Venture Liquidity & Career Pathways: Insights for Investors, Founders & Leaders

Join us for a dynamic discussion on two pivotal themes shaping the future of venture capital: venture liquidity and VC career pathways. Discover how secondary and merger transactions are providing liquidity for investors, founders, and employees, offering exit pathways and portfolio diversification opportunities. Alongside this, we’ll explore the evolving landscape of VC careers, from breaking into the industry to transitioning into leadership roles as investors, operators, or C-suite executives. Whether you’re a seasoned investor, a startup founder, or a corporate leader looking to understand the intersection of innovation and investment, this event will deliver actionable insights, real-world examples, and valuable networking opportunities.

Don’t miss this chance to gain a competitive edge in the fast-changing world of venture capital and beyond featuring:

Rayn Ong, Co-Founder and Partner at Archangel Ventures
Samantha Wong, Partner at Blackbird
Moderated by Vidit Agarwal from The High Flyers Podcast.

Panelists:

Rayn Ong
Rayn has a presence unlike many others in the Australian startup ecosystem. An active angel investor since 2014, he has made over 100 investments, including in the seed rounds of Instaclustr, Propeller Aero, HappyCo, Morse Micro, and Eucalyptus. Each has realised valuations of over $100 million or more now. Rayn has been featured on the AFR Young Rich List as an angel investor in 2022, Rayn spends his day-to-day as a partner at  Archangel Ventures, as an early-stage VC fund.

Samantha Wong 
Sam is a General Partner at Blackbird Ventures, where she leads the New Zealand office from Auckland and helps deploy a $1 billion AUD early-stage and growth fund to supercharge Australia and New Zealand’s most ambitious founders. Focused on enterprise software, robotics, AI, digital healthcare, and marketplaces, she believes the best founders can inspire a love for any business or market. Samantha is passionate about fostering innovation and supporting bold ideas, ensuring the region remains a global hub for groundbreaking entrepreneurship.

Moderator:

Vidit Agarwal

Vidit Agarwal is the Founder & CEO of Curiosity Centre (CC), a professional services firm and on-demand intelligence hub that's elevated 200,000+ investors, founders, executives, and emerging leaders since 2020. Vidit also hosts The High Flyers Podcast, one of CC's leading products.

He’s a Judge for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Award, founding investor at FB10x, SXSW advisor, and Board Member at StreetSmart. Previously, he scaled a startup to $40M and led $300M portfolios at Coles, Procter & Gamble, and Nestlé. He's completed the Melbourne Full-Marathon and wishes he was a professional tennis player. 

Hosted by:

Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship
Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship is a leading centre for entrepreneurial training based at  Ormond College, the University of Melbourne. Wade Institute delivers immersive education  programs to accelerate learning, creation and connection.

VC Catalyst
VC Catalyst is an immersive executive education program for active investors to gain the best  practice tools and skills to make successful early-stage high growth venture capital investments.  Powered by LaunchVic, the program is delivered at Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship by world-leading venture capitalists and experts.

With thanks to:

LaunchVic
Since its creation in 2017, LaunchVic has been leading the development of a globally-connected startup ecosystem in Victoria, Australia

High Flyers Podcast
Described as a "meticulously researched audio biography," The High Flyers Podcast gives access to the untold stories of the world’s most remarkable people and companies—re-imagining what it means to be a high flyer through relatable role models. Launched in 2020 and hosted by Vidit Agarwal, High Flyers has ranked in the global top ten podcasts for two years, with listeners in 27 countries and released over 200 episodes. Excerpts of the podcast have been featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, Financial Review, and at SXSW.

Stone & Chalk
A non-profit, who's mission is to help transform Australia into a sustainable tech-driven economy. Stone and Chalk support startups, growing tech businesses, companies, and government to be more innovative—bringing sustainability, diversity, and impact to every opportunity.