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SquarePeg Capital logo

SquarePeg Capital

venture capital, finance, venture capital & private equity principals, series c funding, growth capital

Melbourne, AustraliaEst. 201270squarepegcap.com
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Location
Melbourne, Australia
Founded
2012
Team size
70
Focus
Health
Revenue
$9.2M
Raised
$2.1B
People
7 listed

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About SquarePeg Capital

๐ŸŽฏ What They Do

SquarePeg Capital is a prominent venture capital firm established in Australia in 2012.

  • โ—Headquartered in Melbourne, with significant operations in Sydney, Singapore, and Tel Aviv, the firm is dedicated to empowering visionary founders who are building globally impactful technology companies.
  • โ—SquarePeg has played a pivotal role in the transformation of Australia's startup ecosystem by backing ambitious founders early, taking calculated risks, and integrating a global network to support its portfolio.

๐Ÿ“– Their Story

The firm's investment philosophy is deeply founder-centric, emphasising a high-conviction, high-commitment approach rather than making small, exploratory investments.

  • โ—They actively seek out businesses addressing important problems in large markets, led by world-class teams with compelling visions.
  • โ—SquarePeg collaborates closely with entrepreneurs, offering not only capital but also strategic guidance, operational support, and access to a vast network of industry experts and operators.
  • โ—This hands-on engagement extends to helping companies navigate challenges, recruit talent, and refine their product and go-to-market strategies.

โšก What Sets Them Apart

Over its history, SquarePeg Capital has achieved significant milestones, managing approximately US$3.6 billion (approximately AUD 5.22 billion) in assets across its venture capital and public equities funds.

  • โ—Notably, the firm has been an early investor in some of Australia's highest-valued private technology companies, including Canva, Airwallex, and Rokt.
  • โ—With a portfolio spanning over 70 companies, SquarePeg has a strong track record, having returned over US$580 million to investors from 11 exits with an impressive internal rate of return (IRR) of 42 per cent.
  • โ—The firm primarily focuses on early to growth-stage investments, typically from Seed to Series B, across sectors such as artificial intelligence, fintech, and software as a service.

๐Ÿ† Track Record

Key leadership includes co-founders Paul Bassat, Tony Holt, Barry Brott, and Justin Liberman.

  • โ—Paul Bassat, a co-founder of SEEK, is particularly known for his passion for mentoring and his focus on AI investments.
  • โ—Tony Holt brings extensive experience in technology investing and advising, having worked across various global financial hubs.
  • โ—Dan Krasnostein leads the Australian investment team, while Tushar Roy focuses on Southeast Asia, and Philippe Schwartz and Yonatan Sela lead investments in Israel, reflecting SquarePeg's global reach and regional expertise.

SquarePeg Capital at a glance

๐Ÿ“…
Stage
Seed to Series B, early-stage and growth-stage investments.
๐ŸŽฏ
Focus
$1.4M - $72.5M
โšก
Decision process
SquarePeg Capital's decision-making process is characterised by a high-conviction, high-commitment approach. They seek to partner with founders who are solving significant problems in large markets with a compelling vision and a world-class team. The firm assesses a business's alignment with its investment philosophy and fund mandate, ensuring it does not directly compete with existing portfolio companies. They are known for thorough due diligence and a deep dive into the founding team's culture and fit. They do not engage in small, exploratory investments.
๐Ÿฆ
Fund structure
SquarePeg Capital manages multiple funds, including dedicated venture capital funds and public equities funds. Their fifth venture fund closed at US$550 million in 2022, with a focus on early and later-stage investments across Australia, Southeast Asia, and Israel. The firm is also planning its sixth fund of similar size.
๐Ÿ”ฌ
Sector focus
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Fintech, Software as a Service (SaaS). Also includes Consumer Internet, Edtech, Future of Work, and Health Tech.
๐Ÿ’ฐ
AUM
US$3.6 billion (approximately AUD 5.22 billion)
๐Ÿงญ

Investment thesis

SquarePeg Capital invests in early and growth stage technology companies that leverage innovative solutions in artificial intelligence, fintech, and software as a service. The firm backs visionary founders across Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and Israel, aiming to build global generational businesses that address important problems in large markets.

๐Ÿ‘ฅ

Key partners

P
Paul Bassat
Co-Founder & Partner

Passionate about backing founders building global startups that improve communities. Focus on AI-driven companies, believing AI will disrupt sectors as rapidly as the internet did. Seeks founders with strategic ability, drive, hunger, and a mindset to attract talent.

T
Tony Holt
Co-Founder & Partner

Passionate about the transformative changes driven by mission-focused tech founders, aiming to participate in and influence their journeys.

D
Dan Krasnostein
Partner

High conviction, high commitment investor, not doing small cheques to 'test the water'. Invests when genuinely excited to partner with founders.

T
Tushar Roy
Partner

Focuses on identifying and supporting tech founders in emerging tech ecosystems across Southeast Asia, Australia, and Israel. Has worked with founders in fintech, SaaS, and AI.

P
Philippe Schwartz
Partner

Invests in culture-driven founders at the earliest stage, particularly passionate about supporting early-stage companies in AI infrastructure and with strong product and go-to-market strategies.

Y
Yonatan Sela
Partner

Passionate about crypto and B2C ventures, focusing on nurturing category-leading companies in these domains in the Israeli ecosystem.

๐Ÿข

Portfolio companies

๐Ÿ’ป
Canva
A global online visual communications and collaboration platform.
๐Ÿ’ณ
Airwallex
A global fintech platform that helps businesses of all sizes operate across borders.
๐Ÿ›’
Rokt
An e-commerce technology company that helps businesses unlock new revenue by making transactions more relevant to each customer.
๐Ÿฅ
Doctor Anywhere
A regional tech-enabled, omni-channel healthcare company.
๐Ÿ›’
Fiverr
A global online marketplace for freelance services.
๐Ÿ’ณ
Zeller
A financial services company providing payments and banking solutions for businesses.
๐Ÿฅ
Aidoc
An AI-powered medical imaging analysis solution that assists radiologists.
๐Ÿ’ป
StashAway
A digital wealth management platform.
๐Ÿš€
Supabase
An open-source alternative to Firebase, offering database, authentication, and storage solutions.
๐Ÿ’ป
Tomorrow.io
A weather intelligence platform that provides hyper-local weather forecasting for businesses.

People at SquarePeg Capital (7)

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