We’re pleased to have advised Blackbird Ventures, a venture capital fund based in Australia and New Zealand, on its recent investment into Christchurch-based automotive parts data startup, Partly. Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck, co-founder and CEO of Figma Dylan Field, Hillfarrance Ventures and Icehouse Ventures also participated in the round.

Partly is innovating in the traditionally offline automotive part industry by providing an elegant SaaS-based solution that makes it easier to list complex fitment data of automotive parts, as well as creating a marketplace that aggregates this information and makes it easier to discover, sell and buy compatible parts.

Partly was founded in 2020 by Levi Fawcett, Nathan Taylor and Mark Song. Before creating Partly, CEO Levi Fawcett was a part of Rocket Lab’s senior engineering team. Today, Partly operates in 20 countries and intends to use the raised funds for product development and to grow its team across New Zealand, Australia, and Europe.

Partner Julie Fowler says of the deal, “It was great helping Blackbird with their recent investment into Partly, and to see another New Zealand tech startup get an injection of capital to help tackle a global problem. We look forward to seeing how Partly will use their funding to accelerate transformation in the industry.”