Les Szekely started angel investing in Australian tech back in 1999, long before it was common, after spending more than 25 years as a top tax adviser and author, and he's known for staying hands-on as a board member—supporting companies like HotelClub, SiteMinder, and Shippit based on firsthand knowledge of the industries they operate in. He tends to back migrant founders and industry insiders who've personally lived the problems they're solving, often getting in early as the first investor (as with SiteMinder, Microequities, and Compare Club), sticking with companies through multiple funding rounds once they show real revenue, and writing openly under his own name about startups and venture market cycles.
About their Fund
EVP is known for high founder affinity, ranking #2 in Astral Ventures' anonymous VC Leaderboard among ANZ funds and ahead of many larger names, and for being a low-profile, relationship-driven firm led by Howard Leibman, known as the founder whisperer, who takes an active, hands-on approach by sitting on boards like Practice Ignition and Deputy and building concentrated portfolios rather than spreading bets across many companies. The fund now focuses specifically on early-stage AI-first software companies building for global scale, backing serious software businesses at the Series A stage using criteria like economic quality, earned founder market fit, and compounding advantage, while also offering structured support such as executive hiring through resources like Talent_OS.
















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