Carl Jones
Carl Jones
WNT Ventures Managing Partner
Carl Jones is the founding Managing Partner of WNT Ventures - a New Zealand based deep tech Venture Capital specialist - having established the company in 2014. Prior to that, Carl spent the last ~25 years in the investment industry – beginning in the more “hands-off” world of share broking, investment and funds management in New Zealand and London, before into towards the more hands-on world of venture capital in 2010.
Carl enjoys being close to the action of building companies and finds satisfaction in helping passionate, talented entrepreneurs find their way; “I enjoy seeing people, teams and companies, develop and thrive and having a small part of that is endlessly satisfying.”
Carl is one of the more experienced VC’s in New Zealand having been involved in raising and deploying three previous funds and is now raising Fund 4 - a $35 - $50m fund to build another cohort of world changing, deep tech companies. Carl is also a member of the inaugural New Zealand Start-up Council.
Carl enjoys being close to the action of building companies and finds satisfaction in helping passionate, talented entrepreneurs find their way; “I enjoy seeing people, teams and companies, develop and thrive and having a small part of that is endlessly satisfying.”
Carl is one of the more experienced VC’s in New Zealand having been involved in raising and deploying three previous funds and is now raising Fund 4 - a $35 - $50m fund to build another cohort of world changing, deep tech companies. Carl is also a member of the inaugural New Zealand Start-up Council.
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Related Sessions
New Zealand Venture Capital: Funding the Next Generation of Innovators
THU, OCT 19, 10:30 AM
Conference
The New Zealand innovation ecosystem has benefited from over a decade of growth. In the last 10 years we have seen the Venture Capital scene go from inception to a vibrant market with almost 30 different funds investing in the companies of tomorrow.
But after the SaaS successes of the likes of TradeMe, Xero, Vend, and Timely, investors and entrepreneurs are chasing the next unicorn company that is using science and engineering to change the world. Taking deeptech companies from lab to market, is not an easy task, and it requires large amounts of patient capital.
In this session you will hear the biggest learnings, challenges, and anecdotes from the investors backing the deeptech companies taking New Zealand to the forefront of innovation. You will hear about what investors look for when backing ambitious founders, what to think of when translating your research into a commercial endeavour, and tips and tricks from failed experiences.
