Building a Trans-Tasman Bridge: Bridgewest Venture Fund Grows to NZ$62.7M with Australian Launch
Bridgewest Ventures has officially expanded its deep tech investment footprint into Australia, securing a newly granted Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) to drive innovation across both sides of the Tasman.
Coinciding with this regional launch, Bridgewest Venture Fund I LP has grown its total commitments to NZ$62.7 million ($51.6 million AUD), drawing strong backing from institutional investors, family offices, and international partners. This milestone brings the fund closer to its final target of NZ$100 million as the capital raise remains open through the end of the year.
A Stronger Launchpad for Local Innovation
For our existing New Zealand audience and founders, this expansion is a deliberate next step to supercharge the local ecosystem. By scaling into a unified trans-Tasman fund, we are creating a significantly larger regional launchpad. This gives our homegrown Kiwi companies direct, frictionless access to broader capital pools, deeper talent networks, and a much larger immediate market to test and scale their technologies before taking them global.
The fund connects international capital with local talent to drive employment growth, export potential, and IP development across the entire region.
"New Zealand and Australia are producing globally relevant intellectual property in sectors such as life sciences, medical technology, advanced materials, artificial intelligence, and clean technology - yet the market remains significantly undercapitalised relative to the quality of innovation being developed. We believe this creates a compelling asymmetry for sophisticated investors."
Saum Vahdat, CEO, Bridgewest Ventures
Local Expertise, Global Scale
To lead the Australian distribution strategy and engage with local family offices, wealth advisers, and institutional partners, Bridgewest has appointed seasoned industry leader John van der Wielen as Senior Adviser. John’s deep roots in the Australian private market will provide vital localized expertise as the fund scales.
The fund operates through a hybrid model, pairing an established local sourcing network with the global infrastructure of the US-based Bridgewest Group, which holds a $4.2 billion (US$3bn) global portfolio. Bridgewest Ventures has also committed its own capital to the fund to ensure absolute alignment with its limited partners.
"We believe New Zealand and Australia represent one of the more overlooked innovation markets globally. Through our local operating presence, proprietary sourcing network, and active management model, we aim to help companies scale internationally while giving our limited partners exposure to growth opportunities that are often unavailable in larger, more efficient venture markets."
Paul Brownsey, General Partner, Bridgewest Venture Fund
Expanding the Runway for Founders
For our portfolio, this regional expansion is more than a strategic milestone, it lengthens the commercial runway for every founder we back.
It also reinforces the fund's role as an eligible investment under New Zealand's Active Investor Plus (AIP) visa programme, continuing to bring high-value international investors into New Zealand's deep tech ecosystem.
To learn more about Bridgewest Venture Fund I and explore opportunities to invest alongside our global network, click below.
Note: Investment in Bridgewest Venture Fund I is open to wholesale and eligible investors only.