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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.