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Niki Scevak

Niki Scevak

Partner at Blackbird Ventures

Investor

Niki Scevak is a prominent figure in the venture capital industry, serving as a Partner at Blackbird Ventures, a venture fund dedicated to empowering Australia's and New Zealand's most ambitious founders. Based in the Greater Sydney Area, Niki co-founded Blackbird in 2012, and has been instrumental in its growth and success. He is also a co-founder of Startmate, a founder community aimed at helping the next generation of entrepreneurs succeed.Before his ventures in the startup ecosystem, Niki founded Homethinking.com, a platform designed to assist homeowners in finding real estate agents based on past sales and customer reviews. His career began at Jupiter Research, where he worked as an Analyst, focusing on marketing and media, particularly in online advertising and paid search markets.Niki holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, Commerce, and Computer Science from the University of New South Wales, where he graduated with distinction. His career is marked by a commitment to fostering innovation and supporting emerging entrepreneurs in the tech industry.

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In their own words

The best startups need no help, and the best startups will succeed anyway, and so you're inserting this artificial handicap onto the decision.
▶ The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 6 Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem · 19 December 2022
As soon as someone says someone's a safe pair of hands, you're almost guaranteed that that person is not going to be a safe pair of hands.
▶ Niki Scevak is optimistic about Australia’s future The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series · 23 January 2022

Career

  1. Now Partner · Blackbird Ventures
  2. From 2010 Co-founder · Startmate
  3. From 2003 · Startup Founder · Homethinking

Sources: blackbird.vc, venturebeat.com

Key moments

Jump straight to the part of Niki Scevak is optimistic about Australia’s future you want.

  1. 0:21 Meet Niki Scevak
  2. 0:25 Overview of Blackbird
  3. 0:52 Relationship-First Investing Philosophy
  4. 1:10 History of the Startup Ecosystem in Australia
  5. 1:37 Pre-2009 Ecosystem Insights
  6. 2:12 Successful Companies Before 2009
  7. 3:19 Shift in Ambition and Community Building
  8. 4:18 Niki's Early Entrepreneurial Journey
  9. 5:06 The Bookmark Box Startup
  10. 6:11 Change in Founders' Perspectives

Heard on

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Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem · 19 December 2022 The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 2 With Jodie Fox, Alfred Lo, Hamish Hawthorn, Cameron Adams, Evan Thornley, John Allsopp, Malcolm Turnbull, Ian Gardiner, Mick Liubinskas, Matt Barrie, Mark Pesce, Phil Hayes-St Clair, Simon Thomsen, Phil Morle, Silvia Pfeiffer, Dean McEvoy, Alan Noble, Alan Jones
▶
Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem · 19 December 2022 The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 3 With Michael Batko, Wayne Gerard, Petr Adámek, Peter Devine, Rohit Bhargava, Terry Hilsberg, Peter Bradd, Zrinka Tokic, Rachael Neumann, Zoe Piper, Susan Oliver, Silvia Pfeiffer, Murray Hurps, Rachel Yang, Yolanda Redrup, Peta Ellis, Sarah Pearson, Colin Kinner, Mark Pesce, Colette Grgic, Ian Gardiner, Lauren Capelin, Matt Barrie, Melissa Widner, Cameron Adams, Georgie Turner, Baden U'Ren, Evan Thornley, Alan Noble, Kate Jones, Kate Cornick, James Alexander, Dharmica Mistry, Emily Rich, Lars Rasmussen
▶
Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem · 19 December 2022 The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 5 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, Cheryl Mack, Andrea Gardiner
▶
Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem · 19 December 2022 The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 6 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, Cheryl Mack, Andrea Gardiner
▶
The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series · 23 January 2022 Niki Scevak is optimistic about Australia’s future

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Blackbird Ventures Blackbird Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in companies from the very beginning and supports them at every stage of their journey. 4 people · 8 episodes →

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