Aura Ventures

Aura Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that partners with ambitious entrepreneurs to build and scale technology-enabled companies across Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. As the venture capital arm of Aura Group, the firm focuses on identifying and supporting innovative startups from pre-seed to Series A funding rounds. Their investment thesis is broadly defined, encompassing a spectrum of business models including innovative retail experiences, enabling technologies, and SaaS and infrastructure platforms.

Founded in 2013 by Calvin Ng and Eric Chan, Aura Ventures emerged from a vision to empower investors and entrepreneurs in the APAC region. The firm is committed to a hands-on, strategic approach, collaborating closely with founders from day one to navigate the challenges of the startup journey. They leverage their deep expertise and local partner networks across Australia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to support portfolio companies in realizing their global ambitions.

Aura Ventures has built a diverse portfolio of companies, including notable investments in firms like Shippit, Catapult, and Gamurs. More recently, they participated in the Series A funding round for Haast, an AI-powered enterprise compliance engine. The firm actively seeks opportunities in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, Business Services, Financial Services & Fintech, and Technology, Software & Gaming, with a particular interest in AI-enabled B2B software companies with global scaling potential.

The team at Aura Ventures includes Co-Founders and Partners Calvin Ng and Eric Chan, alongside Partner Mark Esterhuizen and Corporate Development Manager Sabrina Zeng. They bring extensive experience in investment and wealth management, aiming to foster a community of creative and innovative dreamers. Aura Ventures manages $307 million in assets, contributing to Aura Group's broader management and advisory of $1.5 billion across its various strategies.