Investor Profile: Titanium Ventures - Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Titanium Ventures, formerly Telstra Ventures, is a global venture capital firm headquartered in Sydney and San Francisco, and one of the largest venture firms in the Australia and New Zealand region. It began life in 2011 as the corporate venture arm of Australian telecom giant Telstra, became independent in 2018 with backing from HarbourVest Partners, and rebranded from Telstra Ventures to Titanium Ventures in June 2024. Telstra remains a limited partner, but the firm now invests independently.

Investment thesis

The firm's pitch is that it accelerates the extraordinary: it finds standout technology disruptors and then uses data science and a revenue platform to help them sell faster. Its investment process combines Silicon Valley experience with quantitative analysis, using data science to identify, source and benchmark every opportunity. The firm backs companies that are already generating millions of dollars in revenue, rather than pre-revenue ideas, and it works as a minority investor that earns its place through revenue help, not control.

Sectors and stages

Titanium Ventures invests across what it calls the Cs: cloud, cyber, crypto including blockchain, carbon and climate, coders, creators and consumers. Its sweet spot is growth-stage enterprise and consumer software with proven revenue, and historically more than 70 percent of its deals have been in the United States, with Asia accounting for most of the remainder. Cheques range from US$5 million to US$50 million. It is not a seed investor; approach it once revenue and a repeatable sales motion are in place.

Fund size

Fund III closed in 2022 at A$500 million (about US$336 million), beating a target of A$400 million and drawing in more than 35 new limited partners, including superannuation funds. Fund II closed in 2018 at A$675 million, with a US$50 million sidecar added the following year. Total funds under management reached A$1.35 billion after Fund III, according to the firm's 2024 rebrand release. The firm says it has returned more than A$800 million to existing limited partners and almost A$1 billion in cash across its history.

Notable portfolio

Across more than 100 investments, the firm's liquidity events include Auth0, BigCommerce, Box, CrowdStrike, DocuSign, GitLab, OpenGov, Snap and Whispir. Its portfolio has produced 17 unicorns, companies valued above US$1 billion, including five decacorns valued above US$10 billion. The firm also backed crypto exchange FTX, an investment that did not go to plan.

Partners and platform

The firm is led by joint managing directors Matthew Koertge in Sydney and Mark Sherman in San Francisco, with partners including Saad Siddiqui, Marcus Bartram, Steve Schmidt, Geoff Dolphin and Gurpreet Ghuliani. Its signature programme is the Revenue Acceleration Platform, which the firm says has generated over A$1 billion in revenue for portfolio companies across more than 1,600 enterprise customers. No general startup credits or perks programme was found; the platform itself is the perk.

How to apply for funding

No open public application portal for Titanium Ventures was found. Founders typically approach the firm through its official website, ti.vc, or through introductions from existing investors, enterprise customers or portfolio founders. A credible approach leads with revenue scale and enterprise traction.