Starfish Ventures

General contacts

Investor type

Founded

2001

AUM

$185 M

Location

Australia

Investment Ticket

$1-5 m

Investment Stage

Seed Series A

Region of investment

North America Australia and others

Investor profile last updated: 05 August, 2020

Profile

Starfish was founded by John Dyson and Michael Panaccio in Melbourne, Australia in July 2001.

Starfish has raised three funds: the PreSeed Fund and Technology Funds I and II, totalling over AU$400M in funds raised.

The team has invested in over 60 companies to date with 14 trade sales and IPOs, including listings on the NASDAQ, AIM and ASX. The Starfish team has established a strong reputation for partnering with talented entrepreneurs to grow innovative companies from an Australian base.

Starfish supports commercialisation of Australian R&D, and has undertaken 19 investments with universities and research institutes across Australia. Starfish Ventures partners with talented entrepreneurs to build successful innovative global technology companies. Our team’s proven expertise in venture capital investing, entrepreneurship and technology gives us the skills to navigate the challenges of seeding, building and managing high growth technology businesses from an Australian base.

Industry

Healthcare Services Media and Entertainment Software Telecommunications

Contacts

Name

Title

Social Networks

John Dyson Co-Founder & Investment Principal

Co-Founder & Investment Principal

Michael Panaccio Co-Founder & Investment Principal

Co-Founder & Investment Principal

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Investment-team contacts for Starfish Ventures — including verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — are available to Private Equity List subscribers.
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Contacts sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn, re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.

FAQs about Starfish Ventures

Is Starfish Ventures a venture capital or private equity firm?

Starfish Ventures is a venture capital firm. It backs companies at Seed and Series A, writing tickets of $1-5 m.

Where is Starfish Ventures located?

Starfish Ventures is located in Australia.

When was Starfish Ventures founded?

Starfish Ventures was founded in 2001.

What sectors and industries does Starfish Ventures invest in?

Starfish Ventures invests in companies and startups in Healthcare Services, Media and Entertainment, Software, Telecommunications.

What is Starfish Ventures geographical focus of investments?

Starfish Ventures invests in companies and startups in North America, Australia and others.

At what stages of companies and startups does Starfish Ventures typically invest in?

Starfish Ventures invests in companies and startups at Seed, Series A.

What is the usual amount of Starfish Ventures investment?

Starfish Ventures usually invests $1-5 m on average.

What is the amount of assets of under management (AUM) for Starfish Ventures?

Starfish Ventures has around $185m assets under management.

What are the contacts of Starfish Ventures?

Starfish Ventures can be reached through its website starfishvc.com and its LinkedIn page. Cold-mailing a general inbox rarely reaches a partner, so Private Equity List also lists the investment-team contacts for Starfish Ventures — names, roles, verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — available on a Pro plan from $129/month (see pricing). Contacts are sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn and re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.

Can I access Starfish Ventures data via API or MCP?

Yes. Every field on this page — profile, funds, investment criteria, portfolio and investment-team contacts — is available programmatically through the Private Equity List REST API and MCP server, so AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT can query Starfish Ventures directly instead of scraping this page. One subscription covers both the web app and machine access — see API & MCP.

When was the Starfish Ventures profile last updated?

Private Equity List re-verifies investor profiles on a rolling cycle, pulling from the firm's own website and LinkedIn rather than a one-off import. This profile was last updated on 05 August, 2020. Something out of date here? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.