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Aussie Angels has rebranded as Ventari, reflecting its expansion beyond angel syndicates into broader fund infrastructure across Australia and New Zealand.
Founded by Cheryl Mack, Thomas Worden and Sacha Schmitz in November 2021, the business now supports more than 3,000 wholesale investors, more than 60 funds and active syndicates, and more than $75 million deployed through the platform.
The rebrand comes as Australia's early-stage investment market grows in size and complexity. Ventari says the number of active angel syndicates nationally has risen from a handful less than a decade ago to more than 60 today, even as many deals remain outside public view.
About 1,100 Australian startups and technology companies raised capital in 2025, according to the company, but only about a third of those deals were made public. Against that backdrop, Ventari says its platform now sits behind more than 35% of all early-stage startup deals in Australia and New Zealand.
Mack said the name change was meant to reflect how the business and its customer base had evolved.
"Over the past decade, it's been clear just how much the baseline level of knowledge has grown, and how many new investors are joining the ecosystem. Family offices leaning into startups, operators turned angels, and traditional investors realising technology is now a critical allocation," said Cheryl Mack, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ventari.
"Our community has grown with them, and more and more funds now run on the platform. It's time our name caught up to reflect what we are and who we serve. The need for this infrastructure keeps growing, and we're privileged to be helping build it," Mack said.
Ventari was set up after Mack encountered the cost of structuring and operating an angel syndicate. The company says establishing and maintaining a syndicate properly can cost roughly AUD $100,000 to set up and another AUD $100,000 a year to run, creating a barrier for emerging investors and managers.
What began as a platform for angel syndicates has since broadened to include fund managers across a range of vehicle sizes. Several fund managers in Australia and New Zealand use the platform to run funds and syndicates typically ranging from AUD $250,000 to AUD $30 million, according to Ventari.
The company also raised AUD $2 million in 2025 to expand its operations. That fundraising came as the business sharpened its focus on serving both first-time and established fund managers, rather than only individual angel groups.
Platform Growth
Users cited by the company include Electrifi Ventures and Afterwork Ventures, whose comments point to syndicates and sidecar funds becoming a more established part of Australia's venture market.
"We started building our syndicate when the whole idea of doing this properly in Australia was still new. Looking at where we are today, over 500 LPs and still growing, Ventari has been a steady partner along the way," said Danin Kahn, Founder and Investor at Electrifi Ventures.
Afterwork Ventures pointed to its use of the platform to run a sidecar fund alongside its main activity. Sidecar structures are commonly used to let investors increase exposure to selected portfolio companies in later rounds.
"Running our sidecar via Ventari has allowed us to provide our LPs with the investment opportunities they want and double down on the winners as they grow. The team is a pleasure to work with, the product gives us control over the fund pro rata, a way to properly service our LPs, and a structure we can keep relying on round after round," said Adrian Peterson, Co-founder and GP at Afterwork.
Sector Role
Beyond its software and administration work, Ventari has become a visible part of the startup investment sector through investor education and community programmes. Mack and her team have also been active in policy discussions affecting angel investors and early-stage venture capital.
The Aussie Angels name will not disappear entirely. Ventari plans to retain it for an affiliated organisation focused on representing the interests of Australian angel investors and the early-stage technology sector to government, regulatory and industry bodies.
Mack said there remained a large gap in market infrastructure for new syndicate leads and fund managers across Australia and New Zealand.
"There are so many emerging fund managers and syndicate leads across Australia and New Zealand who still don't have the infrastructure they need to get going properly. That's where we want to keep showing up, backing more first-time managers, growing the community of investors behind them, and making sure the boring stuff never gets in the way of good capital finding good founders. We're already seeing over a third of ANZ's announced early stage deals happen on Ventari, and we think there's a path to well over 75% as more of the ecosystem realises this is how deals should get done. Stronger venture ecosystems build stronger, more equitable economies, and that's the difference we want Ventari to make," Mack said.