Phase One Ventures
Phase One Ventures is a New Zealand-based early-stage founder community, product and growth incubator program, and venture capital fund that provides pro bono mentorship and seed capital to ambitious local founders.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Phase One Ventures does
Phase One Ventures is a New Zealand-based private venture capital fund, product and growth incubator, and founder community founded in 2021 and headquartered in Auckland. The firm operates a three-part model: a community of early-stage founders, a four-stage incubator program structured around Problem Discovery, Productification, Product Market Fit, and Vision stages, and a venture capital fund that deploys capital into companies demonstrating strong growth signals. Services to founders are delivered pro bono, including fortnightly expert sessions, social catchups, and bi-weekly office hours, with the venture fund providing capital selectively to companies showing traction.
The core product surface is non-technological: there is no proprietary software platform, API, or data product disclosed. The firm curates a mentor bench of senior product and growth operators from companies including Octopus Deploy, Canva, Narrative, HealthMatch, Nine25, Anyscale, and Atlassian, positioning differentiated value as operator-led mentorship rather than technology. The visible portfolio comprises 17 startups spanning AI skills verification (NextWork), AI content generation (Contented), fintech, proptech, health, and other verticals.
Economically, Phase One is positioned as an emerging-market venture investor: revenue is not publicly disclosed, the firm runs lean with 1-10 employees, and its go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct founder engagement and digital channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Medium) for top-of-funnel sourcing. Capital deployment is partnership-driven, with Phase One participating as a non-lead syndicate partner in early-stage rounds alongside more established New Zealand and Asia-Pacific investors such as Icehouse Ventures, GD1 VC, and Blackbird Ventures.
Phase One Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Phase One Ventures
- Legal name
- Phase One Ventures
- Website
- https://phaseone.ventures
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Phase One Ventures is a New Zealand-based early-stage founder community, product and growth incubator program, and venture capital fund that provides pro bono mentorship and seed capital to ambitious local founders.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Phase One Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Startup Incubator
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Venture Studios / Company Builders (FSANAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
Keywords
Where Phase One Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Phase One Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Returns: Phase One Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage startups. They provide pro bono support and invest capital in companies that show great signals of progress, aiming to nurture high-growth New Zealand startups that can become global businesses.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Phase One Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Phase One Ventures is an early-stage founder community, a product and growth incubator program, and a venture capital fund based in New Zealand. The incubator program pairs startups with experienced product and growth mentors, offering fortnightly expert sessions, bi-weekly office hours, and social catchups, structured around four sequential stages: Problem Discovery, Productification, Product Market Fit, and Vision. The venture capital fund invests capital pro bono into companies that show strong signals of progress, with a portfolio spanning 17 startups across AI, fintech, and other verticals.
Product overview
Phase One Ventures is a three-part offering comprising an early-stage founder community, a product and growth incubator program, and a venture capital fund. The incubator program guides founders through four sequential stages: Problem Discovery, Productification, Product Market Fit, and Vision. It provides mentorship from experienced operators, fortnightly expert sessions, social catchups, and bi-weekly office hours. The venture capital fund invests capital in companies showing great signals of progress. Phase One Ventures's portfolio includes 17 startup companies across various sectors including NextWork (AI skills verification), Polymath, CreateBase, SugarWallet, Transactional.ai, Cotiss, Latch, VXT, Hublr, Zorbi, HealthNow, EasyRent, Kiwifibre, RoofSpace, and Excellent.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Founder Community A community of early-stage startup founders in New Zealand who are ambitious and seeking peer support, networking, and collaborative opportunities to build high-growth companies.
- Product and Growth Incubator Program An incubator program that pairs early-stage startups with experienced product and growth mentors, delivered through fortnightly expert sessions, bi-weekly office hours, and social catchups, structured around four sequential stages: Problem Discovery, Productification, Product Market Fit, and Vision.
- Venture Capital Fund A venture capital fund that invests capital pro bono in early-stage New Zealand companies demonstrating strong signals of progress, providing capital alongside mentorship support.
Companies that use Phase One Ventures
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Phase One Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Phase One Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Global from Day OneminorPhase One Ventures is featured alongside Global from Day One and Icehouse Ventures as Asian-origin venture capitalists supporting New Zealand's startup ecosystem transition from commodity-driven to knowledge-based economy.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Phase One Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Blackbird Ventures: Australia and New Zealand's largest seed-stage VC, actively investing in NZ startups. Blackbird co-invested in NextWork alongside Phase One and represents a benchmark for founder community + capital play in ANZ.
- Movac: New Zealand-focused early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology startups. Movac competes for the same NZ seed deal flow as Phase One.
- Icehouse Ventures: New Zealand's most active early-stage VC and incubator, running structured programs for founders. Icehouse is a direct competitor to Phase One for NZ seed deals and has co-invested alongside Phase One in NextWork and Contented.
- Aspire NZ Seed Fund: New Zealand-focused seed fund backed by the NZ government to support early-stage Kiwi startups. Aspire co-invested alongside Phase One in Contented and serves the same NZ seed market.
- Startmate: ANZ's leading startup accelerator and seed investor, pairing founders with mentors and capital. Startmate's accelerator model and ANZ focus make it a comparable operator-led seed investor to Phase One.
- Altered Capital: Christchurch-based NZ venture capital firm that led Contented's oversubscribed seed round. Altered Capital is a direct competitor to Phase One for South Island and broader NZ seed opportunities.
- Antler: Global early-stage VC and founder generator running structured residency programs that produce companies. Antler operates a similar community + capital + incubator model to Phase One and has expanded into ANZ.
- Shakti VC: ANZ-focused venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies. Shakti led NextWork's $4.45M seed round with Phase One participating, indicating overlap in thesis and target market.
- K1W1: New Zealand's largest private technology investment fund focused on early and growth-stage Kiwi tech companies. K1W1 participated in Contented's seed round with Phase One.
- GD1 VC: New Zealand's first impact-led venture capital fund investing in early-stage NZ tech companies. GD1 co-invested alongside Phase One in NextWork and competes for similar founder relationships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Phase One Ventures social profiles
Digital presencePhase One Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Phase One Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Phase One Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Phase One Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments15 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Phase One Ventures
What does Phase One Ventures do?
Phase One Ventures is an early-stage founder community, a product and growth incubator program, and a venture capital fund based in New Zealand. The incubator program pairs startups with experienced product and growth mentors, offering fortnightly expert sessions, bi-weekly office hours, and social catchups, structured around four sequential stages: Problem Discovery, Productification, Product Market Fit, and Vision. The venture capital fund invests capital pro bono into companies that show strong signals of progress, with a portfolio spanning 17 startups across AI, fintech, and other verticals.
Is Phase One Ventures a public or private company?
Phase One Ventures is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Phase One Ventures founded?
Phase One Ventures was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Phase One Ventures based?
Phase One Ventures is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Phase One Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Returns.
Who are Phase One Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Blackbird Ventures, Movac, Icehouse Ventures, Aspire NZ Seed Fund, Startmate, Altered Capital, Antler, Shakti VC, K1W1 and GD1 VC.
Does Phase One Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Phase One Ventures.
What industry is Phase One Ventures in?
Phase One Ventures's product category is Venture Capital / Startup Incubator. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAH, Venture Studios / Company Builders, with a secondary code of FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated). Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.