Section 08 · 21 entries · Updated 11 June 2026
Superconnectors
The people and publications worth following to stay close to the Sydney and broader Australian startup ecosystem.
01 Investors who share
- Niki Scevak Co-founder of Blackbird Ventures & Startmate. Posts actively on X about AU/NZ founders, investing, and ecosystem trends. source ↗
- Samantha Wong General Partner at Blackbird Ventures. Active on X and LinkedIn sharing founder insights, AI trends, and Blackbird portfolio news. source ↗
- Nick Crocker General Partner at Blackbird Ventures. Publishes 'Branches' newsletter on Substack; long-form writing on founders, health, and building. source ↗
- Craig Blair Co-founder and Managing Partner at AirTree Ventures. Posts on AU startup funding, ecosystem commentary, and venture trends. source ↗
- Jackie Vullinghs Partner at AirTree Ventures. Writes and speaks on health, fintech, and AI investing; LinkedIn is her main public channel. source ↗
- James Cameron Partner at AirTree Ventures (Sydney). Active on X discussing ANZ startup ecosystem, SaaS, and early-stage investing. source ↗
- Alister Coleman Founder and Managing Partner at Folklore Ventures. Posts on AU VC landscape, first-cheque investing, and startup funding data. Co-authored the 2025 State of Australian Startup Funding Report. source ↗
- AirTree Open Source VC AirTree's public playbook: guides, templates, benchmarks, and investor lists freely shared with ANZ founders. Updated regularly.
02 Community builders
- Phaedon Stough CEO and co-founder of Innovation Bay — Australia's longest-running network for tech founders and investors, running since 2003. source ↗
- Ian Gardiner Co-founder of Innovation Bay and Partner at Jelix Ventures. NSW Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year; hosts the pod 'Open The Pod Bay Doors'. source ↗
- Phoebe Pincus CEO of Startmate (since December 2025, succeeding Michael Batko). Former COO; leads Australia's top early-stage accelerator and community for founders. source ↗
- Michael Batko Ex-CEO of Startmate (8 years, stepped down Dec 2025); writes 'Batko OS' newsletter on AI and building. Prolific sharer of startup and operator wisdom. source ↗
- Innovation Bay Australia and NZ's premier founder-and-investor community. Hosts summits, dinners, and the 'Open The Pod Bay Doors' podcast. source ↗
- Startmate Australia and NZ's top startup accelerator and operator community. Runs fellowship programs, angel training, and founder events. source ↗
03 Media & newsletter voices
- Will Richards & Gemma Clancy — Overnight Success Co-founders of 'Overnight Success' — weekly AU startup and VC summary and The Startup Retro podcast. 5,000+ community; also runs an angel syndicate (launched Oct 2025). source ↗
- Chris Gillings — Cut Through Venture Founder of Cut Through Venture; publishes the most-cited AU startup funding reports. Director at Five V Capital. 20,000 subscribers. source ↗
- Simon Thomsen — Startup Daily Editor of Startup Daily since 2019. Hosts the Startup 360 podcast. 30+ years journalism experience; X: @StartupDailyanz. source ↗
- Startup Daily Australia's leading startup news outlet. Covers funding rounds, founder profiles, and ecosystem trends daily. source ↗
- Capital Brief — Technology Business and tech news for the new economy. Covers AU startup funding, VC, AI, and enterprise tech with strong editorial rigour. source ↗
- Rohit Bhargava — The Startup Playbook Podcast Melbourne-based host of The Startup Playbook Podcast (9 years, 200+ episodes). Interviews AU/global founders, investors, and operators. source ↗
- Eloise Keating — SmartCompany Editor at SmartCompany. Prolific coverage of AU startup funding, founders, and policy; active contributor as of June 2026. source ↗
Every entry above is source-linked and reviewed before publish. Spotted something out of date? It will be picked up in the next weekly agent run — each section is re-researched on a rolling cadence.