Location Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Regions Asia-Pacific (APAC), Australasia Gender Male
Investor Type
Website batko.ai/ Facebook View on Facebook LinkedIn View on LinkedIn X (Twitter) View on X
2x founder (both acquired). Former CEO of Startmate (2019-2025), Australia and New Zealand's largest community-driven seed fund and accelerator.
Led Startmate from $200k to $3m+ in annual revenue as a profitable business. Backed 228+ companies across 16 Accelerator cohorts with first cheques, raised $50M+ in VC funds, and built a portfolio
worth $4.5B+. Fund returns include 9x DPI (2012 fund), 6x DPI (2013 fund) - Top 5% of global VC funds.
Previously grew Expert360 from a team of 10 to 50+ including a $13M AUD Series B from AirTree Ventures. Early team at Mad Paws (now ASX-listed).
Founded Startup Striders (1,300+ members across 10+ cities, acquired by Currents in Nov 2025) and Puddle Pod (500+ customers, acquired by Founder Foundry in Dec 2024).
Currently an executive coach for startup CEOs and a committee member on the Australian Government's Industry Growth Program, approving $392M in startup grants.
Originally from Poland, grew up in Austria, now based in Sydney, Australia. First Class Honours in Economics and Management (Aston University, UK), CEMS Master's in International Management (WU Vienna / Stockholm School of Economics).
