Clive Dickens backs CTO-led AI startups with new Meliora Ventures fund

Clive Dickens is expanding his AI play with the launch of Meliora Ventures, a specialist pre-seed investment fund targeting CTO-led startups building practical, scalable AI products across the TMT sector.

The new fund, Meliora Ventures Fund One (MVF1), marks the next phase for Dickens’ hybrid advisory and ventures business The Meliora Company, which launched last year across Sydney, London and Los Angeles with a focus on execution-led AI transformation.

Rather than chasing broad AI exposure, MVF1 targets early-stage founders turning AI into operational advantage - faster build cycles, stronger unit economics and products customers adopt quickly. The fund raises US$3 million from wholesale investors and focuses on pre-seed opportunities across Vertical AI, Generative AI and SaaS with a clear AI differentiator.

Meliora Ventures confirms participation in upcoming funding rounds for Australian startups Springboards.AI and StoryDesk.AI, while continuing its broader portfolio exposure to CTO-led companies including IV.AI, Relevance AI and Source.

“We are investing where AI is the clear differentiator,” Dickens said. “Our focus is on CTO-led companies building products that unlock international scale and deliver real outcomes, not theoretical transformation.”

A key feature of the fund is its tight link between capital and execution. Portfolio companies gain access to Meliora’s advisory arm, combining strategy, commercial guidance and hands-on support designed to accelerate growth and shorten the path from pre-seed to Series A.

The fund also brings experienced operators into its orbit, appointing Chris Barton, co-founder of Shazam, and Will Hedberg, former Singtel Optus and Seven West Media executive, as strategic advisors.

Both advisors bring experience working with early-stage founders navigating scale, product-market fit and global expansion - areas Meliora positions as critical gaps in the current AI startup ecosystem.

Partner Jack Lonergan said the fund responds to a surge in startups translating large language models into tangible products.

“We’re seeing founders move beyond experimentation and turn AI into tools that genuinely simplify work and daily life,” Lonergan said. “Meliora Ventures seeks to support that next wave, particularly as global AI adoption accelerates.”

Investor presentations are now underway, with a first close targeted before Easter and final close scheduled for June 2026. Fund administration and compliance run via GXE.com, an investment platform backed by Dickens and Hedberg.