We invest in game changers, and big ideas that just might work. We live and breathe aerospace, bioreactors, terraforming, and artificial organs. Future tech. New worlds waiting to happen.

Outset has a history of seeing the future. Let us help make you inevitable.

Investment process

01

Meet the Outset team
Sometimes you send us your pitch deck, sometimes you’re introduced to us by community member, sometimes you just cold email us. Our first meeting will be between you and one of our core team. This will be an informal conversation about what you’re building, and who you and your team are.

02

Meet some community members
If we like your technology and your vision, we’ll set up a few follow-up meetings. You will meet with one or two of our community members who has knowledge about your area, so we can dig a little deeper into your venture and understand how you see it growing.

03

Prepare for the investment committee
We’ll help you refine your pitch and tell the story of your venture well. This is also when our due diligence process starts, and we’ll walk you through what we look for. Any major roadblocks to investment will be worked through during time.

04

Pitch to the investment committee
If all goes well so far, we will ask you to pitch to our investment committee. This is usually in person, but sometimes via video works well, too. This is a chance for the committee to get to know you, your team, and your venture, and give useful feedback based on their experience and expertise.

05

Complete due diligence and investment documents
If it’s a yes from the committee, we’ll start working on a term sheet for you, and complete any last due diligence work. Once that’s agreed upon, we’ll finalise the full documents. We will also go out to our investor partners if you’re interested in having others join the round, or provide you with introductions to other investors we work with.

Once that’s all done, we’ll celebrate having you join the Outset whānau!

Want to get investment for your slightly mad idea? Get in touch.

FAQs

Am I too early for you to invest in?

You might not be investment ready yet but it’s never too early to get in touch. If you have a bold idea and are the right person to turn it into a business, then reach out. We invest pre-prototype through our Launch Lab residential program that provides you with the space, community, funding, and equipment to get to proof of concept and beyond. We are very often the first money to come into a business.

Am I too late for you to invest in?

Though we do a limited amount of co-investing in Series A, we only lead investments at the pre-seed and seed level. We do very little investing in round sizes above $4m and the majority of our investing happens between $100,000 and $3million rounds.

Do I have to pay fees to Outset?

No. We are incentivised solely by our own investors and the performance of our portfolio companies.

How long does the process take?

It can depend a lot on how prepared the company is starting the process. Typically, it is good to budget 3-6 months for your fundraise. However, if you have a lead investor in place already, often we can make a commitment within two weeks.

Can you be my 'lead investor'?

Yes. We do a mix of lead investing and co-investing alongside other professional lead investors.

What industries are you focused on?

We invest in a range of industries though typically are more interested in atoms than bits. To date this has meant investments in medical devices & diagnostics, advanced materials, energy, industrial chemistry, biotech, and aerospace.

Who do you commonly invest with?

Icehouse Ventures and Stephen Tindall’s K1W1 are both investors in our fund and feature in a lot of the same rounds. But we’ve also done investments alongside a number of New Zealand and International investors including Blackbird, Movac, Founders Fund, DCVC, and Promus.

Do I have to be based at Outset Ventures to get investment?

No. Though we love it when portfolio companies can take advantage of our Auckland facilities and community it is not a requirement for investment. We expect our portfolio companies to base themselves wherever is best for the business.

What kind of ownership do you look for?

We don’t have a target ownership percentage. Early stage rounds typically see investors take between 10-25% of the company and depend on a number of factors including team size, progress, market and other investors involved.

Are you part of the Icehouse?

No. Icehouse Ventures are minority investors in both Outset Ventures and Outset Fund I but we have completely separate decision making processes for investments.

Get in touch.

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