13 AI investors back Auckland startups in 2026. Icehouse Ventures, GD1, and Blackbird fund applied AI. Halter raised a US$220M round at a US$2B value.
Auckland builds real AI companies, not just demos. Soul Machines and Halter both scaled up right here.
Icehouse Ventures and GD1 back the local AI rounds. Blackbird and Square Peg fund the bigger AI raises.
AI funds want real models, data, and paying users. Ellty tracks every open when you share your deck.
This guide lists 13 active Auckland AI investors.
| Type | Check size | Sector focus | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icehouse Ventures | Pre-seed to Series A VC | NZ$250K-$3M | AI, SaaS, agtech | icehouseventures.co.nz |
| GD1 | Seed / Series A VC | NZ$1M-$5M | AI, SaaS, deep tech | gd1.vc |
| Movac | Series A to growth VC | NZ$2M-$10M | Deep tech, AI, SaaS | movac.co.nz |
| Blackbird Ventures | Pre-seed to growth VC | NZ$500K-$20M+ | AI, deep tech, agtech | blackbird.vc |
| Square Peg Capital | Series A/B VC | NZ$3M-$15M | AI, SaaS, fintech | squarepeg.vc |
| Pacific Channel | Pre-seed to Series A VC | NZ$500K-$4M | Deep tech, science, AI | pacificchannel.com |
| Outset Ventures | Pre-seed / Seed VC | NZ$250K-$2M | Deep tech, hardware | outset.ventures |
| Hillfarrance | Pre-seed / Seed VC | NZ$250K-$1.5M | AI, gaming, climate | hillfarrance.com |
| Nuance Connected Capital | Seed to Series B VC | NZ$1M-$5M | Deep tech, deep AI | nuance.vc |
| Punakaiki Fund | Seed to growth fund | NZ$250K-$3M | SaaS, AI-enabled software | punakaikifund.co.nz |
| Phase One Ventures | Pre-seed / Seed fund | NZ$50K-$250K | AI, SaaS, deep tech | phaseone.ventures |
| NZGCP | Government fund-of-funds | NZ$1M-$10M | Tech, deep tech, AI | nzgcp.co.nz |
| Altered Capital | Series A to growth VC | NZ$2M-$10M | Tech, SaaS, AI-enabled | alteredcapital.com |
Run your Auckland AI raise tight
AI VCs open your model and data metrics right away. Ellty logs every view in your data room.
Start free 14-day trialWhat an Auckland AI investor backs
An AI investor backs models, data, and applied products. In NZ that means real users, not just pure research.
Most write seed and Series A into Kiwi AI startups. They want a data edge that rivals cannot copy fast.
They study your accuracy, data moat, and margins. The strongest AI teams show clean metrics early on.
Ellty gives a secure data room built for AI teams. You see who studied your data before the first call.
The market feels simultaneously very strong and very fragile.
13 Auckland AI investors
1. Icehouse Ventures
Icehouse Ventures is NZ's most active early-stage VC.
Recent Activity: Backed Halter's US$220M Series E, runs a $70M seed fund
LinkedIn: Icehouse Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, SaaS, agtech
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Series A
Check Size: NZ$250K-$3M
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Website: icehouseventures.co.nz
2. GD1
GD1 is an NZ VC backing globally ambitious tech founders.
Recent Activity: An active NZ AI and tech backer, anchors Phase One Ventures
LinkedIn: GD1 LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, SaaS, deep tech
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: NZ$1M-$5M
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Website: gd1.vc
3. Movac
Movac is one of NZ's longest-running deep-tech VCs.
Recent Activity: Closed a $50M growth fund in 2025, backs deep tech and AI
LinkedIn: Movac LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Deep tech, AI, SaaS
Stage Focus: Series A, growth
Check Size: NZ$2M-$10M
Location: Wellington / Auckland
Website: movac.co.nz
4. Blackbird Ventures
Blackbird is a leading Australasian VC backing wild ideas.
Recent Activity: Backed Tracksuit and Halter, an active NZ AI investor
LinkedIn: Blackbird Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, deep tech, agtech
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, growth
Check Size: NZ$500K-$20M+
Location: Sydney / Auckland
Website: blackbird.vc
5. Square Peg Capital
Square Peg is an APAC VC backing AU and NZ tech founders.
Recent Activity: An investor in Partly, a Kiwi auto-parts AI platform
LinkedIn: Square Peg Capital LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, SaaS, fintech
Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
Check Size: NZ$3M-$15M
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Website: squarepeg.vc
Share your model results and track every AI VC
Ellty shows when Icehouse or GD1 opens your model and data files. Follow up at the right time.
Start free 14-day trial6. Pacific Channel
Pacific Channel is an Auckland deep-science and AI VC.
Recent Activity: Got $10M from Elevate for its Fund III, launched Fund IV
LinkedIn: Pacific Channel LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Deep tech, science, AI
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Series A
Check Size: NZ$500K-$4M
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Website: pacificchannel.com
7. Outset Ventures
Outset Ventures is an Auckland deep-tech VC and incubator.
Recent Activity: Closed an oversubscribed NZ$41.5M second fund in 2025
LinkedIn: Outset Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Deep tech, hardware
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
Check Size: NZ$250K-$2M
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Website: outset.ventures
8. Hillfarrance
Hillfarrance is an NZ pre-seed VC focused on AI and gaming.
Recent Activity: An active NZ early-stage backer of AI and climate startups
LinkedIn: Hillfarrance LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, gaming, climate
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
Check Size: NZ$250K-$1.5M
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Website: hillfarrance.com
9. Nuance Connected Capital
Nuance is an NZ deep-tech fund for science and deep AI.
Recent Activity: Runs a deep-tech fund backing science and deep-AI startups
LinkedIn: Nuance Connected Capital LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Deep tech, deep AI
Stage Focus: Seed, Series B
Check Size: NZ$1M-$5M
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Website: nuance.vc
10. Punakaiki Fund
Punakaiki Fund is NZ's largest evergreen tech VC.
Recent Activity: Holds $129M in assets across 30+ NZ tech companies
LinkedIn: Punakaiki Fund LinkedIn
Sector Focus: SaaS, AI-enabled software
Stage Focus: Seed, growth
Check Size: NZ$250K-$3M
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Website: punakaikifund.co.nz
11. Phase One Ventures
Phase One Ventures is a GD1-backed NZ early-stage fund.
Recent Activity: Closed a NZ$2.1M fund, has backed 14 NZ startups
LinkedIn: Phase One Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, SaaS, deep tech
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
Check Size: NZ$50K-$250K
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Website: phaseone.ventures
12. NZGCP
NZGCP is the government-backed NZ growth-capital investor.
Recent Activity: Backed Pacific Channel's Fund III, got a $100M top-up in 2025
LinkedIn: NZ Growth Capital Partners LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Tech, deep tech, AI
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: NZ$1M-$10M
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Website: nzgcp.co.nz
13. Altered Capital
Altered Capital is an NZ global VC managing NZ$280M+.
Recent Activity: An active NZ backer of post-product-market-fit tech firms
LinkedIn: Altered Capital LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Tech, SaaS, AI-enabled
Stage Focus: Series A, growth
Check Size: NZ$2M-$10M
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Website: alteredcapital.com
AI talent and the universities
Auckland pulls AI talent from its big universities. That deep talent pool feeds the local AI startups.
Strong research often turns into real products here. Soul Machines and Halter both prove this exact point.
Investors want a team that ships, not just publishes. A really tight pitch deck speeds up the whole round.
Run commercial due diligence on your market early. Ellty logs exactly who opened each file and when.
Applied AI versus research
NZ funds lean toward applied AI with paying users. Pure deep research stays much harder to fund here.
Applied AI shows real revenue, not just clever models. That steady revenue is what wins the entire round.
Show your accuracy gains and the money they save. Keep your results safe with strong security.
Vague AI claims lose these NZ investors very fast. Ellty shows you who actually read your real results.
Data, compute, and IP
Compute and clean data cost a lot for NZ AI teams. Funds want to see you spend that budget really well.
Your IP and data moat are what funds really pay for. Protect both of them right from the very first day.
Lock down your model weights and data access tightly. Use granular permissions on each file that you share.
Read how operational due diligence works early. Ellty tracks who reads each file you share with funds.
How to pitch an Auckland AI investor
Lead with users, accuracy, and a clear data moat.
- 1.Show real users and strong model accuracy.AI VCs fund traction, not just demos.
- 2.Prove a real data moat you can defend.A data edge is what wins AI rounds.
- 3.Share one Ellty link to your data room.Track who opens it and which files.
- 4.Follow up the moment a fund digs in.Ellty tells you exactly when they do.
How Ellty helps you land an AI investor in Auckland
You've shortlisted your Auckland AI investors already. Set up a data room before the first call.
- 1.Upload your model results, data, and deck.Set access per fund or per partner.
- 2.Share one trackable link with each fund.Each fund gets its own tracked link.
- 3.Watch opens and follow up at the right time.Use Ellty analytics to time each nudge.
Auckland AI investor questions
- Icehouse Ventures and GD1 lead. Blackbird and Square Peg fund bigger rounds.
- Cheques run NZ$50K to NZ$20M in 2026. Growth funds write much larger ones.
- Soul Machines and Halter grew here. Its universities feed the talent.
- Real users and a strong data moat. Accuracy gains that save real money.
- NZ funds lean to applied AI with users. Pure research is harder to fund.
- Before the first AI pitch goes out. Track who opens your model results.
