Innovation Bay sits at the centre of the Australian startup ecosystem. A trusted friend of founders and startups. A valued network and source of great deals for investors. An industry thought leader and influential player for partners, corporates and government.

Innovation Bay was founded in 2003 with a simple goal: to create a network for founders to connect, share experiences, and learn from their peers. Hundreds of events later, Innovation Bay has evolved to create community across the tech landscape – between angel investors, VCs and founders at all stages.

Our purpose is to create valuable membership communities made up of incredible humans from the tech ecosystem. We bring founders, leaders and investors together to share experiences and learn from one another through carefully curated events, programmes and content.

Our mission is to support startup founders on their journey from idea to IPO. A united, strong, and vibrant tech community leads to better outcomes and more opportunities for startups, investors and the wider ecosystem.

Aurora brings together Australian and New Zealand venture capital general partners. Aurora exists to shape and enable the future of the industry via more collaboration, deeper connections, and collective learning.

Building on our experience hosting our annual venture capital “unconference” Venture Downunder, and utilising our key strengths of community building and event curation, we created Aurora to unite VCs across Australia and New Zealand.

Our more than 100 strong community is the one percenters of the VC industry - an enviable list of incredible minds. We don’t focus on deal flow, we focus on building relationships.

EVENT INTRODUCTION

In its fifth year running, the 3-day, 3-night venture capital retreat Venture Downunder (VDU) heads to Queenstown, New Zealand August 2023.

The aim of VDU is to bring together the more than 100-strong venture community of Australia and New Zealand to collaborate, share deep discussions, learn collectively, unlock new insights, challenge viewpoints and strengthen relationships. We believe that an interconnected VC community that gathers together will ultimately lead to better outcomes and more opportunities for startups and the industry at large.
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​We have an exciting itinerary planned set to feature local New Zealand startups, expert panel sessions, engaging talks, peer-led breakout sessions, amazing activities and social gatherings and functions.

IMPACT

New Zealand startups access to later stage capital
​Our Aurora members are senior (partner level) venture investors based in Australia and New Zealand.

We will enable some of New Zealand's best startups to pitch to and build relationships with this amazing group of investors. The outcome is likely to be Australian investment into some of these companies.
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​Aussie and Kiwi VC collaboration
​Covid basically shut the border between NZ and Australia for the best part of 2 years. If we can bring VDU back to Queenstown in August 2023, it will have been 4 years since our last VDU in Christchurch! So much has happened in this period. And our members are longing to build the collaboration again.
​We have so much to catch up on.
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​Education for NZ HNWs. Help local VCs find new LPs
​At our last VDU in Queensland in 2022, Innovation Bay helped to curate an investor education activity for the local angel/HNW community. Part of the objective of this was to encourage these private investors to become LPs in the local funds. We would love to help facilitate a similar initiative and generate new LPs for NZ's newest venture funds.  
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​Government thought leadership
​Opportunity for the New Zealand governement to build relationships, engage with, and learn from the leading venture investment community in Australia and NZ.

For example. Jacinda Adern hosting a boardroom-style conversation with our most senior members to discuss policy and desired outcomes.
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​Sharing the ANZAC spirit
​Innovation Bay prides ourselves on putting on exceptional, out of the ordinary events. We'd love to come back to Aotearoa and put on our best, our most memorable, our most valuable and most fun VDU yet!

Highlights from Venture Downunder
​Noosa, Queensland, June 2022

Venture Downunder (Noosa) - Attendee Interviews

During our Venture Downunder event in Noosa in June 2022, we took the opportunity to ask a few questions of just a handful of the experts in attendance.

Venture Downunder (Noosa) - Tourism Noosa Case Study

Highlights from Venture Downunder
​South Australia 2021