Aura Ventures welcomes Annie Liao as Investment Associate

As a new member of the team, Annie will also be focusing on deal origination, due diligence and execution of investment opportunities as well as the rollout of our new community/ platform strategy. We sat down with Annie to learn more about her background, her focus areas in venture capital, and what excites her most about the VC landscape right now.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m originally from New Zealand, but I moved to Canberra when I was younger. What brought me to Sydney was a scholarship to UTS, where I studied accounting. My scholarship enabled me to work while I was in school, so I kicked off my career interning at Westpac. Over my (nearly!) three years at Westpac I went from interning to working as a data scientist.

I completed a few other internships and contracts in that time, including one in product development and one in venture capital, but after I graduated, I joined Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as a consultant. It was a super rewarding experience, where I was able to focus on a broad range of areas, including healthcare, climate and sustainability, banking, energy and e-commerce. I was able to broaden my experience across GTM strategy, advanced analytics, business models, and process improvement. I’m excited to bring my learnings to Aura Ventures!

This is your first full time role working in VC. What excites you about VC?

Finding as many awesome founders as possible, of course! Previously, I got the opportunity to work with Archangel Ventures in a contract capacity, where I worked in special projects, consulting, platform, and marketing, all of which helped me better understand how to support portfolio companies. This is my first time working as an investor full time, I’m so excited to learn more about what kind of support founders need in our current rapidly shifting environment. Something I find really rewarding is working with people who are naturally curious, which is a key requirement to any ambitious founder. Bringing people’s ideas to life is what I am passionate about. VC is a very direct way to do that.

What startup industries interest you the most?

The space I’m most interested in exploring is generative AI, a rapidly expanding space that is anticipated to reach USD 109 billion by 2030 and grow at a CAGR of 35% in the next six years. Other spaces I’m watching are areas I was previously focusing on at BCG, such as healthcare and climate and sustainability. I’m also keen to research more into industry trends.

Important Information 

This information is for accredited, qualified, institutional, wholesale or sophisticated investors only and is provided by Aura Group and related entities and is only for information and general news purposes. It does not constitute an offer or invitation of any sort in any jurisdiction. Moreover, the information in this document will not affect Aura Group’s investment strategy for any funds in any way. The information and opinions in this document have been derived from or reached from sources believed in good faith to be reliable but have not been independently verified. Aura Group makes no guarantee, representation or warranty, express or implied, and accepts no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of this information. No reliance should be placed on any assumptions, forecasts, projections, estimates or prospects contained within this document. You should not construe any such information or any material, as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. This information is intended for distribution only in those jurisdictions and to those persons where and to whom it may be lawfully distributed. All information is of a general nature and does not address the personal circumstances of any particular individual or entity. The views and opinions expressed in this material are those of the author as of the date indicated and any such views are subject to change at any time based upon market or other conditions. The information may contain certain statements deemed to be forward-looking statements, including statements that address results or developments that Aura expects or anticipates may occur in the future. Any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. This information is for the use of only those persons to whom it is given. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose, redistribute or use the information in any way.

Aura Group subsidiaries issuing this information include Aura Group (Singapore) Pte Ltd (Registration No. 201537140R) which is regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as a holder of a Capital Markets Services Licence, and Aura Capital Pty Ltd (ACN 143 700 887) Australian Financial Services Licence 366230 holder in Australia.