Introducing the Model Code of Conduct for the Australian Startup Community

At AirTree we’re all driven by the same mission — to help grow Australia’s tech community into a thriving and creative ecosystem. But we also know..

The world is running at AI/ML as fast as it can... where does that leave Australia?

Daniel Petre's keynote address at the AWS Sydney Summit in April 2018 - "The Australian tech industry is at a crossroads".

Machine learning applied to melanoma diagnosis: our investment in MetaOptima

For some time we have been looking into practical applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning. We have seen a whole lot of hype..

Making energy efficient homes easier for all Australians: our investment in Brighte

We love to build relationships with founders early. Most of our partnerships at AirTree are the result of several years of relationship building, mentoring..

ABC Radio @ Myraid: John Henderson on the ethical implications of AI

When Google launched its latest AI assistant Google Duplex it was able to call someone, make a restaurant booking and the people at the..

My new venture

Elicia writes about becoming a first-time mother and continuing on with her career. Sharing a number of resources she'd recommend to anyone else in..

Product management at Google — insights from our AirTree portfolio breakfast with Anil Sabharwal

We recently held another AirTime event, a breakfast session discussing product management with a group..

James Cameron on searching for outliers

James started his career as a lawyer before jumping into launching startups himself. He used an unsuccessful attempt at raising capital as an opportunity..

Australian tech industry at a crossroads

The Australian IT industry is at a crossroads and it has a choice: participate as a producer of the world’s greatest applications and services..

Craig Blair on the need for ambition

Prior to starting Airtree, Craig had extensive experience in building and growing companies. He was the founder of three software businesses including Travelselect, one..

Entrepreneurs Show with Craig Blair

Learn from the founders of Australian business - from startups and small business owners, to the icons of industry; plus listen in as founders..

Sales funnel metrics you should be tracking in your SaaS startup

By Elicia McDonald

This is Part 2 of my blog series on enterprise sales, you can read Part 1 here

Building an enterprise sales model is..

Daniel Petre on the 2030 strategy

In leading the debate about innovation policy in Australia, government must confront the reality of impending job losses and all the political complexity that comes..

Google Photos creator Anil Sabharwal heads home to Australia

Google's 700 engineers in Australia will have a new chief as Anil Sabharwal, an Australian citizen who led the creation of Google Photos in..

Do we really need business tax cuts for the big end of town?

We are being told, mainly by CEOs of corporate business groups and business leaders that a lower company tax rate will result in increases..

Beer with an Entrepreneur: Daniel Petre, founder of AirTree Ventures

In this episode of Beer with an Entrepreneur, Daniel talks to Daniel Kjellsson about being terrified of Bill Gates, his mental models for evaluating companies..

Why Australia is the best place in the world to launch a start-up

Avocado toast has had a lot of press here lately, but it's actually a Californian invention. That said, just like wine and surfing, Australia..

Building our startup community 

Jess Heffernan is the Operations & Community Manager for AirTree Ventures, one of Australia’s most recognised VC funds. AirTree raised the largest fund in Australia in..

Save a lot of money and save a lot of lives — an opportunity for Australia

We are at a point now with some areas of medical diagnosis where not much money can be invested for significant savings both in..

AirTree: 2017 Year in Review

What a year it’s been for all of us in #startupaus! Innovation and technology are on the national agenda in a way they..

Bringing predictive decision support to the paddock: our investment in Flurosat

by Elicia McDonald & John Henderson

Here at AirTree, we are always thinking about industries where Australia has a significant..

James Cameron: I love that I get to work in an industry that's relatively new in Australia

"The lifestyle is unbeatable and I love that I get to work in an industry that’s relatively new in Australia"

Six months ago, James..

When SaaS founders shouldn’t be afraid of hiring a sales team

When SaaS founders shouldn’t be afraid of hiring a sales team

By Elicia McDonald

In the world of SaaS startups there seems to be..

AirTree Speaker Series: DevX Session with Alex Solomon, Co-Founder and CTO of PagerDuty

The market for dev tools and infrastructure has exploded, and having a seamless developer experience and a great developer community has now become critical..

AirTree Speaker Series: DevX panel with Chris Saad (ex-Uber), Erica Wass (Zendesk) and Tim Lucas (Buildkite) - moderated by Matt Allen (AWS)

We brought together some of the best in the business to share their experiences in building great developer communities and experiences.

AirTree Speaker Series: Professor Vanessa Hayes

Professor Hayes sits down with our very own, Daniel Petre, to talk about using the variation within our DNA to define our earliest human..

AI-driven customer insights: our investment in Thematic

by John Henderson

Customer centricity is the defining characteristic of successful modern businesses. The iconic companies of today..

AirTree Speaker Series: Developments in Blockchain

Our exceptional panel of experts cover the full spectrum of blockchain companies, from a more traditional crypto-fiat exchange to a completely decentralised marketplace, to..

ANZ Startup Ambitions: Past, Present and Future

In conversation with Bill Bartee (Main Sequence Ventures) and Daniel Petre (AirTree Ventures) at Startup Battlefield Australia.

AIRTREE EXEC: Let's start talking about mental health for startup entrepreneurs

A few months ago, one of my good friends — Allen Liao from Tzukuri — wrote a really personal and moving piece on his own experiences with depression..

Rethinking property management: our investment in :Different

Large stagnant industries where NPS is low and margins are unsustainably high

We love to back..

World class Aussie founders: Our investment in Snappr

Our mission at AirTree is..

Machine learning meets mining: our investment in EARTH AI

John Henderson

Intelligent software will disrupt every industry. Some industries will take longer to transform than others, but it is..

Aussie VCs leading on gender diversity, but there's a long way to go

Australian venture capital funds are setting the benchmark for gender diversity compared to their international counterparts, but most admit they've got a long way to..

Australian startups need to create respectful & inclusive environments -- and it's not about free food and ping pong tables

The recent revelations of sexual harassment in tech and venture capital are shocking. There’s rightly been a lot of discussion in our industry about..

Livewire Live insights: Daniel Petre on the next big trend

At Livewire Live 2017 last week, Daniel Petre of AirTree Ventures highlighted AI as the next big trend: “It will dramatically change Every job..

Open The Podbay Doors: Daniel Petre - AirTree Ventures

Daniel is one of the most successful Venture Capitalists in Australia. He is a founder of AirTree Ventures, a technology-focused venture capital company. 

How Aussie start-ups can scale up and avoid hitting the wall after getting funded

When I decided to come back home to Australia and join the team at Airtree Ventures, I knew I’d be jumping back into..

How to Raise Venture Capital – Elicia McDonald from AirTree Ventures

Join Elicia McDonald, from AirTree Ventures, on Wednesday, April 5th for a deep dive on all things VC; from navigating the ins and outs..

AirTree Ventures just recruited the man who created Google Photos

Australian venture capital firm AirTree Ventures has appointed the executive that runs Google Photos as a new venture partner.

How Airtree invested in Prospa’s $25m round reveals which start-ups get cash

Prospa has a huge, untapped local market that is ripe for disruption. We were impressed by their single-minded focus on solving their customers’ (SMEs) problems and..

Craig Blair (AirTree Ventures) and John Botros (CFO, Paxata) Talk Machine Learning

How one company built and expanded into a unique category in the market.

Hosted in partnership with AirTree Ventures, John Botros took time out of..

Three Ways To Create And Live Your Cultural Values

Sara Ramirez Morales

Helping founders achieve success through their people strategies

“Creating a strong company culture isn’t just good business. It’s the right thing..

How to nail your first meeting with an investor

Elicia McDonald Investment Associate at AirTree Ventures

Empower your champion. Jerry Maguire said it best — “Help me, Help you!”

Over the past quarter I’ve had over..

What to read if you want to learn VC in Australia

Dominic ReardonAssociate at AirTree Ventures

In September of last year, I joined the team at AirTree Ventures (*best job in Australia*). At the time, I honestly..

The future of technology & how to prepare

Daniel has been a leading player in Australia’s technology industry for more than 30 years, and has held leadership positions in technology-based businesses including..

A leading VC partner explains what's missing from Australia's tech startup scene

It’s been just over 100 days since I relocated back to Australia to join the incredible gang at AirTree Ventures.

AirTree, Australia’s largest VC, lures two new tech players from overseas

After a spending while on a sort of technological ‘walkabout’, Australia is experiencing something of a mini-tech boom. For a long time the biggest..

Ask Me Anything with Craig Blair

I am a co-founder and managing partner at AirTree Ventures, an early and growth stage venture firm that..

Australian VC Landscape

Wow! A lot can happen in 3 years. If you left Planet Australia VC in 2013 you would have left behind a country with..

AirTree, the start-up journey

Today we announced Airtree’s second fund: $250m to partner with the best Australian and Kiwi founders, wherever they’re based. This is an important moment..

AirTree raises $250 million for biggest ever Australian tech VC fund

AirTree Ventures has closed the largest ever Australian venture capital fund to invest in emerging technology companies, with $250 million raised from investors including..

The VC-Founder Cycle

We are sad that Paul will be leaving the full time embrace of AirTree but happy that he will remain part of the broader..

Morgans Startup Series with AirTree Ventures Co-Founder Craig Blair

In the latest episode of the Morgans Startup Series, I caught up with Craig Blair, Co-founder of Air Tree Ventures. Air Tree was established by..

Innovation agenda helps lure new AirTree venture partner from London

Highly-regarded Australian venture capital firm AirTree Ventures has recruited a new partner from London's venture scene, John Henderson.

Stumbling Upon Genius

by Cath Rogers @cathrogersvc

The mythology of the internet is that someone has a problem and then with single minded focus solves that particular..

Using Data to Manage Your Business

Demystifying cohort analysis is the first of a multi part instalment from AirTree Ventures, which also covers unit economics, key metrics to manage your business..

20 VC: James Cameron @ Accel on building great startup communities, and the rise of enterprise and cyber security software

James Cameron is an early stage investor at Accel where he focuses on enterprise software, security, fintech and marketplace businesses. 

Incubators and Accelerators

Around the world there has been an explosion in the number of accelerators to the point where those not in the know might think..

The evolution of the Australian start-up ecosystem

It is only when you sit back and take stock of how busy you have been do you realise how much the entrepreneur ecosystem..

Take X and add AI: Entering an era of intelligent automation

“The business plans of the next 10,000 startups are easy to forecast: take X and add AI” — Kevin Kelly, Wired

Alan Turing first suggested that computers might be..

20 VC: Finding the right VC and the evolution of Summly with John Henderson of White Star Capital

John Henderson is Principal at White Star Capital, a VC firm helping exceptional entrepreneurs build great technology companies, with a presence in Europe and North..

Don’t take seed money from someone who isn’t familiar with seed investing

I met a great founder last week. Let’s call her Jane.

Jane and her co-founder recently launched a company. They had exactly the attributes..

This Week in Startups Australia S02E01- Cam Adams and Craig Blair

Canva founder and Australian legend Cameron Adams joins TWISTA to talk about making products design-centered and customer-focused, then AirTree VC partner Craig Blair gives..

How bitcoin makes transactions cheaper: Solving the double spending problem is a big deal

There are many reasons to be excited about bitcoin: it could enable totally new business and technology models; it resembles the internet in the early ‘90s in..