Tom Mcquillen

Tom McQuillen grew up in Melbourne, Australia, and studied computer science before beginning a varied operator career. He started in management consulting (which he has said he disliked), then took an unconventional detour to run an environmental/eco-tourism NGO in Nicaragua. He subsequently worked in product and growth roles at startups, including the AI research platform Prolific and a company he references as Yume, spending time across both Australia and the UK, with a particular interest in food-waste and sustainability ventures.

He completed an MBA at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School, where he began his investing career. At Oxford he became Managing Director of the Oxford Seed Fund, a student-run seed fund that has written first cheques into companies that went on to notable outcomes, including Onfido (identity verification), Go1 (corporate learning), and Veratrak (pharma supply-chain software).

After Oxford, McQuillen returned to Australia and joined ReGen Ventures — a deep tech and climate-focused venture fund founded in 2020 by Dan Fitzgerald (its team also includes former Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario). He is a Partner there, focusing on technology investments and drawing on his engineering background. He has been in the role for roughly five years and describes himself as a "hopeless optimist" on climate. He was also named a Startmate "First Believer," reflecting his activity as an angel investor (angel investing since around January 2021).

Outside of work, McQuillen lives near the beach in northern New South Wales, surfs several times a week, and is a heavy reader who cites books like *How to Be Idle* and James Clear's newsletter as influences.

• Invests in "regenerative" deep tech — foundational technologies across intelligence, robotics, materials, and energy that actively restore planetary and human health rather than merely reducing harm.
• "We don't invest in anything with a green premium or incremental improvements." He backs products that win on being *"better, cheaper, faster, and bring people joy"* — i.e., no sacrifice required from customers.
• Strong interest in synthetic biology, fermentation, and alternative production of meat, textiles, chemicals, and packaging, plus energy, robotics/autonomy, and foundational AI.
• Believes technology, talent, and ambition already exist to *"hit net-zero emissions without sacrificing the continued improvement of living standards."*
• Prizes "positive-sum" founders — those "creating something from nothing, growing the size of the economic pie for everyone." Key founder test: *"Are these founders who can change the world? Can they run through brick walls?"*
• Emphasizes hands-on value beyond capital: *"Capital is a commodity, but on its own it's not enough. You really have to put yourself out there and create value"* — building "flywheels" to help portfolio companies succeed.