Investible names Charlie Ill as first chief investment officer to ramp up global focus

Early-stage venture capital firm Investible has named Asia-Pacific investment expert Charlie Ill as the group’s first Chief Investment Officer as the fund ramps up its global presence.

The Sydney-headquartered VC, which also has an office in Singapore, has also promoted Jayden Basha to principal and Ben Lindsay to investment manager.

Ill has been charged with leading Investible’s funds and portfolio management teams, including the continued deployment of both its A$51.6 million Early Stage Fund 2 and Climate Tech Fund, which has closed 11 investments and continues to raise towards its $100 million target.

Fund 2 recently had its first exit, with Indian HR tech giant BetterPlace snapping up Indonesia’s MyRobin less than 18 months after Investible made its initial investment.

Investible began life a decade ago under Trevor Folsom and Creel Price as a syndicate of angel investors. The syndicate, known as Club Investible, boasts over 140 members and venture partners the vast majority of whom are LPs in an Investible Fund. The group’s portfolio has grown to 130+ investments across 10 countries, including Canva, Ipsy, and Car Next Door. A total of A$9.8m in capital, including A$3.4m directly through Club Investible, has been deployed over the last three months across 18 deals.

They include Hotelmize (Israel), BintanGO (Indonesia), and Quantum Brilliance (Australia). Eight were follow-on investments, all at markups to their initial valuation. Several are to-be-announced.

Folsom said the restructure of Investible creates a single, unified investment team with pooled resources and expertise to deliver on the firm’s increased global activity, including support for and management of its later stage portfolio companies.

“When we set out to establish early-stage technology investment as its own asset class, we knew this unique structure would be a logical next step,” he said.

“The Club has helped us source incredible companies and investments, enable founders direct access to more capital, and extend our network effects globally.”

Charlie Ill has more a decade of VC experience, investing in and supporting early stage technology companies across three continents. His CV includes Red Dot Ventures in Singapore, investing in renewables and infrastructure through the Northern Territory’s government investment arm, and as Managing Director of the Oman Tech Fund.

Investible CEO Rod Bristow said Ill has a truly global perspective that aligns with the VC’s mandate and growth plans.

“Australia represents around 1% of the global VC market and we are excited about broadening our horizons, leveraging our networks and expertise to expand in the Asia-Pacific region and more broadly,” he said.

“Most importantly, founders and investors greatly value this broader exposure.”

Charlie Ill said he was drawn to a business than had proven out its model and was now entering an ambitious growth phase.

“While Australia remains a hotbed of innovation and a great place to do business, opportunities are equally promising in emergent tech sectors in geographies such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam,” he said.

“This is particularly true of climate tech, seen by the overwhelming number of founders coming through our pipeline from beyond Australia – over 1500 in the past year.”

Investible’s portfolio includes companies from 10 countries, including Southeast Asian tech upstarts Eden Farm, Parcel Perform and BintanGO.