About
Great tech startups all have one thing in common: an awesome technology product that solves a valuable problem better than before. Technology products are hard to create and commercialise, and the teams which create them are hard to recruit and lead.
At M8 Ventures we use our experience in tech product management and engineering to find and support teams setting out to build a world-class technology product, from day one. We are raising our first venture fund, and in the meantime, we're making some of our best deals available to syndicate members on Aussie Angels. You can read about how we led a pre-Series A investment into fast-growing telehealth startup Hola Health in StartupDaily.
We're industry-agnostic, our geographic scope is Australia and New Zealand, and we invest from pre-seed stage onwards.
We actively participate as mentors in accelerator programs and incubators to keep our skills sharp and to build a reputation for being helpful.
We don't invest in startups that aren't improving the world, including:
- Gambling, speculation;
- Eroding mental or physical health;
- Creating/reinforcing addiction.
We also expect every startup we invest in to collaborate with us on improving the diversity of their board, leadership and employees. (AKA no diversity = no dollars).
Many of our syndicate members are just as passionate about helping build startups as we are. You'll fit right in if you'd like to get in at the early stage and support the next generation of tech startups with advice and connections as well as investment.
Team
Emily Rich
Emily got her start as a technical cofounder of a machine learning and computer vision startup whose proprietary software led to an acquisition by a publicly listed IoT company in 2017.
Emily joined Microsoft as Managing Director of Startups for APAC where she supported startups to grow and scale with a specific founder-first focus.
Emily went on to co-found M8 Ventures, a venture capital fund manager focused on backing early-stage product-led tech startups from Australia and New Zealand.
Emily is a startup and technology executive with deep experience and domain knowledge of Australasian and global markets.
Alan Jones
Originally a tech reporter, then a producer for MSN's Sidewalk, Alan Jones rose through the product ranks from Yahoo’s first product hire in Australia to become Product Director, South Asia.
After leaving Yahoo in 2002, he became co-founder and product director for HomeScreen Entertainment, backed by the Packer family’s CPH, and later acquired by Quickflix.
Alan was a founding investor in Pollenizer, Startmate and Blackbird Ventures. His startup services agency The New Agency built AAP MediaNet, Autogenie and EmploymentHero before being acquired by BlueChilli in 2012.
His best-known angel investments include Aussie Angels, BindiMaps, Biteable, Bugcrowd, Canva, Cardly, Elevio, Future Super, GeoSnapshot, GOTERRA, HappyCo, Heaps Normal, HEX, Josef Legal, Propeller Aero, Psylo, Tilliter, Workyard, and UpGuard.
Alan has coached founders in startup accelerators including Atto, BlueChilli, Catalysr, Collider, CyRise, Monash University, Moonshot, muru-D, QUT, Remarkable, Startmate, Sydney School of Entrepreneurship, UNSW and UTS.
Now widely-known as mentor, coach and tech investor, he is a co-founder and partner with M8 Ventures. He is also the chair of gifting startup Cardly and Catalysr, an entrepreneurship program focused on marginalised migrants and refugees. Alan also co-hosts The Advisory Board, an advice show for startups, on Disrupt Radio, with Megan Flamer.