Neo Technology Ventures

Matthew Macfarlane and James Ryssenbeek, Neo's co-founding Managing Directors, have led the firm since 2000 and remain the key decision-makers on investment committee matters. They are supported by a small team of investment professionals and venture partners.

Neo typically leads or co-leads Seed and Series A rounds in its portfolio companies. The firm reserves capital for follow-on investments through later stages and has historically taken board seats alongside other institutional investors.

Neo invests primarily in Australia and New Zealand. The firm has selectively backed companies in those regions with go-to-market strategies that target North America and the Asia-Pacific, but it does not maintain a dedicated US investment mandate.

Neo backed Aconex, an Australian construction collaboration software company, through multiple funding rounds. Aconex was acquired by Oracle in 2018 for approximately A$1.6 billion, marking one of the largest exits for an Australian venture-backed enterprise software company.

Australian superannuation funds including Hostplus and Telstra Super have committed capital to Neo's funds. The firm raised its fourth fund with a target around A$100 million, reflecting ongoing institutional support since its early funds.

Neo has not historically made significant allocations to consumer internet, e-commerce, gaming, or biotech. The firm concentrates on enterprise and deeptech categories where founders have technical backgrounds and where IP moats are observable in early diligence.

Macfarlane and Ryssenbeek have cultivated relationships across Australian research universities, technical founder networks, and the local venture ecosystem over more than two decades in operation. The firm does not operate a companion accelerator, relying instead on direct sourcing from these networks and from its existing portfolio.