ALIAVIA Ventures Raises $8.7M for Female-Led Tech

ALIAVIA Ventures, located in California, has completed its first fund, earning AU$13.5 million (US$8.7 million) from high-profile family offices and investors.

Carol Schwartz of Trawalla, EQT, Climate Council, Tattarang (the Forrest Family Office), Robyn & Victoria Denholm of Wollemi Capital Group, Dom Pym (Founder of Up Bank), and Cynthia Scott of Zip Co are among the notable sponsors.

ALIAVIA Ventures invests only in female-founded technology firms in Australia and the United States. Their objective is to solve the gender gap in venture capital funding, with just 2% of investment going to all-female-founded enterprises in 2022, despite these companies providing a 35% greater return on investment than all-male-led teams.

ALIAVIA, co-founded by Marisa Warren and Kate Vale, has committed approximately AU$8.4 million to support nine female-founded tech startups, including Eugene, HowToo, Othelia, and Loupe. ALIAVIA aims to combat the funding gap and gender disparity in the tech and venture capital sectors. From pre-seed through seed stage, the business invests in firms with at least one female founder that are building B2B or B2C software solutions.

ALIAVIA uses a concentrated portfolio approach to give comprehensive assistance to its founders and serves as a bridge for Australian businesses seeking to expand into the United States.

Carol Schwartz AO, ALIAVIA's anchor investor, lauded the fund for being a pioneer in the Australian venture capital industry by solely backing female founders.