Ecosystem Profile: Outset Ventures
Mat Rowe, New Zealand
What Does Your Organisation Do?
“Outset helps visionary founders turn breakthrough science into globally relevant companies. We bring together specialist lab and workshop facilities, early stage venture capital, and hands-on operational support within a single platform.
Our team invests across New Zealand from pre-seed through Series B, typically leading rounds between $100k and $10m. While founders don’t need to be based within our Campus, many have emerged from or returned to it, creating a strong flywheel of talent and experience.
We focus on complex, hard-to-replicate technologies in sectors such as energy, aerospace, advanced materials, industrial chemistry, biotech, med-tech, waste-to-value, and future food.”
What Is Your Origin Story?
“Outset was born from my own journey as a early stage employee and co-founder in deep tech. I spent a decade at LanzaTech as employee #1 working alongside Rocket Lab in the lower levels of an old government building that would later become our campus.
I caught the startup bug hard and then co-founded two deeptech companies alongside Outset itself. Seeing first-hand the power of clustered ambition, founders helping founders, shared facilities, warm introductions, and early-stage capital efficiency, I realised this ecosystem itself was an enabling asset.
When the pioneers moved on we secured the site for the next generation of ventures and in 2020 during Covid, we raised our first VC fund, finally completing the platform to support founders with capital, infrastructure, and trusted networks to follow in the footsteps of New Zealand’s deeptech unicorns and scale globally.””
What Are You Celebrating Now?
“One ongoing win is seeing the scale and diversity of companies now coming from across New Zealand and through Outset’s platform, from advanced energy and space technologies to industrial biotech and materials.
It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to support whether this is through facilities, advice or funding and watch founders move from early experiments to global partnerships and real-world deployment. On a personal level, I still count every successful technical milestone, first hire, first customer, next capital raise as a genuine win and we are proud to be able to share in the celebration of many of these milestones in our community hub.”
What Is One Lesson You Wish You Learned Earlier?
“Turning projects into great companies requires formidable people that can take an idea from -1 to 0 and beyond. It’s messy, nonlinear and often exhausting.
The teams that I have seen thrive are not just technically brilliant, they’re resilient, adaptable, and willing to be honest with themselves and each other. Success comes down to how a founding team communicates, supports each other, brings in similar formidable people and keeps moving under pressure.
I bring my lived experience to how I work with founders, helping them collaborate effectively, navigate challenges and make tough decisions. For me, supporting people, their dynamics, and their growth is the key to turning breakthrough science into real, globally relevant companies.”
How Do You Keep Your Energy Up On Tough Days?
“I try to get outside as much as possible running, walking, ideally with my dog Axl and the family.
I also get a lot of energy from good conversations with founders and peers - hearing what others are building puts challenges into perspective.
Ultimately, being part of long-term journeys and seeing people grow gives me a lot of motivation, even when things feel hard in the moment.”
Learn More
Who: Q&A with Mat Rowe of Outset Ventures
HQ: New Zealand
Web: www.outset.ventures
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