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Starfish Ventures

Oceania, Victoria, Australia, Melbourne

Description

Starfish Ventures is a prominent Australian venture capital firm based in Melbourne, known for its focus on early-stage technology and life sciences companies. Established as a significant player in the Australian VC ecosystem, the firm manages over A$400 million (approximately US$260 million) in capital across five distinct funds. Their strategic objective is to identify and nurture high-growth Australian businesses with the potential for global scale, contributing significantly to the nation's innovation landscape.

The firm's investment mandate spans a broad spectrum of sectors, including information technology (covering software, internet, digital media, mobile, telecommunications, semiconductors, and electronics), life sciences (including medical devices), and clean technology. Starfish Ventures typically targets initial investments ranging from A$1 million to A$10 million (approximately US$650,000 to US$6.5 million). This initial capital is deployed to support companies from seed to Series A stages, helping them achieve critical milestones and accelerate market penetration.

Beyond the initial capital injection, Starfish Ventures demonstrates a commitment to its portfolio companies by providing follow-on funding, with the capacity to invest up to A$20 million (approximately US$13 million) over the lifecycle of a single company. This long-term approach underscores their dedication to fostering sustainable growth and maximizing value for their ventures. Their experienced team provides strategic guidance, operational support, and access to an extensive network, positioning them as a valuable partner for ambitious Australian entrepreneurs aiming for significant market impact.

Investor Profile

Starfish Ventures has backed more than 22 startups, with 0 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 4 rounds, about 18% of its total and boasts 18 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Series B, Series A, Series C rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, Australia.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, Enterprise Software, Health Care.
  • Typical check size: $650K – $6.5M.

Stage Focus

  • Series B (36%)
  • Series A (27%)
  • Series C (9%)
  • Seed (9%)
  • Series Unknown (9%)
  • Series E (5%)
  • Post Ipo Equity (5%)

Country Focus

  • United States (64%)
  • Australia (36%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Enterprise Software
  • Health Care
  • Medical
  • Hardware
  • Manufacturing
  • Biotechnology
  • Telecommunications
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Health Diagnostics
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Who does Starfish Ventures frequently co-invest with?

Technology Venture Partners
Oceania, New South Wales, Australia, Pyrmont
Co-Investments: 3
Adage Capital Management
North America, Massachusetts, United States, Boston
Co-Investments: 1
Accede Capital
Oceania, New South Wales, Australia, Sydney
Co-Investments: 2
NIPR
North America, Missouri, United States, Kansas City
Co-Investments: 2
Versant Ventures
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Co-Investments: 2
Inbio Ventures
Europe, Moscow City, Russian Federation, Moscow
Co-Investments: 2
Foundation Capital
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Co-Investments: 2
UPS Ventures
North America, Georgia, United States, Atlanta
Co-Investments: 2
Lilly Ventures
North America, Indiana, United States, Indianapolis
Co-Investments: 3
Deutsche Bank
Europe, Hessen, Germany, Frankfurt
Co-Investments: 2

Which angels does Starfish Ventures often collaborate with?

SP
North America, California, United States, Mountain View
Shared Deals: 1
ZY
North America, Florida, United States, Miami
Shared Deals: 1
KA
North America, Minnesota, United States, Minneapolis
Shared Deals: 1
Larry Marshall
Oceania, New South Wales, Australia, Sydney
Shared Deals: 1
Lars Stegmann
Oceania, New South Wales, Australia, Sydney
Shared Deals: 1
Alan Jones
Oceania, New South Wales, Australia, Sydney
Shared Deals: 1
JD
North America, United States
Shared Deals: 1
MJ
North America, California, United States, Atherton
Shared Deals: 1
Anthony Marcar
Oceania, New South Wales, Australia, Sydney
Shared Deals: 1
BT
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Shared Deals: 1

What are some of recent deals done by Starfish Ventures?

CAP-XX

Lane Cove, New South Wales, Australia

CAP-XX develops, manufactures, and markets high power, high energy supercapacitors in thin, flat, prismatic packages.

Consumer ElectronicsElectronicsManufacturing
Post Ipo EquityMar 22, 2024
Amount Raised: $2,772,219
DesignCrowd

Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia

DesignCrowd is an online marketplace for logo design, graphic design, and web design.

CrowdsourcingGraphic DesignMarketplaceWeb Design
Series CFeb 1, 2021
Amount Raised: $7,633,326
Marani

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Marani develops a prenatal care platform which includes a wearable, textile-based product to measure key vital statistics of women.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Health CareHealth Diagnostics
SeedAug 12, 2019
Amount Raised: $1,518,746
Aktana

San Francisco, California, United States

Aktana delivers data-fueled insights and suggestions to life science sales reps, driving better decision-making and improved results.

AnalyticsArtificial Intelligence (AI)Life ScienceMachine Learning
Series BJun 8, 2016
Amount Raised: $17,640,000
Protagonist Therapeutics

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Protagonist Therapeutics develops orally-stable peptides to treat diseases that are currently addressed by injectable antibodies.

BiotechnologyHealth CareMedical
Series CJul 16, 2015
Amount Raised: $40,000,000
Protagonist Therapeutics

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Protagonist Therapeutics develops orally-stable peptides to treat diseases that are currently addressed by injectable antibodies.

BiotechnologyHealth CareMedical
Series BJun 4, 2013
Amount Raised: $14,000,000
Bubble Gum Interactive

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Bubble Gum Interactive is an independent game development studio creating story-driven entertainment experiences.

ChildrenMobileVirtual World
Series BJun 27, 2012
Amount Raised: $2,500,000
UpGuard

San Francisco, California, United States

UpGuard is a cyber resilience platform, designed to proactively assess and manage the business risks posed by technology.

Cyber SecurityEnterprise SoftwareInsuranceIntelligent SystemsSaaSSoftwareTest and Measurement
SeedJun 1, 2012
Amount Raised: $1,200,000
ICIX

San Mateo, California, United States

ICIX helps the retail industry's leading companies collaborate across trading partner networks to achieve Active Transparency.

ComplianceEnterprise SoftwareRetailSupply Chain ManagementSustainability
Series BOct 25, 2010
Amount Raised: $6,000,000
Ausra

Mountain View, California, United States

Ausra develops utility scale solar technologies.

CleanTechEnergyEnergy StorageRenewable EnergySolar
Series UnknownApr 22, 2009
Amount Raised: $25,500,000