Angel investor · Founder, Cohere
Every published round Ivan Zhang took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Role | Alongside | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marqo | Series A | 19 Feb 2024 | $19.4m | Participant | Startup Daily (9 Oct 2025), SmartCompany (7 Oct 2025), SmartCompany (11 Jun 2025), Early VC, SmartCompany (16 Feb 2024), Startup Daily (14 Feb 2024), SmartCompany (14 Feb 2024) | |
| Marqo | Seed | 16 Aug 2023 | $8.1m | Participant | SmartCompany (16 Feb 2024), Startup Daily (14 Feb 2024), SmartCompany (14 Feb 2024), Blackbird Ventures, SmartCompany (18 Aug 2023), Startup Daily (17 Aug 2023), TechCrunch Venture, Blackbird Ventures portfolio, January Capital portfolio |
Companies Ivan Zhang has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marqo | AI company powering ecommerce search | 16 Aug 2023, Seed | 2 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for Ivan Zhang, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Ivan Zhang has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Ivan Zhang did.
| Role | Organisation | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Founder | Cohere | Blackbird Ventures, SmartCompany, Startup Daily, TechCrunch Venture |
Stories naming Ivan Zhang. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Blackbird announces it led AI search startup Marqo's seed round, joined by January Capital, The Creator Fund and angel investors, having previously backed the company's pre-seed in May 2022.
Also TechCrunch Australia·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany
Weekly roundup of eight Australian startups together securing $149 million: One Model, SafetyCulture, Hysata, Pendula, Marqo, Medigrowth, Curiious and Zena Sport, spanning HR analytics, safety tech, hydrogen, AI, medicinal cannabis, VR and sportstech.
Also Startup Daily·thebusinesstimes.com.au·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia
Melbourne vector-search startup Marqo has announced a $4.4 million seed round, with Blackbird Ventures leading and Creator Fund, January Capital and Cohere's co-founders also in; the piece recalls its pre-seed and rivals' raises.