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SYD Ventures
Andrey Shirben's SYD Ventures invests early-stage capital across Australia, the US, and Southeast Asia using a dual seed-and-follow-on fund structure.
SYD Ventures
SYD Ventures was established in 2012 by Andrey Shirben, an Australian-Israeli serial entrepreneur who previously founded and exited multiple technology companies. The firm operates from Sydney and reflects Shirben's own operator experience, blending seed-stage investing with active support for founders. Yifat Shirben, a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, serves as Partner and CMO and manages the firm's brand and portfolio-company marketing capabilities. Strategy centers on early-stage equity across enterprise software, fintech, digital health, and energy transition. SYD Ventures leads or co-leads pre-seed and seed rounds, typically with initial checks between $200,000 and $750,000, and reserves capital for follow-on participation through Series A. The firm's co-investment vehicle, Follow[the]Seed, a venture fund also co-founded by Andrey Shirben, provides additional institutional firepower for breakout portfolio companies. A separate vehicle, Gravity Capital, focuses on crypto and decentralized finance research. Shirben's role as an active Sydney Angels member generates proprietary top-of-funnel deal flow from Australia's early-stage ecosystem. Deployment spans Australia, the United States, Israel, and Southeast Asia. The firm has backed over 40 startups since inception. Portfolio exposure includes a combination of direct equity positions, syndicate deals through Sydney Angels, and select token investments via Gravity Capital. The dual structure — an operator-led venture firm alongside a dedicated follow-on fund — remains uncommon among Australian seed-stage investors. In 2024, the firm expanded its digital-asset research through Gravity Capital, signaling a structured rather than opportunistic posture toward Web3 infrastructure and decentralized finance protocols. SYD Ventures distinguishes itself through a capital structure that separates seed-stage optionality from concentrated follow-on conviction. Where most early-stage Australian firms either raise a single fund or operate as angel syndicates, Shirben runs both: a broad-opportunity seed vehicle for initial discovery and a thematic follow-on fund for compound deployment. This architecture lets the firm preserve exposure to its strongest performers without diluting its early-stage funnel. The husband-and-wife leadership team manages the strategy from its Bellevue Hill office, with Yifat Shirben's AICD governance training informing the firm's board-level engagement with portfolio companies.
General information
Firm type
Generalist
Year founded
2012
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Asia
Country
Australia
City
Sydney
Corporate office
152/177 Bellevue Road, Bellevue Hill NSW 2023, Australia
Principals
Andrey Shirben
Founder
Yifat Shirben
Partner & CMO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at SYD Ventures?
Andrey Shirben, the firm's founder, leads investment decisions. A serial entrepreneur with multiple exits, Shirben chairs the firm's investment committee. His wife and partner, Yifat Shirben, contributes to portfolio company marketing and governance through her AICD training. The firm does not publicly disclose additional investment committee members.
How does SYD Ventures source proprietary deal flow?
SYD Ventures sources primarily through Andrey Shirben's active membership in Sydney Angels, one of Australia's largest angel investment networks. The firm also draws referrals from Shirben's network of Australian and Israeli founders formed during his own startup career. The Follow[the]Seed fund and Gravity Capital partnership extend sourcing into international co-investor circles across the US and Southeast Asia.
Is SYD Ventures structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
SYD Ventures functions as an investment company rather than a pure family office. Andrey Shirben deployed personal capital from his entrepreneurial exits to seed the firm, but the presence of Follow[the]Seed, a formal venture fund, and Gravity Capital, a crypto partnership, suggests third-party capital may be involved. The altss_app record classifies the firm as an asset manager, implying an institutional posture beyond a traditional single-family office.
Does SYD Ventures participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
SYD Ventures primarily executes direct seed and early-stage equity deals. The firm's relationship with Follow[the]Seed and its own follow-on reserves allow it to double down on winners directly rather than committing to external fund managers. Gravity Capital, however, operates as a research and investment partnership, suggesting pooled or collaborative structures may be used for digital-asset exposure.
What investment stages does SYD Ventures typically target?
The firm concentrates on pre-seed and seed rounds, with initial check sizes reported between $200,000 and $750,000. SYD Ventures reserves capital for follow-on participation through Series A, often deploying additional capacity through Follow[the]Seed, its sister venture fund. The firm does not typically lead Series B or later-stage rounds.
How is SYD Ventures related to Follow[the]Seed and Gravity Capital?
Follow[the]Seed is a venture capital fund co-founded by Andrey Shirben that operates alongside SYD Ventures, providing a formal follow-on vehicle for breakout portfolio companies. Gravity Capital is a separate cryptocurrency research and investment partnership also linked to Shirben. Together, the three entities form a tiered capital structure: SYD Ventures for initial discovery, Follow[the]Seed for concentrated follow-on deployment, and Gravity Capital for digital-asset strategy.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
Andrey Shirben generated his founding capital through multiple exits as a technology entrepreneur prior to establishing SYD Ventures in 2012. The specific identities of the companies sold and the proceeds generated have not been publicly disclosed. The firm's asset-manager classification and affiliated venture fund suggest the original family capital may now be supplemented or managed alongside external investor commitments.
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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