profile

Icehouse Ventures has backed more than 60 startups, with 14 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 9 rounds, about 15% of its total and boasts 15 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Series A, Series Unknown rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, SaaS, Agriculture.
  • Led 3 rounds in the past year.
  • Typical check size: $15K – $1.8M.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (38%)
  • Series A (25%)
  • Series Unknown (12%)
  • Series B (8%)
  • Series C (5%)
  • Convertible Note (3%)
  • Pre Seed (3%)
  • Undisclosed (2%)
  • Angel (2%)
  • Series D (2%)

Country Focus

  • New Zealand (80%)
  • United States (8%)
  • United Kingdom (5%)
  • Australia (3%)
  • Singapore (2%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Saas
  • Agriculture
  • Biotechnology
  • Financial Services
  • Brand Marketing
  • Sustainability
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Edtech
  • Education
circle-line
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Icehouse Ventures frequently co-invest with?

Movac
Oceania, Wellington, New Zealand, Wellington
Co-Investments: 4
Outset Ventures
Oceania, Auckland, New Zealand, Parnell
Co-Investments: 4
NZVC
Oceania, Auckland, New Zealand, Auckland
Co-Investments: 3
Promus Ventures
North America, Illinois, United States, Chicago
Co-Investments: 4
Tuhua Fund
Oceania, Auckland, New Zealand, Auckland
Co-Investments: 4
OurCrowd
Asia, Yerushalayim, Israel, Jerusalem
Co-Investments: 3
Airtree Ventures
Oceania, New South Wales, Australia, Surry Hills
Co-Investments: 3
Blackbird Ventures
Oceania, New South Wales, Australia, Sydney
Co-Investments: 15
K1W1
Oceania, Auckland, New Zealand, Auckland
Co-Investments: 10
Founders Fund
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 3

Which angels does Icehouse Ventures often collaborate with?

CH
North America, Washington, United States, Redmond
Shared Deals: 2
PB
North America, California, United States, Huntington Beach
Shared Deals: 2
Latesha Randall
Oceania, Waikato, New Zealand
Shared Deals: 1
DF
North America, California, United States, Penngrove
Shared Deals: 2
Mark Ritson
Oceania, Victoria, Australia, Melbourne
Shared Deals: 2
Bree Johnson
Oceania, Victoria, Australia, Melbourne
Shared Deals: 1
LR
North America, United States
Shared Deals: 1
TB
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 1
AC
North America, Florida, United States, Clearwater
Shared Deals: 1
MH
North America, Texas, United States, Dallas
Shared Deals: 2

What are some of recent deals done by Icehouse Ventures?

Halter

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Halter is an agtech company that develops a smart collar for cattle that enables virtual fencing and real-time monitoring.

AgricultureAgTechFarmingHardwareManufacturingSoftware
Series EMar 24, 2026
Amount Raised: $220,000,000
NextWork

Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

NextWork is an online learning and career‑building platform focus to help people learn skills by working on real projects

Career PlanningEducationE-Learning
SeedMar 4, 2026
Amount Raised: $4,450,000
Wayve

London, England, United Kingdom

Wayve develops autonomous driving technology using end-to-end deep learning models that enable vehicles to navigate urban environments.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Autonomous VehiclesElectric VehicleMachine Learning
Series DFeb 24, 2026
Amount Raised: $1,200,000,000
Appetise

Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Appetise is a cloud-based food technology platform with sustainable meal kit delivery providers.

Food and BeverageFood DeliveryRecipes
Series AFeb 19, 2026
Amount Raised: $4,943,527
Wellumio

Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

Wellumio is a medical technology company redefining the boundaries of clinical imaging.

ManufacturingMedical Device
SeedFeb 10, 2026
Amount Raised: $4,300,000
Contented AI

Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Contented AI offers AI-driven tools that help businesses generate, optimize, and manage written content for digital marketing.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)ContentMobile AppsSoftware
SeedFeb 9, 2026
Amount Raised: $4,100,000
Ivo

San Francisco, California, United States

Ivo is an AI-powered contract intelligence platform helping enterprise legal teams streamline contract review and negotiation processes.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)LegalLegal Tech
Series BJan 20, 2026
Amount Raised: $55,000,000
Hnry

Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

Hnry is a Fintech company that provides accounting and tax automation for freelancers and contractors in a single platform.

AccountingFinancial ServicesFinTechFreelance
Series CDec 10, 2025
Amount Raised: $17,303,553
Antioch

New York, New York, United States

Antioch Ark containerizes your complete hardware and software stack into a single, versioned entity.

Pre SeedDec 4, 2025
Amount Raised: $4,250,000
Number 8 bio

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Number 8 bio objective is to decarbonize agriculture while feeding the world's rising population.

AgricultureAgTechBiotechnologyFarmingLife Science
Series ANov 12, 2025
Amount Raised: $7,189,777

Find More Investors Like Icehouse Ventures

Discover similar investors in our database and build your perfect investor list.

Need help with your fundraising strategy?Read our fundraising guides