Folklore Ventures Research
Investment Thesis
Folklore Ventures (formerly Tempus Partners) is a Sydney-based venture capital firm founded in 2014 that positions itself as "a long-range ambition machine for the great success stories of our time." The firm's stated mission is to be "the investors we wish we had," backing Australian and New Zealand tech founders "from the moment you start, to wherever the journey leads" (a "first cheque to forever" positioning). The firm articulates six core investment beliefs: long-range ambition, diversity as a strength, founder vision, the catalytic power of team, greatness emerging from uncertainty, and a data-driven "eyes wide open, not fingers crossed" approach to diligence.
Sector Focus
Folklore is broadly sector-agnostic but concentrates on four themes:
- Software at the core - technology-first companies building differentiated products
- Healthcare - AI-driven diagnostics, computational biology, and healthcare transformation
- Robotics and automation - AI-driven productivity and autonomous systems
- AI and data networks - new markets created through data and technology
In practice, the current portfolio skews toward AI-native software, defense/autonomous systems, fintech, and healthtech, with continued presence in edtech and proptech from earlier vintages.
Stage Focus
Folklore invests at the earliest stages, primarily pre-seed and seed, with continued participation at Series A. Per the firm's own language: "Most of our investments have been pre-revenue, right at the start. We lead rounds, but don't worry, if you've already taken investment, we should still talk." External sources (OpenVC) corroborate that Folklore leads rounds at seed and Series A.
Check Size
Typical check size ranges from approximately $500,000 to $5,000,000 (OpenVC), consistent with a lead-investor posture at seed and Series A. Exact figures are not disclosed on the firm's own site.
Lead Tendency
Folklore explicitly states it prefers to lead rounds, and its own investment process (see below) is built around running a full diligence and IC process consistent with a lead investor rather than a passive follower.
Recent Activity
Folklore has been actively deploying in 2025-2026:
- July 2026: Led the seed round (undisclosed amount) in Octopusbot, an AI forecasting platform for global grain markets - the firm's 13th investment in an AI-native software startup, and Octopusbot's first outside capital.
- May 2026: Co-invested A$25M Series A in Arkeus (with QIC Ventures, R+ VC, and returning investor Main Sequence Ventures), an optical sensing/AI defense technology company.
- June 2026: Latest investment recorded in Visionary Machines (autonomous systems/AI vision), per third-party trackers.
- November 2025: Portfolio company Sphere (cross-border tax compliance) raised a US$20M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz - one of a16z's first Australian-founded investments. Folklore was the sole Australian VC investor in Sphere's earlier pre-seed round.
- December 2025: Albert Bielinko (ex-Titanium Ventures/Telstra Ventures GP, ~A$1.8B AUM, 105 companies including 19 unicorns) joined as Partner.
- Third-party reporting (unconfirmed via primary source) indicates Folklore has been raising a c.$350M new fund backed by former Magellan CEO Brett Cairns and Canva co-founder Cameron Adams; this was not independently verified against a primary news source during this research pass and was excluded from structured activity events pending confirmation.
Fund status: actively deploying, with two active ESVCLPs identified externally (Folklore Ventures Fund 2 and Fund 3).
Portfolio Highlights
Active portfolio spans 24+ companies including Arkeus (defense/autonomous sensing), Octopusbot (AgriTech AI), Hullbot (maritime robotics), Blunge (AI design), SUMM (crypto/fintech), Strong Compute (cloud compute for ML), Kry10 (IoT operating systems), Auror (retail crime analytics, growth stage), Wonde (EdTech, growth), Swoop Aero (healthtech drones, growth), Sphere (tax/compliance, backed by a16z), HealthMatch (clinical trials), Snug (fintech/proptech), and Mentorloop (HR tech).
Notable exits: Ansarada (virtual data rooms, acquired by Datasite/CapVest, October 2024; Folklore invested at Series A in 2018), HappyCo, Uptick. Partner direct investments (pre-Folklore) include Freelancer.com (IPO) and Vend (acquired).
Team
- Alister Coleman - Founder & Managing Partner
- Albert Bielinko - Partner (joined December 2025; ex-Titanium Ventures/Telstra Ventures GP)
- Andrew Larsen - Partner
- Clare Power - CFO
- Divine Aaron - Investor
- Chris Comino - Head of Investor Relations
- Florencia Quinteros - Head of Operations
- Aliah McDonnell - Investor Relations
- Mitchell Bissinger - Investment Advisor
- Dan Fleming - Investment Advisor
- Tanisha Banaszczyk - Investment Advisor
- Laura Warden - Operational Advisor
- Orson Cairns - Investor
- Rochelle Ritchie - Marketing and Communications
- Varun Maini - Accountant
- David Pullini - Board (also serves on portfolio company boards, e.g. Ansarada)
- Brett Cairns - Board
Decision Process
Folklore runs a structured seven-step process: intro meeting, second meeting (competitive advantage and fund usage), deep dive (product/roadmap/metrics), investment committee, term sheet (based on open-source AIC docs), legals, and funding - typically delivered "within a week of the docs being signed." The presence of a formal investment committee (with named IC members such as David Pullini) indicates a partnership/IC-driven decision process rather than solo-GP.
Founder Preferences
Folklore backs Australian and New Zealand founders building globally ambitious companies, with a strong preference for technical/product-first founders. The firm emphasizes long-term partnership over transactional capital, positioning itself as "a coach in their corner."
Geographic Focus
Primarily Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), with headquarters in Redfern, Sydney, NSW. Portfolio companies are ANZ-founded but frequently target global markets (e.g., Arkeus works with US defense/drone manufacturers Boeing, Textron, and AeroVironment; Sphere serves 100+ tax jurisdictions globally).