Unify Ventures

Unify Ventures is a Sydney, Australia-based multi-thematic venture capital fund of funds, established in October 2022, that invests in specialist early-stage fund managers and unlocks co-investment alongside them. Rather than backing startups directly as its primary activity, Unify's thesis is that thematic funds, those concentrated on a specific sector, are better positioned to help early-stage portfolio companies succeed through deep, focused networks and expertise. The firm builds a portfolio of managers across chosen thematics, initially covering B2B SaaS, advanced manufacturing and fintech, with further thematics planned, and pairs this fund-of-funds exposure with a co-investment fund that takes direct positions in the strongest companies surfaced by its underlying managers. Its process involves selecting thematics based on the partners' collective experience, screening fund managers on the basis of investment track record and performance, and conducting detailed due diligence focused on understanding each manager's assumptions and strategy. Unify works closely with some of Australia's most ambitious emerging managers, for example Black Nova Venture Capital, a B2B SaaS-focused fund, to identify and back top performers. The firm was founded by Alex Retzlaff, who serves as Managing Partner and is also a founding venture partner at Black Nova, alongside co-founder Chris Deere, giving limited partners diversified access to Australia's early-stage venture ecosystem through a single, curated vehicle. By combining fund-of-funds exposure to specialist managers with selective co-investment, Unify Ventures offers investors a diversified yet curated route into Australia's emerging-manager venture landscape.