# Follow[the]Seed

Follow[the]Seed is a Private Equity based in Sydney, Australia.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Equity
- **Headquarters:** Sydney, Australia
- **Region:** Asia
- **Address:** Sydney, Australia
- **Founded:** 2015
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** followtheseed.vc
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-seed

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The firm was founded and is led by a team of four entrepreneur-partners across three continents, including Andrey Shirben — an angel investor with a personal track record of over 70 startup investments and one unicorn outcome — alongside Curt Shi, Chen Gabay, and venture partner Eliav Alaluf. Alaluf developed the RavingFans® behavioral psychology model which the firm uses to score early consumer adoption patterns. Follow[the]Seed targets post-seed companies globally, blending direct equity investments with operational support. Its B2C selection is governed by the RavingFans® SDK, which analyzes user behavior to identify habit-forming products before they reach scale. On the B2B side, its Reverse Problem Solving (RPS) methodology starts with pain-point discovery inside large enterprises and Fortune 500 companies, then sources startups that specifically solve those needs. The portfolio spans sectors including cybersecurity (Cylus, Salt), fintech and payments (Efficient Frontier, Lumi, EFTLab), digital assets and AI (WhiteRabbit, Abyss Solutions), and mobility (Jayride, listed on the ASX). Geographic exposure extends from Australia and New Zealand through Asia-Pacific, including Chinese consumer-tech platform Bangtuike and cross-border travel platform Cozitrip. A six-person leadership team runs the firm from Sydney, with additional partners and venture partners located internationally to support its cross-border sourcing model. Venture Partner Ajoy Mallik previously built a $1 billion innovation fund for a Fortune 500 company, reinforcing the firm's enterprise-access thesis. The firm publicly lists 20 portfolio companies on its website, spanning drone management (BIRDI), property risk assessment (Riskwise), and remote IoT monitoring (Farmbot). No subsequent fund announcements or vehicle launches appear in the public record for the last 24 months. Follow[the]Seed's structural distinctiveness comes from mandating hard data — not warm introductions — as the gate for founder engagement. Its website-reinforced posture insists applicants provide quantitative evidence of demand regardless of geography or network. This combination of a psychometric B2C screening tool with an enterprise-demand-led B2B sourcing process is an uncommon architecture for a globally distributed, sub-scale venture manager.

## Sectors

- FinTech
- Cybersecurity
- PropTech
- Enterprise Software
- AI/ML
- Mobility & Transportation
- AgriTech & FoodTech
- Media & Entertainment
- Digital Assets

## People

- Andrey Shirben — Partner - Investor
- Curt Shi — Partner - Global / TMT Expert
- Chen Gabay — Partner - Operations
- Eliav Alaluf — Venture Partner
- Ajoy Mallik — Venture Partner
- Yifat Shirben — CMO

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Follow[the]Seed?

The firm is partner-led with no single CIO. Andrey Shirben serves as the lead investor, drawing on a personal track record of over 70 startup investments. Curt Shi leads global and TMT deal-making across Asia-Pacific, while Eliav Alaluf and Ajoy Mallik contribute as venture partners. Decisions appear to be collective across the four named partners.

### How does Follow[the]Seed source proprietary deal flow?

The firm uses two proprietary, data-driven methodologies. Reverse Problem Solving (RPS) works with large enterprises and Fortune 500 companies to identify existing pain points, then sources startups whose technology can solve those specific problems. For consumer companies, the RavingFans® SDK — a behavioral psychology model — analyzes user behavior patterns to identify habit-forming products at very early stages.

### What investment stages does Follow[the]Seed typically target?

The firm targets post-seed stage companies. Its ideal candidate is a startup whose innovative idea answers an existing market need and can demonstrate that with hard data and solid numbers, regardless of geographic location.

### What is Follow[the]Seed's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?

The firm does not publicly discuss its co-investment posture. Its deal-by-deal descriptions and portfolio disclosures suggest it acts as a direct lead or participant in seed rounds; no fund-of-funds or LP commitments to other venture managers are disclosed.

### Where does the firm's investment capital come from?

The source of the firm's capital is not publicly disclosed. Follow[the]Seed does not name any underlying wealth-owning family, anchor LP, or balance sheet backer on its website or in available public records. The principals contribute their own operator expertise and angel track records.

## Related profiles

- [Folklore Ventures](https://altss.com/profile/folklore-ventures)
- [Folmer](https://altss.com/profile/folmer)

---

Last updated: 2026-08-11T02:43:31.692Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/follow-the-seed

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology