Participated · Series A · Aug 2026

Vessev (formerly Seachange, and before that FreightFish, which built autonomous cargo vessels) designs and builds electric hydrofoiling passenger vessels along with the flight-control and telemetry systems that operate them. Its VS-9 entered commercial service with Fullers360 on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf in January 2025, and the company has since brought propulsion in-house with VS-Drive, an electric motor developed with co-funding from New Zealand's Low Emission Transport Fund. Operators in New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Europe have placed orders, including Taupō Hydrofoil Tours, Fly Derwent in Hobart, which has doubled its order, Finn Lough as its first European customer, and FlyTahoe at Lake Tahoe as its first US customer. A larger VS-18 is in development, and the company opened a US office in Rhode Island in 2025 ahead of entering the American market the following year. Founded by Max Olson and led by chief executive Eric Laakmann, Vessev employs 58 people at its Auckland, New Zealand headquarters. Financially, Vessev raised US$19 million (NZ$32.6 million) in Series A and follow-on financing in August 2026, led by Blackbird Ventures; the articles do not state a cumulative total raised across its earlier rounds.

Led · Seed · Jul 2026

Outlier Space is developing an autonomous returnable orbital capsule designed to carry research and manufacturing payloads into orbit for durations of weeks to months and then return them safely to Earth. The company says such microgravity conditions can produce purer crystals and more uniform protein structures, enabling scientific and manufacturing experiments that benefit from reduced gravity. Outlier positions its service as a landlord for specialized orbital factories that host those payloads. The team is led by founder Jamie France, who has prior experience at Emirates Team New Zealand, Air New Zealand’s Skycouch development, and nearly a decade at Rocket Lab culminating as Global Director of the Electron programme; team members named include Nick Pearson and Courtney France. Financially, Outlier closed a US$7.35M pre-seed round, noted as one of the largest pre-seed raises in New Zealand history, to fund development of the capsule and related operations.

Participated · Seed · Apr 2026

Atomic Tessellator uses a simulation-first platform to compress materials discovery timelines from 3–4 years in a lab to weeks and to reduce lab costs to less than 1% of traditional methods. The company reports arriving at synthesis with high-confidence candidates rather than untested hypotheses and has announced the lab synthesis of Vireon, a rare earth–free magnet that outperforms existing rare-earth alternatives on key metrics. Behind Vireon, Atomic Tessellator says it has a pipeline of around 20 novel material candidates, with a significant number already entering lab synthesis. Founder and CEO Alain Richardt is cited by investors for combining scientific rigour with commercial clarity. The recent $11.3 million seed round led by Crane Venture Partners and participation from IQT, Salus Ventures and others will support further synthesis and commercialisation efforts. No revenue or user metrics were disclosed in the announcement.

Led · Series A · Apr 2026

Founded in 2022 by Ollie Shaw and Mark Hurley, Caruso provides fund administration and registry services through an AI-native system that handles accounting, investor onboarding and communications. The platform reports $80B in assets under administration across 80 fund managers. Caruso is focused on product development and expanding its AI capabilities to manage fund operations. Following the recent raise, the company plans to move its headquarters from Auckland to Sydney. The business completed a $9.3M funding round that valued it at $80M. The new capital is intended to accelerate its product roadmap and AI expansion.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2026

NextWork offers an online platform where learners build real AI projects—such as chatbots and automated workflows—and publish authenticated portfolios that employers can easily verify. By shifting focus from traditional credentials to demonstrable outcomes, the company serves as a trust layer for AI-related hiring. Since its 2024 launch, more than 190,000 users in over 190 countries have completed projects on the site, with 22% of those projects created by U.S. learners aged 25–35. The company plans to establish its U.S. headquarters in Austin, Texas and will direct new funds toward engineering and growth hiring. NextWork’s model addresses the widening AI skills gap, helping individuals switch careers or earn promotions by showcasing concrete abilities. Financial details beyond user metrics have not been publicly disclosed, but recent backing underscores investor confidence in its growth trajectory.