YBF Ventures

What YBF Ventures does

YBF Ventures is an Australian startup ecosystem operator headquartered in Melbourne with a regional office in Sydney. The company is relaunching in 2025 around a three-layer model: a monthly-recorded podcast ("I Can't Believe It's Not Butter") distributed weekly across Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube; closed-door corporate roundtables at The Pillars venue pairing three to five vetted AI-first founders with eight to ten senior buyers from ASX 300 companies; and a YPO-style founder community of six to eight peers running quarterly in-person and monthly virtual sessions, with an accelerator program planned once the first three layers are operational.

The underlying "technology" is a curated community and events platform rather than a software product: the podcast is a top-of-funnel content channel, the roundtables are a vetted matchmaking mechanism with explicit thematic focus on HR, procurement, cyber, finance and AI adoption, and the community circles provide longitudinal peer support designed to extend beyond the typical 12-week accelerator cliff. Access is gated on both sides: founders apply through a community waitlist requiring company, stage and website, while ASX 300 corporate buyers register interest through a separate form requiring role and function focus.

The business model centers on community membership and accelerator participation, described in source material as recurring subscription-style revenue, alongside corporate engagement around the roundtables. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held and operated by four founders — Matt Browne (Black Nova VC, Donesafe, Whispli), Steve Grace (The Nudge Group, Stride Equity), David Kenney (Epic Execution) and Jeremy Cabral (Finder co-founder) — whose operating and investing track records are the core of the value proposition. No revenue, funding rounds, or financial disclosures are present in the source data, consistent with a relaunch-phase entity.

Name

YBF Ventures

Legal name

YBF Ventures

Website

https://ybfventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

YBF Ventures is an Australian startup ecosystem that runs a podcast, closed-door corporate roundtables at The Pillars in Melbourne, and a YPO-style founder community, connecting vetted AI-first founders with ASX 300 enterprise buyers across Melbourne and Sydney.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Community and Founder Services

NAICS

Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures) (FSANAHAC), Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

Keywords

• Startup founder community
• Corporate innovation programs
• Entrepreneur networking events
• Founder accelerator circles
• Venture community podcasts

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Community membership and accelerator: YBF operates a community-led model with founder circles and accelerator programs. The revenue model includes community membership fees and accelerator investments with operator capital for qualifying founders.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

YBF Ventures runs a three-part offering for AI-first Australian startups and ASX 300 corporate buyers: a podcast ('I Can't Believe It's Not Butter') recorded monthly and released weekly, closed-door corporate roundtable dinners at The Pillars that match three to five vetted founders with eight to ten senior buyers, and a YPO-style founder community of six to eight peers with monthly virtual and quarterly in-person sessions that feeds into an eventual accelerator.

Product overview

YBF Ventures operates three interconnected services for AI-first founders in Australia: a podcast ("I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"), closed-door corporate roundtables (at The Pillars), and a founder community/accelerator program with YPO-style circles. These offerings work together to connect startups with corporate buyers and provide ongoing support beyond traditional 12-week accelerator programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• I Can't Believe It's Not Butter: Monthly podcast featuring four founders discussing what's actually working in Australian startups

Products and services

• I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Podcast A monthly-recorded, weekly-released podcast featuring the four YBF operator-founders discussing enterprise sales, Series A strategy, AI adoption, and other topics relevant to Australian startups. Available free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube as a top-of-funnel awareness and qualification channel.
• Closed-Door Corporate Roundtables at The Pillars Six themed dinner-format events per year at The Pillars in Melbourne (Sydney rotations planned), each connecting three to five vetted AI-first founders with eight to ten senior buyers from ASX 300 companies. Themed by function: HR, procurement, cyber, finance, AI adoption. Designed for ASX 300 innovation, procurement, and technology leaders to discover and procure from credible, shipped Australian startups.
• YBF Founder Community and Accelerator Track A YPO-style founder community for AI-first Australian founders from pre-seed to Series A, organized in circles of six to eight peers with monthly virtual sessions, quarterly in-person meetups, and operator-built frameworks. Provides access to the closed-door ASX 300 roundtables and an accelerator with operator capital once the first three layers are humming.

Quantifiable outcome

• Six closed-door dinner roundtables per year, themed by function: HR, procurement, cyber, finance, AI adoption
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Antler: Global founder-generation and early-stage accelerator with strong APAC presence, including Australia. Runs cohort-based programs and ongoing founder community support, directly comparable to YBF's combination of accelerator access and peer circles for pre-seed to Series A founders.
• Startmate: Australia's leading startup accelerator and VC, running fellowship-style programs and connecting founders with corporate partners. Closest domestic comparable in terms of mission, Australian focus, and bridging startups to ASX-listed corporates.
• Slush: Large-scale European founder and investor conference, famous for its founder-attendee quality and curated matchmaking. Comparable to YBF's roundtables as a high-trust, closed-room founder/investor gathering model.
• Entrepreneur First: Global talent-first founder incubator that helps individuals find co-founders and build companies from pre-idea stage. Comparable to YBF in the early-founder, ongoing-support, and community-led model, with corporate introduction components.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator network running 13-week cohort programs with mentor networks and corporate partnerships. Larger, more established player offering similar accelerator-to-community progression but as part of a global portfolio rather than a curated domestic room.
• Y Combinator: The dominant global startup accelerator offering 3-month cohort programs, demo days, and an enduring founder community (Bookface). Sets the benchmark that YBF explicitly pushes back against with its '12 weeks is not a business' manifesto positioning.

Regional players

• Fishburners: Australia's flagship founder co-working and community organization, historically based in Sydney. Comparable as a long-running Australian founder community and physical gathering place, overlapping with YBF's mission to be a room for founders.
• Stone & Chalk: Australian startup hub providing co-working, corporate innovation programs and founder communities, with strong links to ASX-listed partners. Comparable in bridging corporates and Australian startups, including fintech and emerging-tech founders.

Others

• Blackbird Ventures: Leading Australian venture capital firm running founder community programs (e.g., Sunrise, Grow). Comparable on the venture community-building side and a potential upstream/downstream relationship for YBF founders.

Emerging players

• TechCrunch Disrupt: Major global startup conference mixing founder showcases, investor matchmaking, and curated industry tracks. Comparable to YBF's themed (HR, procurement, cyber, finance) roundtables as a structured, function-specific founder/buyer meeting format.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YBFVentures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about YBF Ventures