Team

Collectively the partners at Southern Cross have over 40 years of venture experience. Each has extensive operating experience, having built and successfully sold technology companies as entrepreneurs. This experience enables us to understand the issues you face and cooperatively work with management teams through all strategic company building issues.

Bob Christiansen

Managing Director

Bob Christiansen is a founding Managing Director of Southern Cross Venture Partners. Previously, he was a General Partner and member of the Investment Committee of the venture capital firm Allen & Buckeridge for eight years. At A&B he was a Director of several portfolio companies, including eServ Global, Wedgetail Communications, VaST Systems, 8020 Software, Fultec Semiconductor, Mantara, Xerocoat and ActiveTorque. He is also a director of the Queensland Government supported technology incubator, iLab.

John Scull

Managing Director

John Scull is a founding Managing Director of Southern Cross Venture Partners and is based in Silicon Valley. Previously, he was a Venture Partner and member of the investment committee of the venture capital firm Allen & Buckeridge for 6 years.

William A. Bartee

Managing Director

Bill is a successful CEO, company founder and venture investor with expertise in building software, internet services, and telecommunications companies. Most recently, he was CEO of Mantara. From 1997 to 2001, Bill helped build and lead the early stage investing for Macquarie Technology Ventures ("MTV"), a balanced venture fund focused on software, telecommunications, internet and life sciences.

Gareth Dando

Managing Director

Gareth Dando is a founding Managing Director of Southern Cross Venture Partners. Previously he was CEO of Uniseed, a special purpose venture capital fund dedicated to investment in technology from three of Australia's leading universities, which he co-founded and built over 6 years.

Dr Larry Marshall

Managing Director

Dr Larry Marshall is a Managing Director of Southern Cross Venture Partners, based in the Palo Alto office. Previously he has founded or co-founded 6 successful companies in the laser/optical, semiconductor, and medical sectors, all of which have created exit events for investors, including 2 IPOs. Most recently he was co-Chairman of Arasor, a developer and manufacturer of integrated optical and wireless solutions.

Tristen Langley

Investment Director

Tristen Langley is an Investment Director at Southern Cross Venture Partners. Tristen returned to Australia in 2007 after spending five years in Silicon Valley. Prior to joining SXVP, Tristen was a Business Development and Marketing Manager at Skype Technologies for North America.

Frank H. Foster

Venture Partner

Frank Foster is currently the Managing General Partner of the Gideon Hixon Fund, the early stage venture capital investment vehicle for the Hixon family and a Venture Partner of Southern Cross. Frank has served as a Fund Manager of the Gideon Hixon Fund since its inception in 1990.

Dr Antonella Petrella

Investment Analyst

Dr Antonella Petrella is an Investment Analyst with Southern Cross Venture Partners. Antonella completed a PhD in chemistry at the University of New South Wales.

Anneliese Bisson

Chief Financial Officer

Anneliese Bisson is the Chief Financial Officer of Southern Cross Venture Partners. Anneliese qualified in the United Kingdom as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) with Deloitte and Touche in 1998 and since then continued her career with Deloitte, specialising in external audit in the financial services industry with an emphasis on wealth management in London, Boston and Guernsey prior to moving to Australia in 2005.

Korina Shaw

Office Manager

Korina Shaw is the Office Manager at Southern Cross Venture Partners. Korina recently coordinated the design of the new office in North Sydney and is responsible for all Office Administration, including Accounts Payable. She has 17 years experience in executive assistant and administrative support.