Aspire NZ Seed Fund

Bold ideas. Big dreams.
We'll invest in that.

Supporting Kiwi start-ups become world-class companies

Start-up companies play an important role in building and transforming our economy to become more productive, sustainable, and inclusive. Agile by nature, they’re the ones who introduce disruptive and innovative technologies.

Our Aspire fund invests directly into these early stage Kiwi tech start-ups at Seed and Angel investment stages.

/ Overview

Aspire at a glance

Aspire partners with like-minded private investors to co-invest in start-ups that show potential for high growth
Aspire is structured as an evergreen fund that can continue to invest indefinitely as long as it generates returns
Although a generalist fund, we focus our investment into the following tech sectors;

Software, Agri-tech, Health-tech and Deep-tech. See our descriptions of these categories HERE ...

History

Established by the Crown in 2006 to accelerate the development of the angel investment sector
This injection of public funding allows angel investors to spread their own investment dollars into more companies
NZGCP and the Aspire team work closely to help support the Angel Association New Zealand and the members/organisations within this network
In June 2020, the Government made Aspire mandate amendments. Read the press release HERE

/ Criteria

Is this funding right for you?

We are looking to back bold and courageous founders with big dreams and innovative ideas. Together, we will help support Kiwi start-ups become world-class companies.

What we look for when reviewing start-ups for potential investment;

TEAM: We invest in talent
PRODUCT: That's at the forefront of innovation
MARKET: If you have a solid business case
FUND FIT: If your company meets our Aspire mandate requirements

Not sure if this is for you? Check out the other options for capital in New Zealand.

/ Process

Our investment process

Introduction

Early-stage companies looking to raise capital should approach us for an initial discussion at the start of their capital raising process for confirmation on eligibility, impartial advice and introduction to other potential investors.

Screening

Our investment team undertakes initial diligence and presents the opportunity to our screening committee. If the opportunity fits with our investment thesis and there is a potential lead investor, then the deal is approved to move into due diligence.

Due diligence

Our investment team works alongside other private investors to conduct due diligence on the investment opportunity that is appropriate for the size and stage of your company

Investment committee

The Aspire investment committee reviews the deal against our investment thesis, portfolio allocation tools and decides whether to make an investment. For any investment that is declined, we provide constructive and timely feedback.

Legal review

A legal review of deal documentation is complete prior to final investment approval for all deals approved by the investment committee. Market deal documents, used by most New Zealand investors, are available below or on the AANZ website.