VC
Giant Leap Fund
impact entrepreneurs, social change, impact outcomes, impact measurement technology, impact alignment
What Founders Think of Giant Leap Fund (10)
Will and I go back a long way, so I want to be clear: this review is based on direct experience, not old friendship.
I reached out to Will as we were preparing Sleeptite for its first capital raise. I wasn't pitching Giant Leap — Sleeptite sits outside their core impact thesis — but Will gave me his time anyway, and that says a lot about the kind of investor he is.
The meeting was direct, practical and genuinely useful. Will helped me see where our positioning and raise strategy needed sharpening, and pointed us in a much stronger direction than we'd been heading. He asked the right questions, shared his perspective plainly, and didn't dress things up. That kind of candour from someone at his level, with no deal on the table, is rare.
Giant Leap's reputation in the Australian impact VC space is well-earned. Will has built something with a clear point of view and real conviction — not just about financial returns, but about the kind of founders and businesses worth backing. That consistency shows up in how he engages, even with companies that aren't in his pipeline.
If you're a founder looking for an investor who will be straight with you and bring genuine expertise, Will and the Giant Leap team are worth your time.
Connecting with Will and the team at Giant Leap has been absolutely beneficial to building my business from 0 to 1. Will came into the picture when Opficient was still finding its feet. At that point, I didn't need a big network. I needed the right one.
What Will brought wasn't volume. It was precision.
He made a handful of introductions, with every single one landing because he'd done the thinking first. The kind of intro where you walk in already trusted, which makes a huge difference. One of those introductions led to the most inspiring project I've worked on in my career, and something we're exceptionally proud of. Absolutely, one of those moments where you think, this is exactly why I do this!
Without Will's support it would have never happened.
Beyond the connections, he just asked good questions. The kind that don't feel like pressure, but leave you thinking harder about something you probably should have been across. He got what we're building, and he backed it without needing it to be more polished than it was. That kind of support is rare, and I'm incredibly grateful for it.
If you get the chance to work with Will and the team at Giant Leap, jump on it!
The review explicitly states that an introduction led to the 'most inspiring project I've worked on in my career' and that 'Without Will's support it would have never happened,' indicating a career-defining and foundational impact.
Giant Leap was one of our first intuitional checks. Adam backed me when I was still finding my feet, when I didn’t have many of the answers and wasn’t pretending otherwise. From the beginning, he helped shape our thinking on the product side: how to test with early adopters, what to prioritise, where we were fooling ourselves. He didn’t hand us a playbook. He asked the questions that forced us to think / build our own. One moment has stayed with me. During our pivots, I’d built a feature I was certain would move the needle. Adam told me in the politest way that it wouldn’t. He was right - we found it didn’t unlock revenues as we had expected. Adam has always been an excellent sparring partner - with each conversation I learnt something new and It changed how I was building. That’s what good investors do. They correct at the right moment, with enough trust built that you can actually hear it. To this day, I can pick up the phone and get critical, honest feedback. That relationship wasn’t delivered with the cheque. It was built over time, through the hard parts of building a startup. I consider myself fortunate to have giant leap in my tent. “
Rachel led our very first round at Perx and has been a massive contributor ever since. Giant Leap Fund is one of our favourite VCs.
**How they operate: Rachel and GLF put the company first — genuinely.** When Rachel held the board seat after leading our Seed, she proactively offered it to an unrelated industry veteran who could help us more. That tells you everything about how they think. As an observer and later board member, Rachel had sharp instincts for when to ask a reflective question, when to offer advice, and when to simply make the right introduction. GLF also runs portfolio events and community-building that gave us real support in the earliest, hardest years. They're there when you need them (and fast), but they know when to step back and let you run your business. They respect your time as a founder.
Who they are: Every person I've worked with at GLF has operated with high integrity, genuine curiosity, and humility. They care about impact — not as a brand exercise, but because it's why they exist. Rachel is sharp, honest, and hardworking. She was a worthy addition to our board at the earliest stage and has remained a trusted advisor throughout the journey.
Have met with the Giant Leap team, including Will Richardson and Peter Cameron, on numerous occasions. The quality of people within the business is exceptional. Not only are they highly intelligent and experienced, but they are also genuinely passionate about what they do and deeply committed to making a positive impact. Every interaction has been thoughtful, helpful, and insightful. I couldn’t recommend Giant Leap and the people behind the business highly enough.
I've sought Will's advice on many occasions and have always come away grateful for both his generosity and wisdom - especially given his depth of insight across so many domains spaning fundraising, co-founder dynamics, sales, the operational realities of building a business etc etc. He listens carefully, asks the right questions, and offers perspective that is both candid and constructive — the kind of counsel that genuinely shifts how you think. In addition, he is an exceptional connector. The introductions he has made both for my startup but also personally have been thoughtful and incredibly invaluable.
The review states Will offers "counsel that genuinely shifts how you think" and provides "incredibly invaluable" introductions both for the startup and personally, indicating a profound and transformative impact on the founder's perspective and network.
Rachel is one of the best VC investors I've had the pleasure to work with. She led the initial investment by Giant Leap Fund, served on our Board for several years and is a true champion for founders and startups in every sense of the word. She's incredibly smart, thoughtful and helpful, but also knows when to find an expert in her network who can bring even greater value. She respects the value of founder time and moving quickly and decisively when it matters. Finally, she understands the ups-and-downs of the startup journey and provides continuous support throughout, whether that's digging in to solve tough problems, being a sounding board for frustrated founders, or celebrating the small and wins along the way. I couldn't recommend her more highly.
Fortunate enough to have Wills direct support during my Startmate 2020 Cohort as a mentor/advisor and now working with Giant Leaps portfolio directly. During Startmate the founder support was second to none from sales role plays, customer discovery unlocks and being challenged on growth strategies and product thesis. Will opened doors I did not have the keys to with health tech specific investors and lead to warm conversations. Now on the other side 6 years later working directly with Giant Leap portfolio on GTM it has been amazing to see that support has not changed from the checkins, to the coaching and introductions. Giant Leaps reputation is well earned but more importantly well deserved.
The review highlights 'opened doors I did not have the keys to with health tech specific investors and lead to warm conversations,' indicating a critical, career-defining impact on fundraising and networking essential for a startup's survival and growth, sustained over six years.
Giant Leap backed modo when we were still working out what we were actually building. What we got wasn't just a cheque and some check-ins. They offered genuine thought partnership every step of the way. Will was the first person I'd want to call when we needed help to clarify things, fill in blindspots, and get unstuck.
They also opened a bunch of doors for us, and through that I learned the difference between a warm intro and a meaningful endorsement. VCs, angels, and grant-making bodies told me they took our calls because Will told them they should.
The team also understood the impact we were trying to have. Plenty of investors find that uncomfortable, but Giant Leap's tools helped us turn handwavy motivations into structures and processes that connected the dots between impact and commercial returns without slowing things down.
But perhaps the realest test of any investor relationship is what happens when things go wrong. Investors have less reason to show up once there's nothing left to gain, but as we approached the end of the road, Will and the team showed up even harder. They mentored me through a pragmatic wind down that protected every stakeholder, including me.
I came out feeling clearer and stronger than I went in, as a founder and as a human. That's not what failure usually looks like, and much of the credit goes to them.
The founder described coming out of a company wind-down 'clearer and stronger than I went in, as a founder and as a human,' indicating a transformative, deeply personal, and potentially career-defining impact even in the face of failure.
Every interaction I've had with the team as a founder has been genuinely impactful — thoughtful, engaging, and clearly mission-aligned. They ask the right questions and make you feel supported.
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About Giant Leap Fund
Giant Leap Fund, based in Melbourne, Australia, is Australia's pioneering venture capital firm exclusively dedicated to impact investing. Established in 2016 as an integral part of the Impact Investment Group, the fund backs rapidly scalable businesses that seamlessly blend financial returns with measurable social and environmental benefits. Giant Leap's investment philosophy is rooted in the belief that addressing humanity's most pressing problems presents the greatest opportunities for innovation and growth, actively supporting founders who are shaping a more sustainable and equitable future. Their commitment lies in identifying and nurturing companies that drive positive change across critical areas such as climate, health, and empowering people.
What truly sets Giant Leap apart is its unwavering focus on a dual mandate: achieving both significant financial returns for investors and profound, quantifiable positive impact. They employ a rigorous impact assessment process to ensure that portfolio companies are genuinely delivering measurable outcomes, such as reductions in carbon emissions or improvements in healthcare access. The firm embraces a "missionaries not mercenaries" approach, seeking out founders deeply committed to their purpose, fostering long-term relationships and offering guidance even before formal investment. This dedication to purpose-driven entrepreneurship defines their investment strategy.
Since its inception, Giant Leap has made substantial strides in the Australian impact investment landscape. Launched with an initial fund in 2016, it successfully closed its second fund at $45 million in May 2023, bringing its total funds under management to over $65 million by April 2023 across two Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnerships (ESVCLPs). The fund has invested in 30 companies to date, with a notable commitment to diversity, ensuring over 55% of its portfolio comprises women-led businesses. Key achievements include portfolio companies collectively avoiding over 205,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and generating $200 million in healthcare system savings.
The leadership team at Giant Leap comprises seasoned professionals with extensive experience in venture capital, private equity, and impact investing. Managing Partner Will Richardson, alongside Partners Rachel Yang and Adam Milgrom, spearhead the fund's strategic direction and investment decisions. Rachel Yang was notably recognised as Climate Tech Investor of the Year in 2023, highlighting the team's expertise and influence in the sector. This experienced team is united by a shared mission to invest for lasting change, providing mission-aligned capital, robust impact measurement support, and valuable networks to their portfolio companies.
Giant Leap continues to be a catalyst for the growth of the impact sector in Australia, publishing benchmark reports and fostering an ecosystem where purpose and profit can thrive together. Their portfolio spans innovative solutions in clean technology, sustainable agriculture, digital health, and inclusive education platforms, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to solving global challenges. By empowering visionary founders, Giant Leap is actively building a future where business success is synonymous with positive societal and environmental transformation.
Giant Leap Fund at a glance
Investment thesis
Giant Leap Fund invests in rapidly scalable impact businesses that blend financial returns with real and measurable social and environmental benefits. They specifically seek 'mission-driven founders solving the world's most pressing problems' across climate, health, and empowering people.
Key partners
Co-leads the fund's strategy of backing mission-driven founders with dual financial and impact goals.
Focuses on businesses fusing profit and purpose across health and wellbeing, sustainable living, and empowering people.
Believes in backing founders solving problems he personally cares about, with a strong focus on execution.
Pioneer in impact investment in Australia and Southeast Asia.
Portfolio companies
+8 more
People at Giant Leap Fund (4)
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