Bridgewest Ventures

Profile

Bridgewest Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Auckland, New Zealand, and Miami, FL. Founded as the venture capital arm of Bridgewest Group, the firm is led by CEO Saum Vahdat and General Partner Paul Brownsey. They pride themselves on combining U.S.-grade investment discipline with strong local presence in New Zealand and Australia. Their focus is on deep tech investments, leveraging scientific and technological expertise to guide startups to global markets.

Bridgewest Ventures invests across clean technology, life sciences, medical technology, artificial intelligence, and advanced materials. They primarily target early-stage companies within New Zealand and Australia's innovation ecosystem, aiming to de-risk technological ventures and enhance governance. The firm has total AUM with their Fund I at approximately NZ$60.2 million with plans to expand to NZ$100 million.

Notable investments include BioOra - automating the manufacturing of personalized cell therapies, MACSO - sensory AI integration for animal welfare in agri-tech, and Precision Chroma - developing adsorption columns for biological therapeutic purification. They actively work with portfolio companies to expand their commercial capabilities and access larger global markets.