Since  we launched the free Explorer Program in 2020, we’ve been on a mission to support and grow the next generation of angel investors across ANZ. From the start, our ambition has been clear: to make angel investing accessible and bring much-needed diversity to what has long been a homogenous landscape. 

Now five years on and with nearly 500 Explorers across eight cohorts, the results have been extraordinary.  

The Program alumni include operators, community builders, technologists, and first-time investors, and they’ve gone on to refer over 100 startups to Airtree for potential investment. Several of those referrals have become part of our portfolio, and many more remain in contact. 

The hundreds of Explorers around our region have helped grow the pipeline of ambitious founders getting early support from people who truly understand the startup journey. Along the way, the Explorer network has become one of the most energised, generous, and diverse communities in the ANZ startup ecosystem. 

So today, we’re excited to share that applications are open for our ninth Explorer cohort.

Why Explorers exists

Angel investing has traditionally been a hard club to break into. It’s often been limited to people with substantial capital, the right credentials, or a very specific kind of network. Our intention was always to disrupt and reconstruct this thinking.

Explorers is a free, eight-week program that offers foundational angel education, real-time exposure to startup dealflow, and access to Airtree’s broader network of founders, operators, and investors. Participants don’t need to have deep pockets or decades of investing experience—they just need curiosity, a willingness to learn, and a genuine commitment to uplifting the ecosystem in their own way.

Each cohort is made up of people who are already contributing to the ecosystem, including startup executives and engineers, regional champions and repeat founders. The selection process isn’t about how polished your CV is, but about the potential you have to support the next generation of startups and founders.

A ripple effect in the ecosystem

Many Explorers are now investing independently or as part of syndicates. Some have launched their own funds. Others are advising, mentoring, or joining startups full-time. Collectively, they’re reshaping who gets to fund and support startups across ANZ.

This year, to further deepen connections between Explorers, Airtree, and our alumni community, we’re adding in-person events in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.

A unique feature of the program is that when an Explorer introduces us to a startup we end up backing, they’re invited to invest alongside us. It gives participants a front-row seat and a stake in the companies they help uncover. We’re excited to keep offering this opportunity as the community grows.

Part of a broader commitment

The Explorer Program sits within our broader impact efforts to build a more inclusive and representative ecosystem. Since 2020, we’ve committed to ensuring that for every deal we lead, we actively seek to bring at least one investor from an underrepresented group onto the cap table. It’s one of the ways we aim to shift who holds influence and ownership in the next wave of breakout companies.

The Explorer network now includes alumni from companies like Canva, Google, Atlassian, and AWS. It’s also home to a growing number of emerging managers and syndicate leads—people like Cheryl Mack (Aussie Angels), Danin Kahn (Electrifi Ventures), Judy Anderson-Firth (Euphemia), and Maxine Minter (Co Ventures).

Apply now

If you’re ready to learn, contribute, and grow as an angel investor, we’d love you to apply. Applications for Cohort 9 close on 13 July 2025 at 6:00pm AEST.