In The Blink Of AI with Georgie Healy How VCs Really Assess AI Startups | Cheryl Mack, Maxine Minter and Georgie Healy
Recorded as Co-Founder & CEO, Aussie Angels (now Ventari)
With Maxine Minter, Georgie Healy
About Cheryl Mack
Cheryl Mack is co-founder and CEO of Ventari, formerly Aussie Angels, a platform that handles fund administration, compliance and investor management for angel syndicates, funds and venture firms in Australia and New Zealand. She co-founded the business in November 2021 with Thomas Worden and Sacha Schmitz, and it took the Ventari name in 2026.
Before that she was CEO of StartCon, the startup conference that grew out of a Freelancer.com event, and earlier started the Vancouver chapter of Startup Grind. She is an angel investor and has mentored founders through Startmate and Founder Institute.
Cheryl co-hosts First Cheque with Maxine Minter on Day One, a show about the craft of early-stage investing, and appeared in Day One's documentary The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem.
- Talks about
- Venture Capital, Fundraising, Startup Lessons, AI, Going Global
Behind the microphone.
Also in conversation.
8 episodes
Start hereCheryl Mack on building communities and her passion for supporting foundersHer own interview: how she moved from StartCon and Startup Grind into angel investing and founding Aussie Angels, before the First Cheque episodes.
In The Blink Of AI with Georgie Healy 
The Startup Retro with Will Richards & Gemma Clancy Square Peg's global shift, Linktree's 2023 & SA rocket launches
Recorded as Co-Founder & CEO, Aussie Angels (now Ventari)
With Emma Grife
The Startup Retro with Will Richards & Gemma Clancy Turo partners with Uber, AirTrunk's $23B sale & agtech spotlight
Recorded as Co-Founder & CEO, Aussie Angels (now Ventari)
With David Burt
Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem Launch Event Bonus Episode
Recorded as Co-Founder & CEO, Aussie Angels (now Ventari)
With Malcolm Turnbull, Michelle Deaker, Larry Marshall, Marina Wu, Niki Scevak, Preethi Mohan, Alan Jones, Simon Thomsen
Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 4
Recorded as Co-Founder & CEO, Aussie Angels (now Ventari)
With Simon Thomsen, Tim Boyle, David Burt, Rachel Yang, Sarah Pearson, Bruce Tulloch, Lucinda Hartley, Joshua Flannery, Megan Sebben, Alex Scandurra, Phil Ireland, Julie Trell, Peter Devine, Dean McEvoy, Craig Swann, Colette Grgic, Pete Horsley, Aaron Birkby, Annie Parker, Paul Bassat, Maxine Sherrin, Malcolm Turnbull, James Alexander, Melissa Widner, Hamish Hawthorn, Lauren Capelin
Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 5
Recorded as Co-Founder & CEO, Aussie Angels (now Ventari)
With Mark Pesce, Steve Grace, Eloise Hall, Isobel Marshall, Darryl Lyons, Megan Sebben, Phil Ireland, Wayne Gerard, Sam Jockel, Samantha Finnegan, Arthur Sinodinos, Peter Devine, Tim Fung, Peter Tippett, Trevor Folsom, Dean McEvoy, Moira Were, Kate Jones, Daniel Flynn, Mick Liubinskas, Peter Bradd, Rachael Neumann, Chad Renando, Annie Parker, Aaron Birkby, Rachel Yang, Melissa Widner, Sarah Pearson, Colin Kinner, Lauren Capelin, Bruce Tulloch, Matt Barrie, Kate Cornick, Andrea Gardiner, Niki Scevak
Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 6
Recorded as Co-Founder & CEO, Aussie Angels (now Ventari)
With Leslie Delaforce, Darryl Lyons, Megan Sebben, Wayne Gerard, Nicole O'Brien, Alex Carpenter, Evan Thornley, Baden U'Ren, Tim Fung, Trevor Folsom, Peter Davison, Craig Swann, Moira Were, Colette Grgic, Allan O'Connor, Rachael Neumann, Chad Renando, Annie Parker, Brendan Hill, Aaron Birkby, Malcolm Turnbull, Jodie Fox, Susan Oliver, Silvia Pfeiffer, Yolanda Redrup, Andrew Nunn, Melissa Widner, Alfred Lo, Sarah Pearson, Phil Hayes-St Clair, Colin Kinner, Lauren Capelin, Matt Barrie, Kate Cornick, Andrea Gardiner, Niki Scevak
The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series Cheryl Mack on building communities and her passion for supporting founders
Recorded as Co-Founder & CEO, Aussie Angels (now Ventari)
Go straight to the good bits.
Key moments from How VCs Really Assess AI Startups | Cheryl Mack, Maxine Minter and Georgie Healy.
- 2:15Are Cheryl and Maxine AI skeptics or advocates?
- 6:00What's actually fueling the AI hype?
- 10:45Are we in a bubble—or just early in the cycle?
- 16:20Valuations, FOMO, and how investors are pricing AI
- 21:00What angel investors should look for in AI startups
- 27:30AI’s biggest red flag: When it all just sounds like magic
- 31:00Are agents real or is everyone faking it?
- 36:40AI in venture workflows: What Maxine actually automates
- 41:30The real power of personal brand in VC
- 44:50How Cheryl preps for founder calls with Google NotebookLM
In their own words.
“It's easy to get a 652 multiple return if you only invest once, because you're always going to get the best return from your first investment.”
“The best founders also ignore 90 percent of advice that they get from people within the ecosystem.”
“I'm going to be the person that helps founders connect with capital and helps investors deploy capital, but I'm not going to be the one that deploys it.”
The path so far.
- Now
Co-Founder & CEO · Ventari
- Earlier
Ran StartCon (grew event 1,500 to 4,000 attendees) · StartCon
- Earlier
Community leadership · Stone & Chalk
- Earlier
Community leadership · Australian Computer Society
- Earlier
Founder, Vancouver chapter · Startup Grind Vancouver
Sources: capitalbrief.com
Ventari on Day One
Ventari, formerly Aussie Angels, provides a platform and back-office services for venture funds, angel syndicates and their investors in Australia and New Zealand.
1 person · 27 episodes
Across the network.
In the room with
Georgie HealyHost, In The Blink Of AI 
Maxine MinterFounder & General Partner, Co Ventures 
Will RichardsHost, The Startup Retro 
Gemma ClancyHost, The Startup Retro 
Emma GrifeHead of Founders, Startmate 
David BurtDirector of Entrepreneurship, UNSW Founders 
Adam SpencerHost, Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem 
Malcolm TurnbullFormer Prime Minister of Australia Spot something wrong? Suggest a correctionUpdated 29 October 2026
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