Shearwater

Shearwater Capital is a venture capital firm based in Sydney, Australia, established in 2018. The firm differentiates itself by having its three founding partners, Zac Zavos, Mike Gregg, and Charles Gibbon, investing their own capital into fast-growth technology companies across Australia and New Zealand. This unique structure allows Shearwater to adopt a highly flexible and long-term investment horizon, unconstrained by typical fund limitations, enabling them to truly play the long game for outstanding companies.

Shearwater Capital is dedicated to partnering with passionate founders who are building generationally great companies. Their investment philosophy centres on identifying exceptional people and businesses solving significant problems within complex domains. They particularly focus on business software with the capacity to become mission-critical over time, recurring revenue models, and companies operating in rapidly growing markets where founders possess a deep ability to scale and learn.

A key differentiator for Shearwater is their collective entrepreneurial background; all partners have successfully built and scaled their own businesses, providing invaluable firsthand experience to their portfolio companies. This founder-first approach fosters relationships built on shared respect and trust, often leading to them being the sole shareholder or investing at a company’s inception. Furthermore, Shearwater is open to both primary and secondary funding, including providing founder liquidity, which is a crucial yet often underserved aspect of the venture ecosystem in Australia and New Zealand.

Their portfolio reflects a broad interest in early to growth-stage technology firms, with a particular emphasis on B2B SaaS, adtech, digital media, and enterprise applications. Notable achievements from the partners' previous ventures include involvement in multiple IPOs and trade sales exceeding $100 million, alongside a significant role in guiding WiseTech Global from its early-seed stage to a $20 billion+ valuation. Shearwater Capital's commitment to high-integrity founders and flexible, long-term support positions them as a distinctive and impactful investor in the ANZ tech landscape.