Something Real Ventures

Something Real Ventures is a Melbourne, Australia-based angel investor and syndicate dedicated to fostering and funding early-stage cyber security companies across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). Established in 2023, the firm emerged from the significant experience of its co-founders, Kirstin McIntosh and Scott Handsaker, who previously led CyRise, Australia's only dedicated cyber security venture accelerator. During their tenure at CyRise, they oversaw 39 investments in cyber security startups, achieving a commendable 3.2x return on paper and an internal rate of return (IRR) exceeding 50% at the time of their departure.

The firm's core mission is to address a critical funding gap in the ANZ cyber security market, where innovative solutions often struggle to secure investment due to a lack of specialised expertise among traditional venture capitalists. Something Real Ventures leverages its deep domain knowledge, extensive networks, and hands-on experience to identify and invest in ambitious founders who are building generational companies in the cyber security space. They exclusively back B2B (business-to-business) ventures, occasionally considering B2B2B or B2G in exceptional circumstances, and prioritise founding teams with cyber-specific Go-To-Market expertise and strong technical skills.

Beyond capital, Something Real Ventures cultivates a vibrant and supportive community for cyber security founders. This includes a private Slack channel, regular networking dinners and drinks, and direct access to customer and investor connections. This community-first approach aims to ease the challenging startup journey by fostering collaboration and shared learning. The firm’s investment model involves a lead investment of $5,000 in every deal presented, with syndicate members contributing a minimum of $2,000 to $5,000, ensuring alignment and shared commitment.

Leadership at Something Real Ventures is provided by its co-founders. Kirstin McIntosh, a former Chief Operating Officer of CyRise, also holds positions as co-chair of The Startup Network (formerly Startup Victoria) and is on the board of BSides Melbourne. Scott Handsaker, an experienced founder and serial entrepreneur, was the founding CEO of CyRise and a co-founder of The Startup Network. Both bring a wealth of practical experience in venture acceleration and community building, positioning Something Real Ventures as a pivotal force in the ANZ cyber security ecosystem. Their past successes include identifying and supporting companies that went on to secure follow-on investments from leading global VCs such as Insight Partners, Blackbird, Khosla Ventures, Y-Combinator, and Skip Capital.