What happened:
Scalare Partners Holdings Ltd (ASX:SCP) secured finalist status for Startup Investor of the Year at the 2025 Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards, positioning the ASX-listed venture capital firm among Australia's top early-stage investors.
Why it matters:
The recognition comes as Scalare demonstrates a differentiated investment approach that combines equity stakes with comprehensive operational support, potentially offering retail investors unique exposure to Australia's startup ecosystem through public markets.
Investment performance and ecosystem expansion
Scalare deployed capital across six technology investments throughout 2024 and early 2025, with check sizes spanning $100K to $1.5M. Notable portfolio additions include digital health innovator Circadian Health Innovations and retail tech platform Brauz, both showing strong post-investment traction.
The firm's Singapore-based investment BetterX particularly stands out, having completed a $2.3M pre-Series A round in March 2025 following Scalare's backing. BetterX operates B2B infrastructure for digital asset tokenization and trading, targeting institutional clients across multiple geographic markets.
Portfolio company Catalyser has also demonstrated growth following Scalare's investment, securing recurring revenue through multi-year enterprise contracts in the corporate social impact space.
Unlike traditional VC firms, Scalare generates income through multiple owned platforms beyond investment returns. The company operates Tech Ready Women, Startblock, InHouse Ventures, and the Australian Technologies Competition, creating what management describes as a self-sustaining innovation ecosystem.
This diversification strategy has enabled Scalare to support over 11,000 women entrepreneurs through Tech Ready Women alone, with 800+ completing formal accelerator programs. Recent strategic moves include the $1.3M acquisition of InHouse Ventures in March 2025, expanding Scalare's ability to connect startups with capital sources and corporate partnerships. Additionally, the company's $5.5M acquisition of Tank Stream Labs represents a significant investment in ecosystem infrastructure, further strengthening its position within Australia's startup community.
Market positioning and investor advantages
Trading on the ASX under ticker SCP, Scalare offers retail investors access to early-stage venture opportunities typically reserved for institutional players or high-net-worth individuals. This public structure eliminates typical VC fund lockup periods while providing transparency through regular reporting requirements.
The timing proves advantageous given proposed Australian tax changes targeting early-stage investments. Scalare's public structure potentially helps investors avoid the incoming 30% tax burden on private early-stage investments, regardless of liquidity outcomes.
Management has facilitated over 2,500 investor and commercial introductions in the past year, demonstrating active portfolio support beyond capital deployment. This hands-on approach includes sales strategy development, grant application assistance, and enterprise customer introductions.
CEO Carolyn Breeze emphasized the company's diversity focus, stating "We're deeply committed to improving diversity in tech." The commitment extends through Scalare's C-suite, with women holding CEO, Chair, and CFO positions.
Strategic outlook and investment thesis
Scalare targets pre-seed and seed-stage companies demonstrating global ambition, technology-centric business models, and early product-market fit indicators. The firm maintains industry-agnostic positioning across fintech, deeptech, healthtech, cleantech, and enterprise SaaS sectors.
Portfolio construction leverages Scalare's broader ecosystem of 18,000+ founders and 400 annual startup engagements, providing extensive deal sourcing capabilities. The firm has completed 31 total investments since inception.
International expansion efforts include partnerships with Silicon Catalyst US, connecting Australian portfolio companies to global deeptech networks and semiconductor industry relationships.
Scalare Partners represents a hybrid model combining public market accessibility with comprehensive startup support infrastructure. The Startup Daily Awards recognition validates this approach amid Australia's evolving venture capital landscape.
For investors seeking early-stage exposure through traditional equity markets, Scalare Partners offers differentiated access compared to private VC fund structures. The company's ecosystem approach and revenue diversification strategy position it uniquely within Australia's public investment options.
(By Jeremy Liddle, Managing Director of Third Hemisphere, a full service marketing, PR, and public affairs agency with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, HK, the US, EU, and UK)
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