Meet angel investors in Australia, through people they trust
Angel investors in Australia mostly back founders who come recommended. For over 20 years, Innovation Bay has connected founders with experienced angels and venture capital General Partners, and our rolling pitch events put your startup in front of them.
You don't need to be a member to pitch. Open to startups in every sector.
Partners
How do founders find angel investors in Australia?
Most founders meet angel investors through warm introductions, angel networks and curated pitch events, not cold emails. Angels invest their own money, usually at pre-seed and seed stage, so they tend to back people they have met or who come recommended by someone they trust.
That's why where you pitch matters as much as how. Whether you're in Sydney, Melbourne or elsewhere in Australia and New Zealand, pitching through a community like Innovation Bay puts you in a room of experienced angels and VC General Partners who have chosen to be there. If you're still mapping your options, our guide to Australian startup funding covers the wider picture.
How pitching to angel investors through Innovation Bay works
Pitch opportunities run on a rolling basis and are open to startups in every sector.
Apply to pitch
Send a short application covering your startup, your stage and what you're raising. You don't need to be a member.
Pitch to the investor community
Founders pitch at upcoming investor events to members of our Angel Investor and Venture Capital communities.
Keep the conversation going
Interested investors follow up with you. If you want peer support through the raise and after it, you can also apply to join the founder community.
The investors and founders you'll meet
Angel investors
Our Angel Investor community brings together experienced angels backing the next generation of early-stage startups across Australia and New Zealand. Hear how some of them think in our Angel Voices interviews.
Venture capital General Partners
Our Venture Capital community is exclusive to General Partners of VC firms. They meet each year at Venture Downunder, the largest gathering of GPs in the region.
Founders who've done it
In the founder community, founders share their own fundraising experience peer to peer, in small groups of 8 to 10, so you hear what worked from people who have been through it.
What angel investors for startups tend to look for
Every angel is different, but the questions they ask are consistent. Having clear answers makes your pitch easier to back.
- A team they believe in. At pre-seed and seed, angels are mostly backing the founders and why you're the right people for this problem.
- Evidence of demand. Early customers, pilots, retention or revenue that show people want what you're building.
- A clear use of funds. What this round pays for and the milestone it gets you to next.
- Sensible terms. A valuation and structure that leave room for the rounds that come after.
- Fit with them. Angels invest their own money, so they look for founders they'd want to work with for years.
"Joining is one of the best decisions I have made. It is an open and growth oriented environment, where you can talk deeply with entrepreneurs who are going on a similar journey... Innovation Bay allows you to dive into these with fellow entrepreneurs you can trust as they have no agenda apart from sharing and learning together."
James Ferguson, Co-Founder, Immutable
Two ways to meet the Innovation Bay investor community
Pitch to investors
Apply to pitch at an upcoming investor event to our angel and venture capital communities. Open to startups in every sector, with no membership needed.
Apply to pitchJoin the founder community
Small peer groups, a curated events calendar and introductions for founders past product market fit. Membership starts from $5,000 a year and is by application.
Apply for membershipApply for membership
Angel investors in Australia: common questions
How do I find angel investors in Australia?
Most founders meet angel investors in Australia through warm introductions, angel networks and curated pitch events rather than cold emails. Angels invest their own money and tend to back founders they have met or who come recommended by someone they trust. Pitching through an established community such as Innovation Bay puts you in front of experienced angels and venture capital General Partners who have chosen to be there.
Do I need to be an Innovation Bay member to pitch?
No. Innovation Bay runs rolling pitch opportunities that are open to startups in every sector, and you do not need to be a member to apply to pitch at an upcoming investor event.
What stage do angel investors in Australia usually invest at?
Angel investors usually come in at pre-seed and seed stage, before or alongside the first institutional money. They often back a strong team and early evidence of demand before a company has the revenue a venture capital firm would expect.
What do angel investors look for in a startup?
Angels look first at the founders, then at evidence that customers want the product, a clear plan for what the money will achieve, and terms that make sense for an early-stage round. Because they invest their own money, trust and founder fit matter as much as the numbers.
Where does Innovation Bay run investor and founder events?
Innovation Bay runs events for founders and investors across Australia and New Zealand, including Sydney and Melbourne. It expanded nationally to Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide in 2014, and its Venture Capital community meets each year at Venture Downunder.
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