Ecliptic Venture Capital Research
Investment Thesis
Ecliptic Venture Capital is an Auckland-based, New Zealand-focused early-stage venture firm. Its pitch is that New Zealand companies are under-funded and under-resourced, that the number of NZ start-ups will double in five years, and that NZ venture capital is growing at a 12.5% CAGR. Rather than only writing checks, Ecliptic describes a model of "execution level active management": Invest, Connect, Grow, Scale, Fundraise. In practice that means allocating capital to promising NZ ventures, involving key outside resources, supporting revenue generation, facilitating hires, and helping with future funding strategy and timeline. The site claims its approach lifts the likelihood of business success by 64%, valuations in future rounds by 40%, and the chance of a strong exit by 60%. These are marketing figures with no stated methodology.
Stage Focus
A third-party directory (Wholesale Investor NZ) lists the fund as Seed and Series A, describing it as a hands-on Seed and Series A investor. The firm's own site does not state a stage.
Check Size
Not disclosed by the firm. The only figure found is the minimum LP commitment of NZ$100K for investors in the fund, which is not a check size into startups. Check size fields are left unset.
Lead Tendency
Unknown. Nothing public says whether Ecliptic leads or follows. The hands-on model suggests it wants an active role.
Recent Activity and Fund Status
Ecliptic Venture Capital LP is a closed-end limited partnership, established in 2024 per the fund listing (the provider listing says 2021, which conflicts). Listed fund size is NZ$40.0M. It holds Growth category approval on the NZTE Active Investor Plus managed funds list and is wholesale-investor only. An NBR article dated April 2026 reported that founder David Burnett was nearing the first close of Fund 1. Fund status is therefore best read as raising or early deploying.
Portfolio Highlights
The site lists seven portfolio companies, with a "Load More" control that was not expanded in this read, so the list may be incomplete:
- HeartLab: AI-enabled cloud-based cardiology imaging platform
- Ideally: AI-powered consumer insights platform to test ideas overnight
- Partly: AI infrastructure connecting the global auto parts supply chain
- Runn: real-time resource planning software for professional services teams
- Simfuni: AI-driven software modernizing insurance operations
- Spoke: enterprise-grade communications platform built for mobile
- SupaHuman: AI operating system for vocational education
No exits are disclosed. Round sizes, dates and Ecliptic's roles were not found, so no stage or investment date is recorded per company.
Team
- David Burnett, Founding Partner (also styled General Partner): co-founder of Breakthrough Ventures; 20x'ed a fintech business through international expansion and exited it as CEO; held COO, CFO and sales leadership roles; advised an InsurTech VC from $100M to $350M.
- Alison Gerlach, serial entrepreneur, venture building: about 30 years founding, building and selling businesses in CPG, media, technology and professional services; deep roots in the US venture community.
- Andrew Williams, business executive: 40+ year career in asset management, grew Alvarium to 12 branches worldwide; chair of The Prince's Trust Aotearoa New Zealand.
Decision Process
Not disclosed. A small three-person leadership team, with Burnett as founder, suggests a partnership process led by him.
Founder Preferences
The firm says it wants the best New Zealand start-ups with global ambition. It values operator support: revenue, hiring and fundraising help. Operators with international expansion plans appear to be the target.
Geographic Focus
New Zealand, primarily. The firm also names NZ ecosystem partners (NZ VC, Ventureon Partners, Icehouse Ventures, Cultivate Ventures, Wavemaker Impact, Shearwater and others) as its deal flow connections, and Alison Gerlach brings a US venture network.
Gaps
Check size, lead behavior, per-company stage and dates, the full portfolio behind Load More, and the actual fund close amount are not publicly confirmed. The fund size of NZ$40M comes from a third-party directory.