Where startups meet statecraft
Australia's first dedicated government relations firm for startups and deep tech. We bring founders and government closer together to make cool sh*t happen.
Book a conversationGovernment is simultaneously the largest customer, investor, and regulator in the Australian economy. For deep tech startups, the policy decisions being made right now will determine who succeeds and who doesn't. But most founders have no strategy for engaging with the people making those decisions.
You have two other options.
Neither works.
Traditional GR Firm
- Built for corporates, not startups
- Don't understand founder urgency or startup chaos
- Generic political access without deep tech sector knowledge
- Slow, process-heavy, billing by the hour
- See you as a small account in a big book
In-House GR Hire
- $250–300K fully loaded — before they've met a single minister
- 3–5 year relationship-building period
- 6–12 month ramp-up before real output
- Single sector perspective, limited network
- People who know government rarely know startups. And vice versa.
We've lived in both worlds
- Decade in government, then in-house at a deep tech startup
- Immediate ministerial and senior official relationships
- We understand founder pace, urgency, and ambition
- Cross-sector intel from working across deep tech
- Flexible, lower cost, and productive from day one
What we do & how we do it
Government affairs expertise, tailored for the pace and ambition of startups.
Ongoing Advisory
Three tiers scaled to your stage. Your outsourced government affairs function — from landscape mapping through to multi-jurisdictional campaigns.
- Government engagement strategy
- Ministerial & parliamentary meetings
- Grants & non-dilutive funding
- Policy, regulation & submissions
- Monitoring & intelligence briefings
- Narrative & government positioning
Targeted Engagements
Scoped, time-bound work for a specific objective. Not ready for a retainer? Start here.
- Government landscape assessments
- Stakeholder mapping
- Grant applications
- Government submissions
- Ministerial meeting preparation
- Strategy workshops
Portfolio Platform
GR capability across your portfolio. Your companies will need government — we make sure they're ready.
- Triage calls for any portfolio company
- Light-touch advisory across companies
- Quarterly government landscape briefings
- Parliamentary showcases
- Deep engagements at portfolio rates
Nick spent a decade in Federal and State government before going in-house at Vow, one of Australia's most prominent deep tech startups. That experience showed him how much founders need expert government relations — and how poorly the existing industry serves them.
He founded Venture Affairs to fix that. Australia's most important innovations deserve dedicated representation in government from day one — not after they've scaled, not when they can afford a full-time hire, and not from a traditional lobbying firm that doesn't understand the pace and ambition of a startup.
- Former Chief of Staff to NSW Deputy Opposition Leader
- Former Head of Government Affairs at Vow (deep tech startup)
- 10+ years across Federal & State government
- Registered lobbying entity operating under all relevant codes of conduct
Let's talk.
An informal 30-minute conversation to understand your needs.
Book a Time