Daniel Petre

Co-Founder & Partner Emeritus at AirTree Ventures · Joined 2014

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Biography

Daniel Petre rose to Vice President at Microsoft during its global expansion before returning to Australia and co-founding AirTree Ventures in 2014 with Craig Blair, built on the conviction that Australian and New Zealand founders could build genuinely world-class technology companies rather than regional also-rans. That early, often pre-product and pre-revenue investing philosophy produced early stakes in Canva, Airwallex, Linktree, and Employment Hero, and AirTree has since evolved from a traditional early-stage fund into a network-powered platform offering talent networks, executive forums, and peer communities to portfolio founders. The firm's more than 125 investments have collectively created over 19,000 jobs, with eight companies reaching billion-dollar valuations, cementing AirTree's position as one of Australia's most influential venture capital firms.

Previous Experience

Notable Investments

CanvaAirwallexLinktree

Career Timeline

1990s
Serves as a Vice President at Microsoft, becoming one of the most senior Australians in the company's global leadership.
2014
Co-founds AirTree Ventures with Craig Blair in Sydney, betting Australian and New Zealand founders could build globally competitive technology companies.
2018
Leads an early investment in Canva, backing the design platform years before it became a global unicorn.
2026
AirTree's portfolio surpasses 125 companies, including eight valued above $1 billion.

Sources & References

AirTree Ventures ↗StartupIntros - AirTree Ventures ↗