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Giant Leap
Giant Leap is Australia's first dedicated impact venture fund, screening every deal through a proprietary 100-point impact lens since 2016.
Giant Leap
Giant Leap launched in 2016 when Rachel Yang and Will Richardson, both veterans of Australian early-stage investing, set out to prove that commercial returns and measurable social impact are not competing goals in venture capital. The firm operates from Richmond, Victoria, and was the first Australian VC to be certified as a B Corporation. From the start, Yang and Richardson built the fund around a 100-point impact screen applied before any term sheet is drafted, a process that has shaped every investment the firm has made. The portfolio spans climate, circular economy, health and education, with more than 25 companies funded through two vehicles. Giant Leap invests from pre-seed through Series A, leading rounds and taking board seats. Confirmed positions include Zero Co, a consumer goods company eliminating single-use plastics through refillable home products; Amber Electric, which gives Australian households real-time access to wholesale electricity prices to shift usage to renewable-heavy periods; and Clima, a carbon asset developer working on large-scale reforestation. The firm also co-invested alongside Blackbird Ventures and Grok Ventures in several syndicated rounds, reflecting a collaborative posture within the local ecosystem. Geographic focus is domestic, with all portfolio companies headquartered in Australia. Giant Leap closed its second fund in 2022. Total deployment across the two funds exceeds A$30M (per the firm, 2022). The team operates from a single office in Richmond. The firm publishes an annual impact report that quantifies portfolio-level outcomes — tonnes of carbon avoided, litres of waste diverted, patients reached — using metrics tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In 2023, Giant Leap launched a small fund-of-funds allocation aimed at backing other emerging Australian impact managers, extending its influence beyond direct company investments. What structurally sets Giant Leap apart is its B Corp legal designation combined with a carried-interest structure partially linked to impact milestones. Most impact funds talk about mission alignment; Giant Leap codified it in both the partnership agreement and the investment committee charter. The firm also runs a founder community called 'The Fund for the Future' that convenes portfolio CEOs quarterly for peer benchmarking on ESG metrics. This operating-company-level engagement on impact measurement makes the firm more intensive post-investment than a typical seed-stage Australian VC.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
2016
AUM
Less than A$50M (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
Oceania
Country
Australia
City
Richmond
Corporate office
Richmond, VIC, Australia
Principals
Rachel Yang
Co-founder and Partner
Will Richardson
Co-founder and Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Giant Leap?
Co-founders Rachel Yang and Will Richardson share investment committee authority, with Yang leading on health and education deals and Richardson covering climate and circular economy. All final decisions require unanimous consent from both partners. The firm has not publicly named any additional principals with cheque-writing authority as of 2025.
How does Giant Leap define and measure impact, and is it tied to compensation?
Giant Leap applies a proprietary 100-point impact screen during initial diligence, evaluating alignment with specific UN Sustainable Development Goals. Post-investment, the firm tracks portfolio-level KPIs such as tonnes of carbon avoided and litres of waste diverted, disclosed in an annual impact report. The firm has confirmed publicly that a portion of carried interest is linked to achieving pre-agreed impact milestones, making impact performance a direct financial incentive for the partnership.
Does Giant Leap lead rounds or mainly co-invest alongside other Australian VCs?
Giant Leap leads seed-stage rounds in roughly half of its deals and takes board seats in the majority of its portfolio companies. The firm also participates as a co-investor in syndicates alongside peers such as Blackbird Ventures, Grok Ventures, and Main Sequence Ventures. In 2023, the firm expanded its activity to include a small fund-of-funds allocation backing emerging Australian impact managers.
What investment stages and cheque sizes does Giant Leap typically target?
Giant Leap invests from pre-seed through Series A, with an initial cheque size historically in the A$500K to A$1.5M range. The firm follows on selectively through to Series B in portfolio companies that clear both financial and impact hurdle rates. The current fund, closed in 2022, targets a portfolio of approximately 30 companies.
Which sectors does Giant Leap explicitly avoid?
Giant Leap does not invest in fossil fuel extraction, weapons, gambling, tobacco, or factory farming. The fund also screens out software companies with no measurable environmental or social outcome, regardless of revenue growth potential. The investment policy explicitly prioritises companies where impact is embedded in the business model rather than treated as a secondary corporate social responsibility initiative.
What is Giant Leap's structure — is it a venture fund, a family office vehicle, or something else?
Giant Leap is a standalone venture capital firm structured as a proprietary limited company and a certified B Corporation, not a family office or a corporate venture arm. The firm raises capital from institutional LPs, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals across Australia. Its B Corp status legally requires the board to balance shareholder returns with stakeholder impact, a structural commitment rare among venture firms globally.
How does Giant Leap source deals in Australia's small impact-startup pool?
Giant Leap sources through a combination of university spin-out channels — particularly from CSIRO and Monash University's generator program — and a curated founder referral network built since 2016. The firm also runs 'The Fund for the Future' founder community, which brings portfolio CEOs together quarterly and generates pipeline through peer referrals. Unlike generalist VCs, Giant Leap excludes entire deal categories at the top of funnel via its impact screen, narrowing the pool but increasing relevance.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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