Partnering with Jax
Four years ago, a Brit with Italian heritage arrived in Australia eager to make her mark on the evolving VC landscape. Jax barely knew anyone in Australia but it didn’t take long for her to immerse herself in the local VC and startup ecosystem. And, it’s impossible to overstate the impact she’s had since.
Jax’s journey at AirTree began in 2018 when I was on maternity leave. Shortly after I returned from leave, we caught up for a coffee to chat about investing, our paths to AirTree and what we aspired to create in the future with the platform we had at AirTree. I left that conversation in no doubt that I’d love to be a Partner alongside Jackie one day. We spoke about it many times over the past few years, imagining our vision for a future while we worked hard to make it a reality. Now I couldn’t be more thrilled that we’re living it alongside each other.
Our paths to venture began very differently. Jax studied History at Cambridge University, while I studied Commerce and Law at Sydney University. But we have common passions we both followed that led us to venture — we’re obsessed with great products, fascinated by the way technology is changing our world and inspired by the founders who are the driving force behind that change.
Jax is very gracious and has often talked about how I’ve inspired her. But for anyone who knows Jax, you wouldn’t be surprised to know that she constantly inspires me. She has an insatiable curiosity to better understand the world around her. She is hungry to learn and has an unparalleled ability to devour books, podcasts and blogs. She has a brilliant mind and sees problems differently to others, often going levels deeper than most. This has led to her developing thoughtful investment theses in a broad array of fields, and she’s played a leading role in AirTree’s investments into Grow, Zoomo, Linktree, Arli and Eucalyptus, plus another 4, which we’re yet to announce.
Jax gets joy from bringing people together. Whether it’s building the On Deck Community in Australia or hosting dinners for returning expats looking to bring the skills they honed overseas to local startup ups, she’s always eager to connect people to others they can learn from. Jax generously shares her insights and time with others, sharing insightful views via her substack and always striving to impact the community for the better. I honestly don’t know how she finds the time, but she continues to do it all with effortless grace.
As a crusader for change, Jax never settles for the status quo and always challenges those around her to think differently. She does all of this with a subtle vulnerability that engenders endearment from everyone she meets. I’m convinced she doesn’t realise just how brilliant she is. These are all qualities that make her a phenomenal investor, an invaluable partner to the founders she works with, a wonderful colleague and a great friend.
I cannot wait to see Jax’s continued impact over the years to come and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be alongside her as we take on our new roles as Partners at AirTree.
Read more about Elicia and Jax’s promotion in the AFR
