We’re here to make sure Kiwi businesses flourish on the world stage and make a global impact.

We leverage sector-specific expertise from our world-class advisors and a GP whose successful operating experience has helped 5 global companies with a combined value of more than $150B grow.

New Zealand is…

  • Ranked in the top 20% of most innovative nations

  • A global leader in clean-tech, environmental, energy

  • Home to universities in the top 3% of globally placed universities

  • Ranked #1 for ease of doing business (World Bank)

  • Ranked #5 for ‘Best Country for Business (Forbes)’

  • Ranked #1 for corruption transparency (Transparency International)

  • Ranked #8 on Sovereign Risk Index (BlackRock)

    New Zealand is at the beginning of its exponential growth curve in venture, quickly becoming an innovation nation. New Zealand startups are undervalued relative to U.S. startups, and investors in our fund will benefit from this valuation arbitrage as the companies enter the U.S. market.

Quidnet’s Advantage

World-class Advisors

At the early stage, start-ups have little track record. So it is up to us to determine their viability in a larger context. We’ve gathered a world-class team with deep experience and expertise in the areas we invest in – everything from physical sciences, to chemistry, to software and financial technology. This gives us the unique capability to identify game changing opportunities early and engage critically with the entrepreneurs on the details of their technology.

Advanced Deal Flow Access

The General Partner and several advisors are Edmund Hillary Fellows, a community that allows exceptional entrepreneurs, investors, and startups to bring their innovations to New Zealand. This provides the fund with a network across many sectors of the New Zealand economy. The GP is part of several of Return on Science’s investment committees. Return on Science is New Zealand’s national research commercialization organization. He is also a mentor for startups at Te Ōhaka’s and CreativeHQ’s accelerators.

Focused International Network

We provide personal introductions to key people in the U.S. market — legal and IP experts, marketing and sales professionals, distribution channel specialists, enterprise customers, venture capital funds, and more. Outside the U.S, our team has spent time working in Europe, Japan, China, India, and Australia, and more than 20 years in New Zealand.

Operating Experience Scaling Businesses

Each member of our team has years of experience with growing and scaling businesses, most being founders and executives themselves. As a result, they are able to act as crucial mentors to first time founders who may need coaching and advice as they manage rapid growth for the first time.

Leadership

  • Founder

    Mark has spent more than 30 years in the technology industry since earning his PhD in physics. He has often worked with early-stage companies to help them develop their products and bring them to market.

    Mark was recently named as an Edmund Hillary Fellow, strengthening his more than 20 year relationship with New Zealand.

    Executive sponsor for Symantec-Huawei joint venture in China, which grew from $32M to $750M revenue in three years.

    16 years leading research and innovation at IBM, including 3 ½ years leading an R&D lab in Japan. Helped establish IBM Research in India and China. Created IBM’s internal startup program.

    Led an early-stage startup doing mobile content distribution in 2000.

    Co-founded an AI/ML startup, helping the publishing industry match readers to content.

    Led Corporate venture programs at three enterprise software companies (Symantec, Neustar, and NetApp).

    Led Innovation consulting at Vista Equity Partners; helping portfolio companies leverage innovation for growth.

    Harvard College, A.B., Physics, 1974 - 1978

    Columbia University, M.A., Ph.D., Experimental High Energy Physics, 1978 - 1984

  • Partner: 30+ years in enterprise Computer Systems — clients, servers, storage and networking.

    IBM team member for 30+ years in all parts of IBM’s systems business, interested primarily in driving new paradigms in computer systems, and computer systems’ evolution over three decades. Investor and Advisor to multiple startups including Spotfront, Cloudistics, and Fungible.

    Vice President of Technical Strategy at Lenovo (2014 –2017) and former VP of Technology — Xyratex (acquired by SeaGate), 2012 -2014.

    Vice President of Systems Hardware Development at IBM, 2007 – 2012. Responsible for all of IBM’s Systems Hardware products – Servers, Storage and Networking. Between ’07 and ’12, the whole IBM hardware portfolio was transformed for gro wth and future-oriented technologies and use cases.

    Carnegie Mellon University, Ph.D., Computer Science. IIT Kanpur, Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech.), Electrical Engineering.

    LinkedIn

  • Partner: Visionary Technologist and Strategic Advisor, Pioneering Cloud Innovations and Sustainability in Tech

    Currently a Tech Advisor at Nubank and Partner and Analyst at OrionX.net, focusing on cutting-edge technology advice in development practices, HPC/AI, cloud technologies, and sustainability.

    Previous VP of Amazon Sustainability Architecture at Amazon, leading AWS customer sustainability practices and establishing a team to liaise with Amazon's Worldwide Sustainability organization. Former Cloud Architect at Netflix.

    Began his career as a Software Engineer at Cambridge Consultants Ltd, contributing to real-time embedded signal processing systems and assuming a pivotal role in Unix systems administration and Inmos Transputer technology.

  • Partner: Technologist and NZ serial tech entrepreneur, specializing in Cyber Security.

    27+ years in Information Technology in New Zealand, the UK and Europe. In 2001, transitioned from Software Developer (IBM, Vodafone) and IT Consultant (Software Spectrum and AMR and Associates) to entrepreneur; and has founded and run 5 successful IT companies since then.

    Founded Aura Information Security, one of NZ’s leading penetration and ethical hacking companies. Founded RedShield, a niche web-application defense company, with customers and staff in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Sweden and the USA.

    Founded companies that have won the NZ HiTech Awards (including Software Product of the Year, Service of the Year, and Emerging Company of the Year), the Deloitte Fast 50, and the Deloitte APAC Tech Fast 500 for fastest growing revenue. EY NZ Entrepreneur of the Year category winner 2017, and has raised capital in New Zealand and the UK, achieving several successful exits.

    University of Birmingham, BSc Hons, Computer Science and Software Engineering.

  • Principal

    Skye has a background in operations software development at a trading fund. She attended Columbia University and worked for professors of Columbia’s GSAS after graduation. Her research was featured in Michael Schudson’s lectures (“Belgium Invades Germany: Reclaiming Non-Fake News—Imperfect, Professional, and Democratic"), and Why Journalism Still Matters (Polity Press, 2018), and Journalism and Truth in an Age of Social Media (Oxford U Press, 2019).

    She worked with Associate Professor of Sociology Joshua Whitford to develop the ‘Data Science Ethics’ graduate curriculum for Columbia University.

    Columbia University (B.A., Sociology)

Our Advisory

  • Jeremy Macleod: an established expert Recruiter and Executive Search Consultant for disruptive technology companies who are building and scaling Sales and Marketing functions.

    With over 20 years in global practice, Jeremy co-founded The Search Experience in 2019 which has fast become a trusted recruitment partner for notable VC’s such as Sequoia and Battery Ventures to engage world-class go-to-market talent.

    Jeremy has extensive tenure in Sydney, London, Wellington and San Francisco. Originally from Gisborne, New Zealand, Jeremy is passionate about partnering with Kiwi founded businesses to compete and win on the international stage. He is also an active Angel investor in early stage technology companies through TSE Ventures, part of the TSE Group (2019-Present).

    Jeremy attended Victoria University of Wellington (2002-2005).

    LinkedIn

  • Ayah Hassan: Environmental justice advocate with expertise in chemical engineering research, PhD Candidate

    Currently, a Chemical Engineering PhD Candidate at the University of California, Berkeley. Previously a Senior Air Quality Consultant at Ramboll, a global architecture, engineering, and consultancy company. Experience leading projects in community air monitoring, air pollution source apportionment, emissions estimation, industrial hygiene and health risk assessments.

    Conducted Computational Atmospheric Aerosol Research at Columbia University, 2016-2018; Researched the mechanism of secondary organic aerosol formation in cloudwater and compiled an emissions inventory of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

    Researched Theoretical and Molecular Chemistry at Ecole Polytechnique, 2016. Modeled the ionic chemistry of aqueous sulfate clusters in atmospheric air droplets. Published "Hydration of the sulfate dianion in cold nanodroplets: from SO42-(H2O)9 to SO42-(H2O)13."

    Columbia University, Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

    LinkedIn
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Portfolio Companies

  • Kara Technologies

    Kara Technologies provides accessibility through sign language using digital humans.

    Website

  • Pyper Vision

    The Christchurch-based company is using groundbreaking UAV technology to create safe visibility over airport skies, making air travel safer and more efficient.

    Website
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What our portfolio companies say…

“We have been really impressed so far working with Quidnet Ventures. They demonstrated a deep understanding of our technology and market early on, and have already brought to the table an array of valuable insights on how to scale our business. Particularly impressive is Quidnet's knowledge base spanning software, hardware and data analytics, as well as their general investment ethos. We are very much looking forward to working together in the future.” - Brendan Darby, CEO of Marama Labs

“Quidnet and Mark have been a fantastic leg up for Winely. We first met when Winely was really just a seed of an idea and Mark always took the time to help with connections, introductions and a stateside perspective. Mark has fantastic knowledge of U.S. norms and was enormously helpful in ensuring Winely's cap table was clean and attractive for stateside investors. Mark really takes the time to understand Winely's stage and priorities before giving advice - this sets him apart from many investors.” - Abbe Hyde, CTO of Winely

"Quidnet is an investor with genuine value add. We have high quality conversations resulting in good guidance, genuine support and practical recommendations." - Brendan Roberts, CEO and Founder of Aider