AfterWork Ventures’ Post

Services are a mammoth industry; accounting for a whopping 63% of Australia's GDP. Yet as venture investors, we tend to skirt service businesses as traditional wisdom dictates they can't be scaled. With the advent of AI - things might be changing. We took a long, hard look at the evolving AI landscape and explored whether the AI-powered service model could fit the mould of venture capital returns. In this article, we outline eight key conditions that can help AI-powered service businesses thrive. Through startups like Hnry, PropHero and Matilda, we learn how they leverage AI to transform their industries while maintaining a focus on delivering exceptional outcomes for their customers. This is a nascent, exciting field, changing rapidly. All thoughts very welcome. https://lnkd.in/gPcB3gXQ #AI #CustomerExperience #ServiceBusiness #VentureCapital #Innovation #TechEnabledServices

Today we celebrate the news of Switchboard's $1.5m Seed round! Captained by the formidable Hugh Dixson, Switchboard are on a mission to demystify the worlds of supply chains and freight management, as they automate processes, remove manual handling, reduce costs and errors, and improve data quality through their digital supply chain solution. In a sector that is millennia older than the invention of the computer (let alone the internet), it’s little wonder that digitisation of supply chains has been historically siloed, where communication between systems both within the same organisation and to external partners has relied heavily on outdated, often manual processes – causing much frustration and complication for all involved. Thanks to Switchboard, businesses of all sizes and industries need only integrate once with Switchboard and are ready to exchange data with any supply chain system across suppliers, customers, and logistics providers. AfterWork are proud to now be 2x time backers of Switchboard across their pre-seed and most recent seed round; joining our friends at TEN13, Investible, Archangel Ventures, Skalata, and Startmate. You can ready more in our investment notes here!

One of our favourite things to do is interrogate how nascent trends and technologies may evolve. This time, we've fallen down the spatial computing rabbit hole to investigate both the fantastical and foundational; and see if we can identify the line between hype, reality... and dystopia. https://lnkd.in/gs_aArmF #spatialcomputing #VR #AR #computervision #applevisionpro

Ok! Our second panel that's we're proposing for SXSW Sydney this year is all about the rise of Brand Experience. In this panel, 4 brilliant DTC founders will discuss the shift in focus from merely satisfying customer needs, to creating immersive and engaging brand experiences that are both memorable and meaningful. Georgia Geminder (gem), May Bandi (Skipper), Sam Naparstek (Rocco) and Rachael Wilde (Tyers) (tbh) Wilde will dive deep into the realm of brand storytelling, emotional engagement and experiential marketing and their approach to creating iconic, enduring brands. Please help us get it over the line with your vote! 1. Go to https://lnkd.in/g5hR23Wb 2. Register for SXSW with your email address - it’s free 3. Verify your identity with the 6 digit code sent to your email address. 4. Enter your name, email address, choose a password, accept the privacy policy and hit “complete registration”. 5. Use the search bar to search for “breaking ground”   6. Find our session “Brand Experience Unleashed: Why the Era of Cx is Over". Click the love heart at the bottom that reads “Vote”.

SXSW Sydney is happening again this October, and right now public voting for their programming is live. We’ve put together two stellar panels and we need your help to make them a reality. Voting is open for the remainder of the week. Please vote so we can take to the stage and share a host of practical, pertinent insights with you. 🏔 Our first panel is called... Breaking Ground: How Emerging Fund Managers Ventured into Venture Alex Khor Cheryl Mack, Matthew Browne and Kylie Frazer will share how they are flipping the script to make their mark on the VC landscape and the new requisite skills required to navigate the rapidly changing VC ecosystem. They’ll also discuss their views on the transformative forces shaping VC; from the rise of new investment trends and technologies, to new funding models, to the pulse of emerging markets. 🤟 How To Vote 🤘 1. Go to SxSW - https://lnkd.in/g5hR23Wb 2. Register with your email address (it’s free). 3. Verify your identity with the 6 digit code sent to your email. 4. Enter your name, email address, choose a password, accept the privacy policy and hit “complete registration”. 5. Type ‘breaking ground’  into the search bar 6. Find our sessions “Breaking Ground: How Emerging Fund Managers Ventured Into Venture" 7. Click the love heart at the bottom that reads “Vote”. Please vote. Please share. Please help us make it happen!

We're over the moon to share the news of Samphire Neuroscience' $2.3m Seed round, where we were delighted to double down on our initial investment. For the millions of women around the world who face a monthly battle with debilitating menstrual pain and other symptoms (brain fog, fatigue, mood variability), Samphire may soon provide welcome relief. As in reported in Techstars, Samphire Neuroscience has developed a head-mounted therapeutic wearable that applies a non-invasive, low electrical current type of brain stimulation, called tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation). The wearable targets regions of the brain associated with pain perception and mood regulation to, essentially, reduce sensitivity and block pain signals — applying (non-pharmaceutical) neuromodulation as a targeted treatment for period pain and PMS. Congratulations to Emilė R. and Alex Cook on your big day! #femtech

A huge congratulations to the Everlab team on their $3 million pre-seed round, led by leading European VC fund b2venture. We're also delighted to be investing alongside local funds TEN13, Flying Fox, and Playbook Ventures. Our investment in Everlab is a real vindication of our community-powered model. Sam Kothari has been a valued member of the AfterWork community since he was Head of Growth at Airwallex, and Marc Hermann joined the community soon after he moved to Sydney from Berlin. Along with Dr Steven Lu and Anshul Jain, Everlab is a team of experienced entrepreneurs and operators - with a hunger in their belly to build something significant. We're excited to be on this journey as Everlab leads the paradigm shift from reactive to preventative health, and builds an operating system for wellbeing and longevity! #venturecapital #fundraising #startups #health #longevity

We’ve had an exquisite time falling deep down the #longevity rabbit hole. The space is heating up fast, with a spate of startups cropping up to challenge what we know about living well and living long. Here’s a smattering of what we cover: -      The power of preventative care - Why patients are ready to take the reins on their own health outcomes -      How billionaires are spending big in longevity in wonderful (and weird) ways -      The difference between longevity, healthcare, anti-ageing and positive societal ageing -      Why VC’s are historically wary of this opportunity -      The potential and pitfalls that come with a culture of diagnostics -      Why healthspan is the metric taking centre stage -      An overview of longevity startups shaking things up -      Philosophical considerations, like what happens if death becomes rare A very big thank you to all our contributors from our passionate community and beyond Phil George Collin Li Max Marchione Stephen Johnston Saint Haven Everlab Dr Steven Lu Tomorrow Biostasis GmbH Loyal Sam Kothari Anshul J. Marc Hermann https://lnkd.in/gAgQQxvt

Big congratulations to Misha Cajic and Anuj Paudel on the announcement of their $2.5m Seed round, led by Main Sequence! We are delighted to be also participating in the round. Although there are many carbon accounting solutions, one of the hardest challenges is accurate calculation of Scope 3 emissions - these are emissions that are generated by third parties, such as suppliers. Accurate measurement of these emissions is important because over 75% of most companies' emissions are Scope 3. Not only does Avarni help companies to precisely track their Scope 3 emissions, it helps companies engage with suppliers and incentivise them to reduce their emissions in order to remain preferred suppliers. In partnership with consulting partners such as Schneider Electric and KPMG, Avarni helps to educate suppliers on how to decarbonize. As regulations to accelerate Scope 3 decarbonization come into force in Australia in mid 2024, we are looking forward to seeing Avarni play a big role! #venturecapital #startups #fundraising #decarbonization #climatetech

Massive shout out to OfferFit on their latest $25M Series B funding led by Menlo Ventures! OfferFit are pioneering AI-driven automated experimentation to deliver personalized marketing at scale - working with iconic US and Australian companies such as Foxtel Group. We invested in OfferFit at Seed - we saw something special in George Khachatryan and Victor Kostyuk and their vision to bring the magic back to marketing. By making the tedious parts of A/B testing happen with ease, OfferFit allows marketers to get back to the more creative, expansive and visionary parts of their job - tasks that have never been more important in the age of AI. From AB to AI, here's to OfferFit! If you're interested to read our initial investment notes in OfferFit: https://lnkd.in/gx3gZQ3a