Aura Ventures

Aura Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with a significant presence across the Asia Pacific region, including offices in Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Established in 2013 as the venture capital arm of the broader Aura Group, the firm is dedicated to identifying and backing ambitious entrepreneurs who are building the next generation of category-defining technology companies. Aura Ventures focuses on investing in innovative, technology-enabled businesses from pre-seed through to Series A funding rounds. Their strategic presence in emerging markets allows them to leverage local partners and networks to assist entrepreneurs in new markets, a key pillar of their investment thesis.

The firm's investment philosophy is deeply thesis-driven and forward-minded, constantly seeking structural shifts unfolding over the next decade. They actively partner with pioneers who share their vision for narrating the future, believing that outsized value creation stems from predicting and preparing for the trajectory of society and technology. Aura Ventures is sector-agnostic in its approach, yet has a keen interest in areas such as AI, compliance technology, logistics, B2B SaaS, marketplace platforms, innovative retail experiences, enabling technologies, SaaS and infrastructure platforms, data, analytics and machine learning, education, healthcare, Fintech, and Climate/Sustainability. This broad yet focused approach allows them to engage with a diverse spectrum of business models.

Leadership at Aura Ventures includes co-founders Eric Chan and Calvin Ng, who also serve as Managing Directors of the Aura Group. Eric Chan leads early-stage investments for Aura Ventures, while Calvin Ng brings extensive global experience as an entrepreneur, investment banker, and fund manager. Other key partners include Mark Esterhuizen, a Partner renowned for scaling venture-backed businesses, Tristan Terry, Director of Venture Capital, and Annie Liao, an Investment Associate with a background in data science and consulting. The firm boasts assets under management of $307 million dedicated to venture capital, underscoring its significant role in the Australian and Southeast Asian startup ecosystems. Their commitment extends beyond capital, actively supporting portfolio companies in subsequent fundraising and opening their extensive network to founders.