Exhort Ventures

Exhort Ventures exists for one reason. 

To give investors access to institutional grade early stage deals alongside top tier VCs while giving you the flexibility to build your own portfolio, deal by deal, on your terms.

We handle sourcing, diligence and negotiations. You pick the companies that fit your mandate.

And while Exhort is young, the traction speaks for itself.

We launched in 2024. Since then, more than 360 investors have joined the community. We’ve backed 10 technology companies across Australia and New Zealand and have already deployed over $1 million into high-quality software ventures. 

If you want exposure to early-stage technology without wading through noise, this is built for you.

Our Thesis 

We back software-first, capital-efficient companies that are rewiring how industries work.

In practice, that means:

• AI-native and workflow-embedded software. Products that become part of how teams operate and not a point solution sitting on the side. We love tools that capture data exhaust, create compounding insight, and become harder to rip out over time.
• Vertical SaaS and “future of industry” platforms. I back products that slot into the daily workflow of a specific profession and quietly become indispensable. These are tools that modernise industries that still run on spreadsheets, legacy systems, or pure human labour. The opportunity is simple: build software around the real workflow and you earn fast adoption, durable retention, and natural expansion.
• Operationally complex, defensible problems. We look for founders building in places where experience matters. These are industries where the stakes are high, the workflows are messy, and outsiders rarely understand how things actually get done. That edge is the moat.
• Global from Australia / NZ. We see Australia and New Zealand as high-quality, under-priced starting points to build globally relevant companies. Valuations are often more sensible, while the talent pool is increasingly world-class.

How We Invest (Our Process)

We keep the process simple, but the thinking deep.

• Deal Flow Generation: We engage with an extensive network of established investors from leading venture capital firms, with whom we have built trust and relationships over the years. Venture firms partner with us to provide the additional capital required to close a funding round, understanding that while we may contribute a smaller cheque, we offer an extensive network that founders can tap into. We also engage with startups at their earliest stages, helping them find strategic investors when they reach the right scale. Lastly, we identify and reach out directly to founders building in specific thematic we are interested in.
• Filter. We review hundreds of companies each year and only move on a handful. The first pass is always the founder and the problem they’re obsessed with. Then we stress-test the market structure, the commercial model, and the path to follow-on capital, because survival in venture is a function of momentum and fundraising credibility.
• Diligence. We run institutional-style diligence: customer calls where possible, product walkthroughs, market mapping, and explicit risk analysis. We care a lot about entry valuation, cap-table quality, and the presence of strong lead investors.
• Strategic Co-Investments: We do not lead investment rounds. We invest alongside top-tier VCs that have a strong track record and with whom we identify strong alignments. The nimble structure of our syndicate allows us to make decisions more quickly, bypassing institutional red tape. This approach helps founders close deals quickly, enabling them to focus on building their businesses.
• Invite Exhort investors. When conviction is high, we bring the opportunity to the syndicate. I invest personally in every deal because alignment means to have skin in the game. Our upside is entirely tied to the companies we back. Nothing else.
• Construct your portfolio. We aim to select 8–10 strong software businesses each year across sectors where technology actually moves the needle. We stay away from capital-intensive categories like biotech, medtech and climate with heavy hardware requirements. Our focus is software businesses with clear economics, durable market demand, and founders who can attract long-term capital.