Every chance it gets, OneVentures touts its credentials as “Australia’s first female-founded VC firm” with cofounder Dr Michelle Deaker as its public face.
She’s one of two female founders, alongside Anne-Marie Birkill and Paul Kelly. Last year the business added Sarah Meibusch to the leadership team as Partner.
But the faces the Sydney VC chose for a LinkedIn post on International Women’s Day – nine blokes – has delivered a 10x ROI of anger from the startup community, the deletion of the post and a subsequent apology.
While OneVentures hasn’t used Twitter since mid-2022, journalist Mark Di Stefano offered screenshots of the LinkedIn post, including initial criticisms and the company’s attempt to explain why they did it.
Happy International Women’s day from Australian VC firm OneVentures! pic.twitter.
