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 2026pressBlackbird held its annual Sunrise conference, where AI dominated discussion — including an appearance by the new local head of Anthropic. Founders grappled with what the 'SaaSpocalypse' means for software businesses. afr.com
- Apr 2026investmentBlackbird led a $10M seed round into Marloo, an AI platform for financial advisers, also participating via the earlier pre-seed. Blackbird now holds 34% of the company. Icehouse Ventures co-invested. thenextweb.com
- Feb 2026investmentBlackbird led a US$7M seed round into Adora, alongside Skip Capital, Designer Fund, Garuda Ventures, and Co. blackbird.vc
- Feb 2026pressAt Blackbird's annual investor day, the firm flagged Airwallex as its standout portfolio holding and signalled Canva is on track for a public listing in H2 2026. Culture Amp and Safety Culture were written down. startupdaily.net
- Feb 2026pressBlackbird and Airtree began converting paper gains on the $1.6B Hims & Hers deal into cash returns, a significant distributed-proceeds moment for both firms. capitalbrief.com
- Jan 2026investmentBlackbird led a US$55M Series B into legal AI developer Ivo, alongside Costanoa Ventures, Uncork Capital, Fika Ventures, GD1, and Icehouse Ventures. blackbird.vc
- Jan 2026investmentElyos AI raised US$13M with Blackbird participating, alongside Y Combinator and PI Labs, to scale trade service agents. tracxn.com
- late 2025leadershipA Blackbird investor who sat on Innovation Minister Ed Husic's quantum computing advisory board departed the firm. capitalbrief.com
- Apr 2026investmentBlackbird made a Seed investment in Kimia, its most recent recorded deal. cbinsights.com
- Mar 2026investmentBlackbird led a US$2.7M round into Marloo, an AI assistant for financial advisers, with Co Ventures participating. nz.linkedin.com
- Mar 2026leadershipPhoebe 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 2026investmentBlackbird led the US$55M Series B into Ivo (contract AI), alongside Costanoa Ventures, Uncork Capital, Fika Ventures, GD1, and Icehouse Ventures. blackbird.vc
Notable investments
- MarlooSeedApr 2026thenextweb.com
- AdoraSeedFeb 2026tipranks.com
- IvoSeries BJan 2026blackbird.vc
- Elyos AISeries AJan 2026tracxn.com
- BlinqSeries AMay 2025tipranks.com
- KimiaSeedApr 2026cbinsights.com
- AlloyPre-SeedSep 2025tracxn.com
- LorikeetSeries AAug 2025tracxn.com
- CanvaEarly stageparsers.vc
- AirwallexEarly stagecbinsights.com
- SafetyCultureEarly stageparsers.vc
- Culture AmpEarly stageparsers.vc
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)
- Niki Scevak · Co-founder & Partner
- Samantha Wong · Partner
- Tom Humphrey · Partner
Sources
- A Blackbird Takes Flight | Blackbird
- Blackbird Ventures Portfolio Investments | CB Insights
- Blackbird Ventures - Portfolio, Partners, Reviews, News
- Blackbird Ventures - 2026 Investor Profile | Tracxn
- Phoebe Harrop Meadows - Blackbird | LinkedIn
- Blackbird's record $1b VC fund | LinkedIn News
- https://www.afr.com/technology/venture-capital-has-its-fair-day-and-ai-turns-up-to-show-who-s-boss-20260430-p5zskv
- https://thenextweb.com/news/marloo-raises-10m-to-replace-the-ai-notetaker
- https://www.blackbird.vc/blog
- https://www.startupdaily.net/topic/venture-capital/fintech-airwallex-is-blackbirds-new-canva-as-the-vc-devalues-workplace-software-unicorns-culture-amp-and-safety-culture/
- https://www.capitalbrief.com/topic/blackbird-ventures/
- https://tracxn.com/d/venture-capital/blackbird-ventures/__LdW89N8dHJ-tXzyUZXRh_Vk_wQSCYZwhIA9Ownt0uSs
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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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