PFG Celebrates Australian Tech and Innovation

By Jason Georgatos and Karthi Sepulohniam, PFG Australia

Last month, Partners for Growth celebrated 16 years of doing business in Australia. We hosted an evening of networking and stimulating conversations at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. The event gathered key players in the Australian tech ecosystem, including founders, VCs, service providers, partners, and teammates – each has played an integral role in PFG’s story and success.   

   

We gathered not to recount PFG’s achievements but to express our gratitude to the community for embracing PFG and integrating us into the growing technology success story that Australia has become. Australia’s tech ecosystem has produced exemplary technology companies, many founded with international ambitions from day one. The successful exits and ongoing impressive capital investment in Australian tech companies highlight the global capabilities of Australian businesses and their ability to expand beyond local markets. We see the local ecosystem fostering a dynamic blend of capital and entrepreneurial spirit that continually pushes the boundaries of innovation while still maintaining its unique “Aussie” style.  

Karthi Sepulohniam, Jason Georgatos, Andrew Kahn, and Roger Price

At PFG, we are lucky to have partnered with Australian entrepreneurs and innovators for the better part of the last two decades, supporting 78 companies with more than AUD 800 million deployed.   But Australia isn’t just a market for PFG; it’s a home, including hosting our largest office outside of Silicon Valley. For our Sydney-based President, Jason Georgatos, it has truly become home, as his wife and kids are Australians, and they are slowly working on converting him. “After seven years here, I think they are getting close to succeeding!” said Jason. Beyond simple deal figures on a stat sheet, PFG’s impact resonates deeper. We pioneered a new type of debt financing for tech companies in Australia, addressing a critical growth capital need that has only expanded with the ecosystem.    

  

To continue making history in Australia, we are working on new ideas and strategies to bring to the Australian market over the coming months and years. For example, we have been lucky that we were able to invest in some great startups when they were still young companies, and some of these companies grew and became substantial businesses over time. We continue looking for ways to support those companies as they grow. Beyond providing a fertile landscape for investments, we are fortunate to have support from Australian investors and former portfolio company founders who now continue their relationship with PFG as investors in our funds.     

   

We want to thank our teammates, portfolio companies, partners, and the entire tech community that has welcomed PFG to grow alongside the impressive ecosystem we have seen develop in Australia. In the coming months, we will share additional stories that help demonstrate the remarkable growth journey of the Australian tech community.  

  

On behalf of the entire PFG team, we thank you for an incredible 16 years!    

  

Cheers! 

Jason Georgatos and Karthi  Sepulohniam 

Important Disclosures

Back to News & Insights

Sign up below to receive updates from Partners for Growth

30+ Year Global Strategic Partner

SVB is a leading American bank providing products, services and strategic advice for businesses at every stage. They operate as a go-to commercial bank for start-ups and established corporations, offering venture funding, private banking & wealth advising. SVB is the largest lender to technology companies globally.

SVB has built its reputation as the financial partner of the innovation economy – helping individuals, investors and the world’s most innovative companies achieve extraordinary outcomes.
PFG and SVB have maintained an official strategic partnership since the late 1980’s. We have collaborated together as co-lenders and extended each other's ability to reach new markets and provide deeper capital to high-growth companies.

PFG and SVB have provided growth debt across the U.S. & Canada, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, where we co-manage a Venture Debt Latin America Growth Lending Fund.

IFC logo

IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. IFC works in more than 100 countries, using its capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity.

PFG and IFC are strategic partners where we extend IFC’s direct venture and VC funding, collaborating on fintech and tech lending across global growth markets.

10+ Year Global Strategic Partner

Aims to be the partner of choice for the private sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. They finance projects to advance clean energy, modernize agriculture, strengthen transportation systems and expand access to financing.

IDB Invest, a member of the IDB Group, is a multilateral development bank committed to promoting the economic development of its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean through the private sector. IDB Invest finances sustainable companies and projects to achieve financial results and maximize economic, social, and environmental development in the region. With a portfolio of $16.3 billion in asset management and 347 clients in 25 countries, IDB Invest provides innovative financial solutions and advisory services that meet the needs of its clients in a variety of industries.

PFG leads a joint venture with IDB Invest that provides debt capital to emerging innovative tech companies across the region via our Latin America Growth Lending Fund. The initiative brings investment expertise into LAC from top notch global players in this field.