Where we came from
In 2021 Abe Robertson, now one of our directors, was writing angel cheques on his own. A few friends asked to come in on a deal, then a few more, and before long about eighty people were investing together. Some were in every deal, some watched from the sidelines, and none of them fitted the venture capital mould. What they shared was experience and a soft spot for founders at the start of something.
That group became Trampoline. We think Australia and New Zealand produce far more good companies than get funded, because the big funds are hunting the next Canva and everything else falls through the gap. A syndicate of experienced people, each choosing their own deals, is how we close it.
Jump in. Back bold. It is on the front of the website because it is the whole idea.
What we do
Trampoline is an angel syndicate. We find early-stage companies, do the diligence together, and pool members' cheques through one trust per deal. You decide, deal by deal, whether you are in and for how much. Membership is free and there is never an obligation to invest.
We back ambitious founders building high-growth companies that create meaningful positive impact: climate, health, access, education, and the industries AI is finally fixing. If the company wins, something in the world gets better. That is the test every deal has to pass.
What we look for
- AI-native founders with deep domain conviction, out to own a category.
- Deep tech with a route to market inside two years, across robotics, hardware, health, climate and energy.
- Capital-efficient businesses already past $1M ARR, with a strong niche and a realistic path to a three-times-plus outcome.
Pre-Seed to Series A, mostly Australia and New Zealand, increasingly the US and Europe. We are happy to be the first cheque, and we follow on into companies that are working. Expect roughly one deal a month.
How a deal happens
Sourced Founders reach us through members, portfolio companies, partners and the wider ecosystem. We are watching more than a hundred companies at any time. If you know a founder who is raising, send them our way.
Screened by the Investment Committee The IC meets fortnightly to review the pipeline and decide what deserves the members' time. Most companies stop here.
Community due diligence Every Thursday at 2pm there is an open diligence call. Members who know the sector dig in with the founder and the deal lead, and pull in the questions the rest of us would not think to ask. Notes from these calls feed the deal notes.
Deal notes and Founder Q&A When a deal goes to syndication, you get the Trampoline deal notes, the company's deck and materials, and a recorded Founder Q&A, all on GXE. The notes are honest about the risks as well as the reasons we like it.
Syndication The deal opens on GXE with a close date, a minimum and Trampoline's allocation. You commit whatever suits you, from the minimum up. Nobody chases you either way.
Close and after Each deal runs through its own Australian bare trust with a corporate trustee, so your holding sits cleanly in one place. Founders send updates through GXE, and we stay close: introductions, follow-on rounds, and people who pick up the phone when it gets hard.
How to invest
All investing runs through GXE, our licensed platform partner. Trampoline is a Corporate Authorised Representative of GXE Fund Services Pty Ltd (AFSL 460870), which is what lets us arrange these deals for wholesale investors. GXE handles onboarding, commitments, payments and portfolio reporting, so you see everything you have backed in one place.
Upload your wholesale certificate Deals are open to wholesale clients only, so GXE needs a current accountant's certificate before you can commit.
Verifying your wholesale status. Not sure whether you qualify, or need a hand with the certificate? Email us and we will sort it.
Commit Open the deal in the Trampoline space, read the notes and the offer documents, and commit the amount you want before the close date. Some windows are short, so it pays to be fully set up before a deal you like comes along.
Do steps one to four now. It takes about twenty minutes in total, and it means that when the right deal appears you can commit that day rather than scrambling for paperwork.
The money
What it costs
Membership costs nothing. Trampoline is paid only when you invest, and only as disclosed on each deal:
- Administration fee of up to 5% of the amount you invest in a deal, paid at the time of investment. It covers setting up and running the deal trust.
- Carried interest of up to 15% of a deal's profits, paid only after your capital has come back to you. If the deal does not make money, neither do we.
- Fund investments, when we arrange access to a fund rather than a company, carry an entry fee and an exit fee of up to 3% each instead.
Fees are shown excluding GST unless the offer document says otherwise. Trust costs such as trustee, legal and administration are set out in each deal's documents.
What to expect
- Angel investing is long and lumpy. Plan for money to be tied up for five to ten years, and for some companies to fail outright. The portfolio approach, many small cheques over several years, is how experienced angels make it work.
- Minimums vary by deal and are set out in the deal notes.
- Founder updates arrive through GXE. Trampoline sends a fortnightly newsletter with portfolio news, new deals and events.
- Nothing in the deal notes is personal advice. Read the offer documents, and get your own advice if you want it. Our Financial Services Guide explains exactly what we do and do not do.
Get involved
The members who get the most out of Trampoline are the ones who show up. There is no minimum, but here is where your time goes furthest.
- Thursday diligence calls, 2pm. Open to every member. If you know the sector, the customer or the founder, your half hour on the call is worth more than most reports. The company is confirmed in the newsletter the week before.
- Founder Q&As. Live sessions with the founders of each deal in syndication, recorded for anyone who misses them.
- Send us deals. If someone in your world is raising, make the introduction to hello@trampoline.vc. A good chunk of our best deals arrive this way.
- Open doors for portfolio companies. A customer introduction, a hire, a board seat, an hour of your expertise. Founders tell us this is the part that matters most.
- Come to things. Padel, dinners, the Blue Tie Ball, street parties, investor education. Everything is on the events page and on our Luma calendar, where you register.
- Bring people. Membership is free and we grow through introductions. If you know someone who would fit, point them at trampoline.vc/join.
How we behave
Founders hand us their numbers, their plans and their weaknesses. Members hand each other candid opinions. That only works if everyone plays it straight. The full Member Code of Conduct is short and worth reading; the essentials are these.
- Confidentiality and Founder Information. Trampoline is a founder-first community. Founders share commercially sensitive and personal information with the expectation it will be treated with respect and discretion.
- Chatham House Rule. All committee and investment discussions are conducted under Chatham House Rule:
- Community-Led Due Diligence. Trampoline undertakes a community-driven diligence process. We rely on the collective insights, experience, and networks of our Members to evaluate opportunities.
- Conflicts of Interest. Members are expected to disclose any potential or actual conflicts of interest in relation to a founder, opportunity, or competing investment.
- Use of Information. All information shared through Trampoline (including founder materials, internal commentary, and group discussions) is provided solely for the purpose of evaluating potential investments within the Trampoline platform.
- Conduct and Collegiality. Members are expected to engage in a professional, constructive, and respectful manner with founders, fellow members, and the Trampoline team.
- Participation and Community Culture. Trampoline is built on active participation, shared values, and trust.
Our Conflicts of Interest Policy covers how Trampoline handles its own conflicts, and our Complaints Handling Policy tells you what to do if we get something wrong. We would rather hear it than not.
The people
Trampoline is run day to day by Dom Matthews, with a board of three directors and an Investment Committee of experienced operators and investors who pressure-test every deal. Every one of them will take a call from a member.
- Dom MatthewsExecutive Director & Managing Partner · IC memberLinkedIn
- Jo BakerNon-Executive Director & Chair · IC memberLinkedIn
- Abraham RobertsonNon-Executive Director · IC memberLinkedIn
- Kate HerbertInvestment CommitteeLinkedIn
- Muhilan SriravindrarajahInvestment CommitteeLinkedIn
- Alexander TurnerInvestment CommitteeLinkedIn
- Simon GawnInvestment CommitteeLinkedIn
- Jenny RinglandInvestment CommitteeLinkedIn
- Dora SzebeniInvestment CommitteeLinkedIn
Full profiles are on the team page.
What we have backed
Sixteen companies since 2021, from aged-care robotics to carbon accounting, plus a growing number of follow-on rounds. Three earlier investments are no longer operating and are not listed; angel investing includes losses, and we would rather say so.
Open right now
Commit through GXE.
Policies
By joining you have agreed to the Membership Terms and Conditions and the Code of Conduct. The others explain how we operate under our licence. All of them live on the website and this list updates when they do.
Questions we get asked
Do I have to invest?
No. Plenty of members watch a few deals before their first cheque, and some are here mainly for the community and the deal flow. There is no cost and no quota.
How much do people usually put in?
Minimums are set per deal and shown in the deal notes. Most members write several smaller cheques across a year rather than one large one, which is also what the maths of angel investing rewards.
Can I invest through my company, trust or SMSF?
Yes. Add it as an investment entity on GXE. Each entity needs its own wholesale certificate.
What if I am not a wholesale investor?
You are welcome as a member, and you can join the calls and the events. To commit to a deal you need to meet the wholesale test under the Corporations Act. Talk to us; there is more than one way to qualify and we can point you to an accountant who does the certificates.
How do I know what a deal is worth?
Every deal comes with Trampoline's notes, the founder's deck, the offer documents and a recorded Q&A. Come to the diligence call, ask the founder the hard question, and read the risks section twice. Then decide for yourself.
Where do my documents and updates live?
On GXE, against each investment. Founder updates arrive there and in the fortnightly newsletter.
Who do I talk to?
Dom, first. Email hello@trampoline.vc or grab him at an event. For anything about the platform itself, GXE's help centre is quick.
Can I leave?
Any time, by email. Investments you have already made stay in their trusts and keep reporting to you through GXE.
This handbook is general information for Trampoline members and is not personal financial advice. Trampoline Ventures Pty Ltd (ACN 675 917 790) is a Corporate Authorised Representative (CAR No 1310034) of GXE Fund Services Pty Ltd (ACN 162 966 690, AFSL 460870). Offers are made only to wholesale clients through GXE. Read the offer documents before investing.
