Introducing Ventari: A new chapter and name for Aussie Angels

Australia's early-stage investment scene looks nothing like it did five years ago. A decade back, you could count the country's active angel syndicates on two hands. Today there are more than 60. 

Around 1,100 Australian startups and tech companies took in external investment during 2025, and only about a third of those deals were ever announced publicly, Techboard found. The real market is much bigger than the headlines suggest, and a good deal of it is now run by people who wouldn't have even called themselves investors in 2021.

Our ecosystem has matured, and we have grown up alongside it. After nearly five years, the name Aussie Angels no longer represents all that we do, or who we do it for. So today, we're excited to announce our new name: Ventari.

Before Ventari: The Aussie Angels origin story

In late 2021, our Co-founder & CEO Cheryl Mack set up her own angel syndicate, discovering that to do it properly cost around $100,000, with another $100,000 a year to keep it all running. Even with her network, deal flow and a reasonable idea of what was involved, it still felt absurd. If the bill looked like that for a single syndicate lead, most people were simply never going to bother.

And so Aussie Angels was launched to solve this problem, and to illuminate what was required for emerging investment managers. We assumed we were building for angels like us, but soon realised the opportunity for a homegrown platform to serve funds and other investment managers was even bigger.

Why the name had to change

The people using the platform changed first. There are now 60+ funds and active syndicates running on Ventari, with fund sizes that typically sit between $5 million and $30 million. These include some of the most active investors in the ANZ ecosystem, some of whom got their start as angels themselves. 

Ventari has also been the place where many first-time managers raise their first funds, while established investors expand their platforms with sidecars, second and third funds, and other vehicles to enable their investment strategies. 

"We started building our syndicate when the whole idea of doing this properly in Australia was still new. Looking at where we are today, over 500 LPs and still growing, Ventari has been a steady partner along the way,” says Danin Kahn, Founder and Investor at Electrifi Ventures.

The work itself has also changed. We're the infrastructure that funds run on, from compliance, structure, trust services, registry, capital administration, and LP reporting. We also serve as an AFSL custodian, a core component of helping emerging managers get off the ground with all obligations covered.

Why Ventari? 

The word Ventari is a combination of ‘venture’, and ‘ar’, symbolising aroundness. It represents the place we gather, the place where funds launch and grow. The platform will continue its role as an important piece of infrastructure for the investor community.

"Building a small fund is full of lots of decisions, and working with Ventari has been one of the easier decisions we have made at Co Ventures. We wouldn't have been able to build our syndicates without their partnership, and it has been a big part of how we have grown," says Maxine Minter, Founder & GP at Co Ventures.

"Running our sidecar via Ventari lets us provide LPs the investment opportunities they want: to double down on the winners as they grow. The team is a pleasure to work with, the product gives us control over the fund pro rata, a way to properly service our LPs, and a structure we can keep relying on round after round," says Adrian Petersen, GP at AfterWork Ventures.

What does this mean for our community? 

Underneath our new name and look, our platform remains the same. 

We're already seeing over a third of ANZ's announced** early-stage deals happen on Ventari, and we think there's a path to well over 75% as more of the ecosystem realises this is how deals should get done. Stronger venture ecosystems build stronger, more equitable economies, and that's the difference we want Ventari to make.

As far as Aussie Angels is concerned, there’s more to come!

We know the name has earned real affection in this ecosystem, and we're not about to quietly retire it. What it evolves into next is still taking shape. We're early in discussions about how we can leverage it to continue serving the entire Australian angel community, and will share more about this as soon as plans are in place. Follow us on LinkedIn to keep in touch. 

What's next for Ventari?

There are still capable people across Australia and New Zealand who can't get a fund off the ground because the infrastructure sits out of reach. Every one of them represents capital that never makes it to a founder.

Closing that gap is our mission, and it's why we pay such close attention to the share of deals running through the platform. Every manager who gets to launch properly means more capital finding good founders, and less of it lost to admin on the way.

We will also continue our efforts in the community to grow the number of active angel investors in our region through education, connection, and more. You’ll continue seeing us out there at events big and small, and fighting to ensure our ecosystem is well-represented in public policy and industry circles. 

Thinking about launching or moving a fund or syndicate? Book a demo and we'll show you what running one on Ventari actually looks like, including the parts most platforms gloss over. 

*Techboard: unannounced investments in Australian startup and tech companies 2025

**State of Australian Startup Funding 2025