Episode Summary

Matt Browne is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Black Nova Venture Partners, one of Australia’s most active early-stage funds. Before becoming an investor, Matt founded multiple companies, including enterprise software firm Dunsafe, which sold to global corporates like Suncorp and Brickworks, and learned firsthand what it takes to turn “boring” B2B SaaS into beautiful business.

In this episode, Cheryl and Maxine sit down with Matt to unpack what “boring but mission-critical” really means, why operators often make the best early-stage investors, and what it’s actually like to co-found a venture fund. Matt shares his frameworks for identifying resilient software businesses, the economics behind long-LTV enterprise customers, and how his founder experience shapes the way Black Nova supports startups today.

They also dig into the differences between SMB and enterprise sales, why going from enterprise → small business is nearly impossible, and what it takes to build a fund that’s more startup than finance firm. And, in true Matt style, he caps it off with his Big Cojones moment, jumping off Auckland’s Sky Tower to win a customer.

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