Voluntas Elevate, New Advisory Firm Targets Underserved Tech Founders

Give us the tired, the distressed,
the huddled founders yearning to break free,
the glorious refuse of traditional venture capitalists

AUCKLAND – 24 October 2024 – Voluntas Group is launching Voluntas Elevate, a strategic advisory firm that targets underserved tech founders. Voluntas Elevate is designed for early-stage founders, those with momentum and ready to scale, and those stalled between growth phases.

Voluntas Elevate's core services are designed for growth and scaling, planning and governance, capital acquisition, and talent development and acquisition. The company already boasts 12 clients and holds an equity stake in three. While its core purpose is advisory services, it also helps raise capital for those within the Voluntas ecosystem. It’s currently raising NZ$11.3m for nine clients with an average raise of $1.25m.

“Not every opportunity must be a 10x or 100x unicorn. Our mission is to elevate tech founders who have struggled to access the support they need through the traditional venture capital model. There are a lot of good businesses that are simply overlooked because they may “only” demonstrate triple annual recurring revenue - that’s still a good sustainable business that can potentially scale rapidly,” says Jason Holdsworth, Founding Partner, Voluntas Group.

Many tech founders face hurdles in accessing capital and the strategic support necessary to achieve long-term growth and value. Voluntas Elevate recognises this gap and bridges it with comprehensive services and a global network, helping founders to strategically build and expand their businesses.

Voluntas Elevate is committed to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, and is dedicated to empowering founders. These are people who tend to fall through the cracks of traditional VC models because they are struggling to manage growth or don’t have an existing track record of entrepreneurial success. Voluntas Elevate is here to provide these founders with an ecosystem of expertise, technology, and capital that propels growth and entry to global markets.

Voluntas Elevate is an international network with offices in Auckland, Sydney, Hong Kong, London, and Los Angeles. Using this network and its ecosystem of talent, Voluntas Elevate is launching with an advisory and investment network that includes:

• Anthony Quirk
• Naomi Ballantyne
• John Catarinich
• Brett Roberts
• Brett O’Riley
• David Ding
• Nikolai Elmqvist
• Anthony McNamara

Globally, Voluntas Elevate plans to onboard about 70 clients and generate over $15m in capital raised for clients in the next financial year, while generating an additional $7 million in revenue for them.

“We take a holistic approach to supporting founders, starting with strategy execution, sales enablement, talent development, and when required, funding acquisition. The firm is deeply rooted in its core purpose of uplifting founders who may not fit the traditional VC mould. With Voluntas Elevate, founders receive the necessary guidance and resources to achieve rapid, sustainable growth,” says Darren Ward, Partner, Voluntas Group.

Overcoming the Founders’ Dilemma
Many entrepreneurs face the “Founders’ Dilemma”. They sacrifice equity early and are left to spend funds on consultancy services that don’t offer the strategic and operational support they need. This model frequently leaves founders with less of their company, less operational capital, and without a roadmap to capitalise on their potential.

“Voluntas Elevate solves this dilemma by partnering with founders to take a long-term, holistic view of their journey. We place their aspirations at the forefront and minimise the outflow of equity. The firm helps them navigate crucial stages of growth, ensuring that equity is preserved and value is maximised. For our strategic advisory clients, we never seek more than a 10% stake in any venture we support,” adds Darren.

About Voluntas Elevate
Voluntas Elevate is a strategic advisory firm dedicated to elevating tech founders who have not found the necessary support within the traditional VC model. With a focus on growth and scaling, planning and governance, capital acquisition, and talent development and acquisition, Voluntas Elevate partners with founders globally to achieve sustainable growth and long-term value. The firm is part of the Voluntas Group, which combines philanthropy, technology, and strategic support to create positive impact across individuals and communities. For more information, visit www.voluntaselevate.com.

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