We’ve welcomed Ulric Ferner to the team!

The appointment will boost Right Click’s overall skills and capabilities at a time when the Australian start-up ecosystem is starting to climb up the maturity ladder.

Right Click, which is working on a new growth fund, is looking to differentiate itself from its peers and Mr Ferner’s responsibilities at the firm will span all stages of the investment process — from reviewing potential deals and associated due diligence and helping founders grow their businesses to supporting overall growth in the start- up community.

Right Click Capital partner Benjamin Chong said Mr Ferner was chosen after an extensive international search to fill the associate position.

One big plus, according to Mr Chong, was Mr Ferner’s deep understanding of the Asia-Pacific market.

“We are growing as a firm, both in size and ambition, and as part of that journey we needed to add the right type of skills. Ulric has an immensely successful track record in evaluating the IP and technologies of start-ups, and will help drive Right Click Capital’s continued focus on investing in early-stage tech companies,” he said.

Right Click Capital’s growth fund identifies, invests in and supports high-growth internet and technology businesses across Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

Mr Chong said VCs needed to deliver more than just capital to aspiring entrepreneurs and the conversation was increasingly shifting towards delivering a far deeper pool of information to founders.

“We have an opportunity to deliver a lot more value now beyond just the capital,” he said.

“Getting capital is only the start of the journey and there’s a greater need to hook into a broader network of founders and investors to find and build solutions.”

According to Mr Ferner, the local start-up community is at an inflection point.

“We have more and more world-leading talent coupled with increasing access to capital and mentorship so companies can grow quickly and win in global markets,” he said.

“Having been involved in Boston’s start-up scene, I’m incredibly optimistic about local start-ups here and the continued growth and sophistication of Australia’s entire entrepreneurial community.”

He added that the software as a service trend still had a strong future with Australia a fertile ground for start-ups in that area. Machine learning and visual processing are two emerging hi-tech business verticals that Mr Ferner said also hold a lot of promise for the local ecosystem.

Mr Ferner holds a PhD in Computer Science and a Master’s Degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Very pleased to be welcoming you to the team, Ulric! View the original article on The Australian.