Dr Michelle Deaker
Founding Partner & Managing Director
| BSc(Hons), MSc, PhD | Location: Sydney, AU
Dr Michelle Deaker is a Founding Partner & Managing Director of OneVentures and has been primarily responsible for the foundation of OneVentures firm and capital raisings of OneVentures Funds. The firm now has over $700M in funds under management. Michelle serves on the investment committee of OneVentures three main Funds, leads the technology practice within the firm and is responsible for investor relations managing the supervisory boards of OneVentures funds.
Michelle has over 20 years experience in the development of high growth technology companies in Australia and the US, has served on the boards of large and small listed and unlisted companies and has a strong background in Australian R&D and expertise in global business expansion. She has negotiated technology transfer contracts with research institutions; established financing syndicates with Australian, Asian and US investors; chaired the boards of several high growth companies; supported early breakthrough commercial contracts; leveraged her extensive networks for the benefit of OneVentures companies; and negotiated both financing and exit transactions.
Michelle established OneVentures in late 2006, coming into the venture capital industry as a successful IT industry business owner, entrepreneur and subsequently angel investor. The Company she founded in 1999, E Com Industries (www.giftvouchers.com), became the leading prepaid card and electronic voucher provider in Australia, servicing over 100 major retail brands including Coles Myer and Woolworths, managing $700M in Australian retail liability and eventually expanding operations into the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand. E Com was acquired by UK publicly listed company, Retail Decisions, in 2005, in a transaction returning to investors 4.6x capital and an average IRR of 70%. Notably, E Com industries was one of only a handful of Australian companies that successfully migrated the dotcom boom and crash through to a successful outcome for investors. Prior to E Com Industries, Michelle established IT enterprise business, Networks Beyond 2000.
Michelle holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours 1st class), Master of Science and a PhD (Applied Science). She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Chief Executive Women (CEW).
Portfolio Board Roles
Other Ventures
Michelle’s previous board appointments include NICTA (now CSIRO’s Data61) and Seven West Media (ASX: SWM) along with OneVentures portfolio companies Smart Sparrow (Chair, acquired by Pearson), Hatchtech (Alt, Asset sale Dr Reddys (Nasdaq: DRL)), Vaxxas (Obs) and My Mobile Data / Sourse.AI.
Notable portfolio exits include part-sale of Employment Hero at 10x money. She has also served in advisory board roles with NSW Government’s Taskforce for the Digital Economy, Heads over Heels (supporting women entrepreneurs) and Australian Investment Council Venture Capital Working Group. She regularly provides lectures and working groups to finance and MBA students on venture capital including for the AIC, mentors new VC fund managers with a focus on female-led organisations and is a founding member of WinVC (Women-in-VC).
