First Cheque with Cheryl Mack & Maxine Minter 
About Sam Wong
Sam Wong is a partner at Blackbird Ventures, where she heads the firm's Auckland office and backs early-stage founders in Australia and New Zealand. Her interests include the future of food, synthetic biology, longevity and healthcare.
She joined Blackbird in 2015 as head of operations and moved into investing in 2017. Blackbird opened its Auckland office under her leadership in 2019, raised a first New Zealand fund of $59 million and in 2022 began raising a second of at least $80 million. Earlier she worked as a lawyer and a product manager and founded a Startmate company. She led the drafting of a model code of conduct for the startup community and started Blackbird's Women in VC internship.
On First Cheque in 2024 she discussed angel investing, ecosystem building and investing in New Zealand.
- Talks about
- Going Global, Venture Capital
In conversation.
1 episode
First Cheque with Cheryl Mack & Maxine Minter In their own words.
“You can't just profit from the ecosystem, you have to take responsibility for building it too, and building it in a certain way.”
The path so far.
- Now
Partner · Blackbird Ventures
- From 2010 · Scale-up
Marketing then Product lead · SurfStitch
- Earlier · Startup
Co-founder · CapacityHQ (Startmate)
- Earlier
Corporate lawyer · MinterEllison
Sources: fashionjournal.com.au
Blackbird Ventures on Day One
Blackbird Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in Australian and New Zealand start-ups from their earliest stages and keeps backing them as they grow.
4 people · 9 episodes
Across the network.
Spot something wrong? Suggest a correctionUpdated 29 October 2026
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