What Galileo Ventures does

Galileo Ventures is an Australian pre-seed to seed venture capital firm founded in 2020, headquartered in Melbourne with offices in Sydney and, since 2024, San Francisco. The firm invests AU$200k-AU$500k per company in emerging, first-time founders building in AI, software, hardware, and deeptech, and positions itself as the first VC investor in the majority of its portfolio companies (over 90% per firm disclosures). Its core product is a combined capital-plus-support offering: cash investment plus a 12-month, 1-on-1 program of founder coaching, go-to-market strategy support, mentor access, and platform events including Sprint Weeks, Founder Showcases (350+ attendees), and an annual founder retreat.

The firm's go-to-market is structurally different from typical VC deal sourcing: founders apply directly through an online portal (apply.galileo.ventures) with no warm introduction required, no cut-off dates, and a target response window of one week, with term sheet to funding reported as fast as 10 days. The firm supplements this with a newsletter (3,000+ subscribers), active social channels, blog/insights content (including an annual 'State of AI' report), and a periodic Galileo World Tour visiting NYC, Seattle, SF, London, and Singapore. Galileo leads investments and co-invests with global VCs such as Insight Partners, a16z, Black Nova, and Aura Ventures, and has participated in follow-on rounds alongside those names.

Galileo's revenue model is conventional VC fund economics: management fees on committed/invested capital across Fund I (AU$10M, launched September 2020) and Fund II (launched 2024, size undisclosed), plus potential carried interest on exits. The team is intentionally lean (1-10 employees) and led by Co-founders/Partners Hugh Stephens and James Alexander, with Julia French as Partner/Head of Platform and Luddy Graham as Head of Platform & Community. The portfolio comprises 20+ companies that have collectively attracted over AU$12M in follow-on capital and created 72+ jobs within 12 months of Galileo investing, with notable follow-on traction at Relevance AI (US$3M seed led by Insight Partners, A$37M Series B) and Lumi Interactive (A$9.76M seed led by a16z, the largest female-founder games raise in Australian history).

Name

Galileo Ventures

Legal name

Galileo Ventures Pty Ltd

Website

https://galileo.ventures

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Galileo Ventures is an Australian pre-seed to seed venture capital firm founded in 2020 that invests AU$200k-AU$500k in first-time founders building in AI, software, hardware, and deeptech, typically as the first VC investor and with 12 months of 1-on-1 support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Pre-seed venture capital
• Seed stage investing
• Startup funding
• Venture capital firm
• Early-stage investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. VC Fund Management: Galileo Ventures generates returns through equity ownership in portfolio companies. They invest in early-stage startups in exchange for equity stakes, aiming for returns through portfolio company growth, subsequent funding rounds, and exits via IPO or acquisition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Galileo Ventures is an Australian venture capital firm that invests AU$200,000 to AU$500,000 in pre-seed to seed stage technology startups founded by emerging and first-time founders. In addition to capital, the firm provides 12 months of 1-on-1 support, including founder coaching, GTM strategy assistance, and introductions to follow-on investors. The firm focuses on AI, software, hardware, and deeptech sectors across Australia, New Zealand, and select global markets.

Product overview

Galileo Ventures operates as an Australian pre-seed to seed venture capital firm offering early-stage investment up to $500k with flexible terms. Their core offering includes direct cash investment combined with a 12-month accelerator-style support program featuring founder coaching, strategy workshops, mentor access, and network introductions. The firm focuses on first-time founders in AI, software, hardware, and deeptech sectors building new technology for global markets. Notable portfolio companies include Relevance AI (AI agent workforce platform), Lumi Interactive (wellness gaming), Varicon (construction cost management), Tixel (ticket resale marketplace), and Isaacus (legal AI foundation models).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Galileo Ventures Pre-Seed to Seed Investment Program Core investment offering of AU$200,000 to AU$500,000 per company at pre-seed to seed stage, with 12 months of 1-on-1 support, founder coaching, GTM strategy assistance, and access to a network of operators and follow-on global VC investors. Targeted at first-time and emerging technology founders in AI, software, hardware, and deeptech.
• Galileo Fund II Successor venture fund continuing Galileo's pre-seed to seed investment thesis in emerging technology founders, supporting the firm's expansion including the San Francisco office opened in 2024.
• Online Founder Application Portal Self-serve online application portal where founders submit their pitch for Galileo Ventures investment. Applications can be started and saved anytime, the firm aims to respond within 72 hours, and there are no cut-off dates or warm-introduction requirements, lowering access barriers for first-time founders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% of portfolio companies - Galileo was first VC investor
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Startmate: Australian accelerator and seed VC focused on early-stage tech founders; runs cohort-based programs comparable to Galileo's rolling accelerator-style support offering.
• Folklore Ventures: ANZ-focused early-stage VC partnering with founders at pre-seed and seed; directly comparable in geography, stage, and cheque size to Galileo.
• Hustle Fund: US- and APAC-focused pre-seed VC writing small cheques with high-volume, community-driven sourcing — a closely analogous model to Galileo's $200k–$500k first-cheque strategy.
• AirTree Ventures: Major Australian VC investing from seed onwards across ANZ; one of the most established local funds competing for the same pre-seed/seed deal flow as Galileo.
• Antler: Global pre-seed VC and accelerator program with strong ANZ presence; Luddy Graham previously worked at Antler before joining Galileo, illustrating the closely overlapping founder-incubation model.
• Square Peg Capital: Australian VC investing from seed to growth across ANZ and Southeast Asia; competes with Galileo for high-quality early-stage technology deals in the region.
• Blackbird Ventures: Leading Australian early-stage VC with a strong ANZ focus and seed-stage portfolio; competes directly with Galileo for Australian founders building technology startups.
• Aura Ventures: Sydney-based early-stage VC focused on Australian startups; directly comparable based on joint co-investment with Galileo in the Isaacus $700k pre-seed round.

Broad incumbents

• Sequoia Capital: Tier-1 global VC that increasingly writes first cheques via programs like Arc/Sequoia Scout; a major benchmark for portfolio companies Galileo backs, often participating in follow-on rounds.
• Y Combinator: Global benchmark accelerator and seed investor; provides comparable early-stage capital plus structured support, but operates at vastly larger scale and broader geographic reach than Galileo.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/galileovc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/galileovc
• Facebookfacebook.com/galileovc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments33 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Galileo Ventures