Multi-stage VC, Sydney

Blackbird Ventures

Venture capital firm · Sydney · Founded June 2012

Quick read

Blackbird Ventures is a multi-stage VC firm founded in 2012, headquartered in Surry Hills, Sydney. It backs Australian and New Zealand technology founders from seed through growth, with over A$1B under management and a portfolio of 80+ companies including Canva, Airwallex, SafetyCulture, and Culture Amp. Its fifth fund is targeting A$700M, continuing a run of record-sized ANZ fund closes.

Key facts

Founded
June 2012
Founders
Rick Baker
Employees
76
Sectors
generalist, saas, ai
Website
www.blackbird.vc

Investment thesis

Blackbird backs wild-hearted founders with the biggest ambitions across ANZ, writing first cheques from seed and continuing to support companies across every stage — from software to space — with the conviction that the next generation of global technology companies will be born in Australia and New Zealand.

Recent activity

  • Apr 2026investment
    Blackbird made a Seed investment in Kimia, its most recent recorded deal. cbinsights.com
  • Mar 2026investment
    Blackbird led a US$2.7M round into Marloo, an AI assistant for financial advisers, with Co Ventures participating. nz.linkedin.com
  • Mar 2026leadership
    Phoebe Harrop took over as head of Blackbird's New Zealand office from 1 May, replacing the departing Auckland partner who is relocating to Sydney. blackbird.vc
  • Mar 2026investment
    Blackbird led the US$55M Series B into Ivo (contract AI), alongside Costanoa Ventures, Uncork Capital, Fika Ventures, GD1, and Icehouse Ventures. blackbird.vc
  • Feb 2026investment
    Portfolio exit: Be Applied exited Blackbird's portfolio. cbinsights.com
  • Nov 2025press
    Blackbird devalued workplace software unicorns Culture Amp and SafetyCulture, with Airwallex flagged as its new marquee holding. cbinsights.com
  • Sep 2025investment
    Blackbird participated in Alloy's A$4.5M pre-seed round for a robotics data platform, alongside Skip Capital and AirTree. tracxn.com
  • Aug 2025investment
    Blackbird was among investors in Lorikeet's US$35M Series A for its AI customer service platform, led by QED Investors alongside Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz. tracxn.com

Notable investments

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

  • Rick Baker · Partner & Co-founder
  • Phoebe Harrop · Partner (NZ office lead)
    LinkedIn
  • Niki Scevak · Co-founder & Partner
  • Samantha Wong · Partner
  • Tom Humphrey · Partner

Sources

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Frequently asked

What is Blackbird Ventures?+

Blackbird Ventures is a multi-stage VC firm founded in 2012, headquartered in Surry Hills, Sydney. It backs Australian and New Zealand technology founders from seed through growth, with over A$1B under management and a portfolio of 80+ companies including Canva, Airwallex, SafetyCulture, and Culture Amp.

Where is Blackbird Ventures headquartered?+

Blackbird Ventures is headquartered in Sydney, Australia.

When was Blackbird Ventures founded?+

Blackbird Ventures was founded in June 2012 by Rick Baker.

What sectors does Blackbird Ventures invest in?+

Blackbird Ventures focuses on generalist, saas, ai. They primarily invest in these sectors.

How do I prepare for a meeting with Blackbird Ventures?+

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources on May 27, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.