Venture capital arm of insurance giant IAG, Firemark Enterpriseshas appointed the former boss of Fintech Australia Rebecca Shot Guppy a general partner in addition to company veteran Bradley Armstrong.

The company initially recruited Scotsman Guppy as leverage and portfolio management manager at the end of 2021. Armstrong has been with the firm for nearly a decade, working his way up from analyst to director in 2020, and now general partner.

The duo aims to raise awareness of their portfolio companies and accelerate Firemark’s ambition to become a leading global insurance VC.

Schot-Guppy said she plans to lead the fund’s focus on open data and climate technology. and hopes to promote awareness of avenues into the venture capital industry, especially for young women and men.

“I am very proud to be a General Partner of IAG Firemark Ventures as we continue to deliver on our goal of engaging the outside world with IAG,” she said.

“I also look forward to helping raise awareness of the avenues into the venture capital industry so that other young women and men can join our growing industry.”

Bradley is focused on increasing the reach and impact of Firemark Ventures by seeking new investment opportunities through partners and networks and prioritizes creating growth opportunities for the team.

“I’m excited about the challenge and the opportunity to collectively take IAG Firemark Ventures from good to great while shaping IAG’s future by supporting purposeful, exceptional founders as they realize their vision.”

Firemark has $150 million under management and their focus areas for 2023 will be on the emerging technologies of data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, platforms and ClimateTech.

The The investments of the VC fund include UpGuard, who led a $25 million round in the startup cyber security in 2021.

Last February, Firemark launched a second $75 million fund.

The first fund launched in 2016 and invested in 18 startups in 33 rounds, including Myriota, the creator of the Internet of Things, the data science analytics company Hyper Anna, Tim Fung’s ASX-listed job marketplace Airtasker, and the Life360 tracking app. of children.