Blackbird Ventures: The VC Firm That Bet on Australian Founders Before Anyone Else
If you want to understand who’s funding the future of Australian AI, start with Blackbird. Founded in 2012 by Rick Baker and Niki Scevak, Blackbird has become Australia’s most prominent venture capital firm — and arguably the one most responsible for proving that world-class technology companies could be built from this side of the world.
With over AU$1 billion under management and a portfolio that includes some of Australia’s most recognised tech names, Blackbird doesn’t just write cheques. It builds the ecosystem around the companies it backs.
Who They Are
Blackbird was founded on a simple but contrarian belief: that Australian founders could build global companies if given the right support early. In 2012, that was not a widely held view. The conventional wisdom was that serious technology companies needed to be built in Silicon Valley.
Rick Baker and Niki Scevak — later joined by Bill Bartee and others — decided to prove otherwise. Their early bets on Canva, SafetyCulture and Culture Amp helped shift that narrative permanently.
Today Blackbird operates from Sydney and Melbourne, with connections to the global venture ecosystem. They’ve raised multiple funds, with their later vehicles running into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
What They Back
Blackbird describes their ideal founder as “wild” — someone with an outsized vision who wants to build a company that changes the world, not just captures a local market. They invest from pre-seed through to growth stage, writing their first cheque as early as a founder with an idea and no product.
Stage: Pre-seed through Series C and beyond
Cheque size: AU$250K (early) to AU$20M+ (growth)
Geography: Australia and New Zealand primarily
Sectors: Any — thesis is founder quality over sector
Their Australian AI Portfolio
Blackbird has backed a remarkable number of companies that have gone on to become AI-native or embed AI deeply into their products:
- Harrison.ai — Sydney startup changing medical imaging worldwide with AI; Blackbird led early rounds
- Canva — The world’s most-used AI design tool; Blackbird backed at seed when it was two founders and a pitch deck
- Culture Amp — Melbourne’s employee intelligence platform; backed from early stage
- SafetyCulture — Workplace operations AI; Blackbird investor from early rounds
- Deputy — World-leading workforce management platform
- Rokt — Sydney adtech building a $6B AI marketing platform
Beyond their Australian AI portfolio, Blackbird has also co-invested in global AI companies including Baseten (Series E alongside Nvidia, IVP and Capital G) — a sign of their growing global ambitions.
Notable Wins
- Canva — now valued at over US$26 billion; one of the greatest VC returns in Australian history
- SafetyCulture — valued at over US$2 billion
- Culture Amp — unicorn status achieved 2019
- Harrison.ai — expanding globally, flagship AU medtech AI company
How to Get in Front of Them
Blackbird receives thousands of applications each year. The most effective path is a warm introduction from a founder already in the portfolio, or through their Sunrise Festival (their annual community gathering for the Australian startup ecosystem).
They’re transparent about what they look for: a founder with genuine insight into a large market, a product that’s already showing early signs of product-market fit, and an ambition to build a global company — not just an Australian one.
Pitch process: Initial email or intro → partner meeting → due diligence → term sheet. They move fast for the right opportunity.
Website: blackbird.vc
Why They Matter for Australian AI
Blackbird’s most important contribution to Australian AI isn’t any single investment — it’s the proof of concept they’ve built. By backing Canva from a seed stage and watching it become a global AI design platform worth tens of billions, Blackbird demonstrated that the model works.
That success has attracted global capital to Australia, raised founder ambition, and made it easier for every subsequent AU AI startup to raise money. When international investors ask “who else is in this?”, a Blackbird logo on the cap table is still one of the strongest signals in the market.
📄 Explore the full Australian AI ecosystem: Australian AI Companies: The Complete Guide by Industry (2026)
