founder support

Venture beyond capital

Capital is a commodity. Every VC has a network. What sets us apart is time. Focused support and patient capital that helps gets the fundamentals right now – so you’re ready for serious, sustainable growth.

Founders come to us for 3 reasons

1

They want to unlock growth

They want to scale, but they don’t know exactly how. We help them fine-tune their growth engine.

2

They want to de-risk their business

We address the blindspots that are holding them (and potential investors) back, multiplying their future backability.

3

They want to move fast

They’ve got a vanishing runway and very little time. We set them on a strategic course for Series A success.

Michael Tutek
Co-founder & CEO
,
Preezie
SUPPORT MODEL

success

All the ingredients for long-term success

We’re pushing all of our resources, know-how and connections into the ring. So what does that look like?

All the funding you'll need

We make initial investments up to $300k, and can then follow-on in multiple rounds. Having us on hand for future rounds means you can work on your business rather than working the room.

Learn more
A dedicated team

We have more people (and expertise on tap) than any other seed-focused VC. So we can give founders a lot of our time (strategy sessions, check-ins, actually replying to texts…), as well as the time to find their feet. No undue pressure and no countdown clock to the next funding round.

Help where you need it most

Get ongoing strategic and tactical advice for whatever problem you’re facing. Need help with cashflow forecasting? Go-to market? Pricing strategy? Hiring? Done.

How we're different

Proud critics of the status quo

Why and how we offer the highest support to cheque size ratio in Australian VC.

Humii Team

We'll see you through seed

Our edge is understanding seed better than anyone – and faster. Because it can be a series of shocks. Whiplash-inducing pivots, complete model overhauls, failed MVPs, hard-to-hear feedback. Few successful companies manifest as the original roadmap - every founder has to iterate before hitting PMF. Seed is by far the toughest stage - one that few get past. But we know how to navigate it, inside out.

Lewi Software co-founders Geraldine Terada-Bellis and Vishnu Avudainayagam

Growth but not at all costs

We get the core engines of business firing stably in the short term, so you can move faster in the medium term. We’ll never thrust the weight of “fund returner” on your shoulders before you’re even generating revenue. We want to help you build a scalable, sustainable business – not simply inflate your valuation.

Foremind founder Joel Anderson with Skalata's Tom Smalley and Claire Bristow

Friendly but frank

It's not just about “support”. Cheerleaders are supportive. It's about validating your ideas (“this is worth doing”) and dispelling your fears (“you can make the jump”). It's about giving you actual direction, considered connections, and sometimes brutal honesty. You need experts by your side. Not to be abandoned with a pile of cash, absent advisors, and unanswered emails piling up in the sent box.

Explorate Team

Substance over hype

There’s a lot of hype and hustle in the VC world, but we want to get back to substance. It's all the necessary, unsexy stuff you’ll thank us for later – financial forecasting, good governance, honing your business model, hiring the right people... There’s a reason later-stage investors love Skalata companies. It’s because they get the fundamentals right.

Explorate Team

Work in and on your business

Having us on hand for future rounds means you can work on your business rather than working the room. We are your medium-term funding plan - one less major timesuck to worry about. We then go in to bat for you with Series A investors - capitalising on our connections and repping your company as if it were our own.

Humii Team

We'll see you through seed

Our edge is understanding seed better than anyone – and faster. Because it can be a series of shocks. Whiplash-inducing pivots, complete model overhauls, failed MVPs, hard-to-hear feedback. Few successful companies manifest as the original roadmap - every founder has to iterate before hitting PMF. Seed is by far the toughest stage - one that few get past. But we know how to navigate it, inside out.

Lewi Software co-founders Geraldine Terada-Bellis and Vishnu Avudainayagam

Growth but not at all costs

We get the core engines of business firing stably in the short term, so you can move faster in the medium term. We’ll never thrust the weight of “fund returner” on your shoulders before you’re even generating revenue. We want to help you build a scalable, sustainable business – not simply inflate your valuation.

Foremind founder Joel Anderson with Skalata's Tom Smalley and Claire Bristow

Friendly but frank

It's not just about “support”. Cheerleaders are supportive. It's about validating your ideas (“this is worth doing”) and dispelling your fears (“you can make the jump”). It's about giving you actual direction, considered connections, and sometimes brutal honesty. You need experts by your side. Not to be abandoned with a pile of cash, absent advisors, and unanswered emails piling up in the sent box.

Explorate Team

Substance over hype

There’s a lot of hype and hustle in the VC world, but we want to get back to substance. It's all the necessary, unsexy stuff you’ll thank us for later – financial forecasting, good governance, honing your business model, hiring the right people... There’s a reason later-stage investors love Skalata companies. It’s because they get the fundamentals right.

How we're different

What we actually help you with

From GTM strategy and product development to company culture and tech infrastructure, we’ll offer advice we can actually help implement. Always frank, always constructive, always based on experience. Here's some quick examples of things Skalata can help you with.

Interviewing CTO candidates
Honing your pricing strategy
Preparing for a big client meeting
Drafting a revised budget
Developing clear performance metrics
Interviewing CTO candidates
Honing your pricing strategy
Preparing for a big client meeting
Drafting a revised budget
Developing clear performance metrics
Preparing for a big client meeting
Support expanding into the US & Europe
Identifying new revenue streams
Pivoting your business model
Preparing for a big client meeting
Support expanding into the US & Europe
Identifying new revenue streams
Pivoting your business model

What we do

You know your market and we know seed-stage company development. We'll offer sensible, tailored advice, and then help you actually implement it. Day in. Day out.

Deep-dive strategy sessions
Weekly check-ins and on-call support (on your terms)
Long-term funding palans
Product roadmap development
Go-to market and growth engine development
Hiring plans

What we don't do

Generally speaking, we won't work in your business, only on it. This is how we add the most value, both short-term and long-term. Teach a founder to fish...

Micromanage or VC-splain
Outdated playbooks
Tell you want you want to hear
Recommend going all in on growth, until you've got product market fit
Makes sales calls (but we'll sit in to give you feedback/write the script)
Undermine your long-term prospects by making you reliant on us (we'd rather fund you to hire/build what you need)
SUPPORT TEAM
Skalata's Shahirah Garnder with Lewi Software co-founders Vishnu and Geraldine
Skalata's Claire Bristow with Cleverbean co-founder Alina HunterSkalata's Rohan Workman and Tuong Tran

people

Powered

by people

Skalata's Tony Glenning with Style Sourcebook founder Lisa Cousens

Skalata’s value is our people, and their experience building seed-stage companies. It’s hard to put a dollar value on having that one-on-one, immediate feedback loop.

On your side.
By your side.

Fit

FOUNDER STORIES

Overnight success
doesn't happen overnight

We show founders the problem areas they’re too close to the business to see. We knew Choovie needed to pivot to B2B. We knew Explorate needed to change its revenue model. We knew Preezie needed to make its product a hell of a lot more defensible. It starts with starting at the beginning. Placing an obsessive focus on product, going back to the customer, and questioning every assumption.

Lance Qian
Lance Qian
Co-founder
,
WorkRex

“We spoke to several investors as part of our raise, but Skalata’s promise to offer more support at the seed stage is what ultimately convinced us. Now that we’ve been working with the team for a few months, I can wholeheartedly say that this is accurate!”

Declan Vanderhor
Declan Vanderhor
Founder & CEO
,
Tablogs

“I’m so much more confident as a founder now – a lot of it was just programming me to think bigger. Being around super talented peers and having that support system really urged me on.”

Lisa Cousens
Lisa Cousens
Founder & CEO
,
Style Sourcebook

“As a solo founder, I hit a point where I couldn't progress any further without the right support. Skalata helped me build the dream team to grow Style Sourcebook into what it is today.”

Will Poot
Will Poot
Co-founder
,
Omni Biotech

“One of our core principles is 'local focus, global vision'. Skalata has helped us realise this by opening up their deep networks across Australia and the US.”

Nilu Kulasingham
Nilu Kulasingham
Founder
,
Nucanon

“I decided to work with Skalata because of their hands-on approach to company building. As a solo founder, while the capital is nice, the connections and insights offered are a strong value add. Plus, the clear goals and targets we’ve established for the seed stage are really good.”

Afonso Firmo
Afonso Firmo
Co-founder
,
NetNada

“From our first meeting with Skalata, it was very clear they shared a similar mentality towards entrepreneurship, innovation, opportunity and impact.”