Upward | October 2021
G’day, Everyone!
Wow! It’s been a busy two months over here at Metagrove. But hang on, wait a second, what about September, you ask? — we didn’t receive a newsletter for that month. Well, I guess that goes to show how busy we’ve been.
There’s been a lot of things brewing here in our VC lab.
To kick things off, we had the rebranding from Steamworks to Metagrove in September. Thank you for all the well wishes and support from the community on the new name. It was certainly a hard but necessary decision, that will pay off in the long term and better position the fund to take on game-changing industries and multiple geographies in the future.
In addition, over these past couple of months, it’s been an opportunity for the fund to meet with so many founders across so Australia and the US, across a variety of verticals — from construction and healthcare to agriculture, and logistics. We’re excited about where these companies will go, but it’s also a strong signal that such industries are ripe for change and innovation, and we want to be on the frontline side-by-side supporting and helping them on their journeys.
We have also been building a solid team of experts in our partners and mentors.
Crew Updates
Venture Partner
Gabriel co-founded Lyka, one of the fastest-growing consumer goods start-ups in ANZ, and currently leads its Operations. Previously, Gabriel was an Associate Partner at Bain & Company, an expert in the firm’s Transformation, Manufacturing & Supply Chain, and Metals & Mining practices. At Bain, Gabriel has led several large-scale Transformations, both commercial and operational, leading the implementation of programs ranging from US$100M to US$2B in delivered value, which involved setting up, training, and managing large cross-functional multi-cultural teams. He was also a liaison between Bain and its ecosystem of Supply Chain start-up partnerships. Gabriel is a versatile leader with a strong bias to action, and who can meaningfully engage across all levels within an organisation, from the CEO to the frontline. Gabriel brings a diverse perspective and has worked across a broad range of geographies, in 20+ countries across six continents. He is also an angel investor and advisor connected to the start-up ecosystem. Gabriel is a Fellow at Afterwork Ventures and also sits on the advisory board of start-ups and non-for-profits.
Mentor
David is the Principal UX Designer at RealKey, a startup that provides technology to streamline the mortgage processing experience. He has been the lead designer at early-stage startups for the past 15 years and achieved 4 exits, including Roblox (IPO in 2021) and Jemstep (acquired by Invesco in 2016). He specializes in fintech-designed digital investment products for 7 years, including an award-winning tool for Citibank, and a decade of experience with the public financial markets.
We’re Building a Community
Metagrove is always on the lookout for Mentors. If you’re interested, please reach out to hello@metagrove.vc
Pitch Us
If you're passionate and are building something amazing, we want to hear from you! Fill out your application here!
News
For Founders
💁 Meet Our Fund | The inverted pitch format where VCs pitch founders
Industry
📰 FinTech | The world of BaaS (Banking-as-a-Service) and its intriguing business model
📰 Manufacturing | MIT Spinoff scores $38M Series B to decarbonize manufacturing
📰 AI/ML | Chipmaker Hailo raises $136M to build AI accelerator on devices
📰 Venture Capital | Sequoia’s new take on the VC model
📰 Logistics | Robotics-powered ‘microfulfillment’ startup Fabric raises $200M
Opportunities
✨ UQ Ventures | Financial Fundamentals for Startups and SME’s
✨ Launch Accelerator | Join their accelerator program
✨ SBE | Explorer Program for Female-led founders
✨ Antler Sydney Accelerator Program | Pre-Launch Program | Closes Jan 2022
✨ Antler Sydney Accelerator Program | Existing Businesses | Closes Jan 2022
✨ Startmate | Accelerator Program | Closes November 14th
✨ UNSW | AGSM Angels Investors Program
Invest With Us
If you're an accredited investor, and excited about what we're doing to ignite early-stage investing and create long-lasting impact then join us. Complete our investor interest form and someone will reach out!
About
Metagrove Ventures is an early-stage investment venture capital fund, focused on supporting founders and companies who are building the future of industry by creating inflection points in the market.
