Upstart Investments

Deal flow is generated primarily through the Plus Eight Accelerator, which founder Rob Nathan operates in partnership with Spacecubed and Brodie McCulloch. Additional sourcing comes from Nathan's leadership of the Curtin Angel Syndicate and his active membership in Perth Angels. This ecosystem creates a proprietary pipeline of early-stage Western Australian companies before they reach broader institutional markets.

It operates as an investment company rather than a traditional blind-pool venture fund. Capital is deployed on a deal-by-deal basis, often through syndicated rounds led alongside the Plus Eight Syndicate and other angel co-investors. This structure allows for flexible check sizes and closer alignment with the accelerator's graduate companies.

Founder Rob Nathan serves as CEO and makes core investment decisions. Tracie Clark functions as Lead Investment Manager for the Plus Eight Syndicate, working directly alongside Nathan on deal evaluation and portfolio management. Investment analyst Josh Ellis supports the due diligence process.

The firm deploys across seed, start-up, and growth stages, with a concentration at the earliest phases where its accelerator program provides the greatest advantage. This allows Upstart to invest before institutional venture rounds, often participating in pre-seed and seed financings alongside Perth Angels and the Curtin Angel Syndicate.

The relationship is structural, not ancillary. Nathan co-developed the Plus Eight Accelerator with Spacecubed founder Brodie McCulloch, and Upstart Investments serves as the primary investment vehicle for participating in accelerator graduate rounds. The accelerator acts as both a talent filter and a post-investment support network, making Upstart's capital deployment inseparable from the program's operations.