Investible welcomes Charlie Ill, our new Investment Director

It’s also an important piece of our hiring strategy and why we are so excited to introduce our newest member of the Investible team.  

Today, we’re pleased to welcome Charlie Ill as our new Investment Director. Charlie will lead our investment team and Early-Stage Funds (Fund 1 and Fund 2), managing a growing global portfolio of more than 50 investee companies. He'll also lead the continued deployment of Investible’s A$51.6m Early-Stage Fund 2 as well as helping strengthen the link between our Club Investible community and founders.

Charlie brings a wealth of global experience and perspective, having invested in early-stage and mature businesses across four continents for leading firms and renowned funds. Alongside our expert team, co-founders and investment committee, Charlie will lead our efforts to identify, invest in, and support visionary founders across the APAC region and beyond, as they build the next generation of industry-defining technology businesses.

Read on for a short profile of Charlie.

Firstly, tell us about your journey to date

My career to date centres on investing in quality startups across the globe. I enjoy uncovering different ways problems are solved (and scaled) across different borders and cultures. When done correctly—with intent, creativity, and long-term perspective—founders’ small ideas become incredible journeys. When invested correctly—timed well and against the consensus—we enjoy the spoils of a startup’s growth and success.  

I cut my teeth in venture capital with a Singapore-based firm, chasing startups that contained IP-backed products and highly technical teams. Subsequently, I joined a firm in Oman to pursue broad-scoped and MENA-based startups, a firm in Singapore to pursue climate tech startups, and a firm in Australia to pursue tech-enabled companies and other VC funds.  

Now with Investible, my pursuit of great founders and companies remains the same. I look forward to applying my network and knowledge to assist us in our hunt, and in support of our portfolio as they set their sights globally.  

What excites you about joining the Investible team?

It is often difficult to replicate successful investments, consistently. Enter Investible.

I believe Investible is fundamentally different to its peers. Investible pursues dealmaking scientifically and programs the way it originates deals at scale. When it comes to science—Investible is a data-driven firm. It measures many of the intangible aspects of venture funding and lays the foundation for what could become an algorithmic decision-making venture fund. When it comes to programming for scale, Investible benefits from an exclusive membership of high-net-worth individuals that often syndicate alongside the fund. Syndicates are crucial in early-stage investing and Club Investible is one of the very clever pathways that Investible ensures syndicates occur. I am excited for the chance to observe firsthand the benefits of Investible’s engine and to begin uncovering great investments alongside Khairu, Jo, Jayden and the team.

What do you love most about the startup ecosystem?

The startup ecosystem is abundant with clever people that solve difficult problems. The best ideas are often tucked away in hard-to-find places. What I love the most about the startup ecosystem is learning from those clever people, exploring those hidden places, and finding those gems.

Across the Asia-Pacific region, we have seen an incredible amount of growth in technology and opportunity. All great deal flow has not yet been fully combed. I believe Investible will offer new pathways to Oceania customers for APAC founders, and new investment offerings (such as our Funds X Club Investible model) to APAC limited partners.

What's your personal philosophy?

Nothing forms successfully in isolation.  

In work, founders need supporters and contrarians, seasoned mentors and peers, early-stage capital and a broad investor network. In their interactions with these pillars, the founders I have found most successful insist on radical transparency, realism, and honesty to challenge their approach and extract maximum value.

I believe Trevor, Creel, and Rod have built a similar culture within our ranks.

What's something new you've learned recently?  

As an American, my orientation to Australia began in the Northern Territory and included hard lessons learned, such as never poke a green ant’s nest and beware the similarities between logs and crocodiles.  

Something about you that might surprise people?

I enjoy sailing. I have raced aboard boats for many years and gone to many places because of it. A lot of strange things can occur while racing and often do. On one occasion we nearly lost our mast 600 miles from shore and had to limp home using a jury-rigged forestay. On another occasion, a US NAVY submarine interrupted our race by surfacing in the middle of our fleet. And on a third occasion, our crew nearly hit a whale at night, and in diverting, they broke our rigging instead.  

You can connect with Charlie on LinkedIn here.

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