Blackbird Aotearoa lucky to get $75m funding

Blackbird partner Samantha Wong (right) said it was an "exciting time to be investing in early-stage technology companies". (Photo: Blackbird)

Dan Brunskill

Wed, 09 Nov 2022

Blackbird Aotearoa says it was fortunate to have raised $75 million, as part of a billion-dollar parent fund, before the slow-down in capital markets was fully felt. The Australasian venture capital firm has raised a record AU$1 billion ($1.09b) fund, building off the success of its more than AU$5b portfolio, which features Canva, SafetyCulture, Halter and Zoox.In 2019, Blackbird established a dedicated $60m New Zealand fund and opened an Auckland office led by Samantha Wong.With that capital now deployed into companies such as Energy Bank...

Unlock all stories free for 10 days

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

We won’t charge for 10 days. You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call. Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].interval) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

You will be charged in 10 days unless you cancel beforehand.
We will remind you three times before charging you.
All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

Finance

Cautious lending keeps lid on default rates – Reserve Bank

Non-performing mortgages have overtaken Covid levels.

Jem Traylen 1:00pm

The Quiz Free

QuiznessDesk: Wednesday, May 01

Test your smarts against our Quizmaster.

The Quizmaster 9:15am

Primary Sector

John Penno quits Synlait board as George Adams elected chair

Synlait Milk co-founder John Penno has quit the company’s board, and George Adams has taken over as chair.The debt-laden milk processor told the New Zealand stock exchange (NZX) on Wednesday that Adams, who joined the board in March as an independent director, would take over fro...

Riley Kennedy 9:15am