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Zeligate, a Gold Coast-based AI workforce platform for businesses, has secured a seed-round investment from DNX Ventures in the first Australian deal by the US-Japan venture capital firm.
The $500,000 investment is an extension of a $5.5 million seed round announced by the startup last year ahead of a planned Series A by the end of 2026.
The early tranches of the seed round were backed by angel investors, but Zeligate says it made a strategic decision to bring a venture capital group on board to support the growth ambitions of the business.
Zeligate was founded in 2023 by CEO Denver Naidoo to redefine the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace with Zelis, an AI multi-tasking workforce platform, which is trained in traditional job roles with “real multitasking capabilities” that can be deployed in minutes.
The company, which was established in Brisbane and has since relocated to the Gold Coast, describes the partnership with DNX Ventures as a major endorsement of its mission.
“DNX’s decision to make us its first Australian investment is a testament to the hard work of our team and the massive potential of our AI workforce, which we call Zelis,” says Naidoo.
“This new funding will allow us to scale our operations, expand our team of AI assistants, and demonstrate how easily organisations can delegate routine tasks to live avatars to unlock human creativity and strategic focus.
“It also confirms that the Gold Coast is a prime location to build a world-class technology company, which is why we moved here from Brisbane earlier this year.”
Zeligate is also backed by investors Rob Olver, who has been involved in several advertising, digital marketing and digital technologies ventures, and Bill Cook, a former investment director at AMP Private Equity.
DNX Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley and Tokyo investing in B2B startups with a focus on deeptech, cybersecurity, enterprise SaaS/cloud, retail tech and sustainability.
“We were particularly impressed by the company’s AI technology, especially the quality of its AI-driven interview experience,” says Yurika Imuta, principal at DNX Ventures, describing the firm’s rationale for its first Australian investment.
“Denver’s deep expertise in AI has enabled the team to build a truly multimodal, AI-native SaaS (software-as-a-service) product, with a voice-based interview platform that stands out in a field known for its technical challenges.
“Recruitment is often a complex and imperfect process where candidates are assessed within minutes based largely on their resumes. This puts companies at risk of overlooking talented individuals with strong potential.
“We believe Zeligate can bridge this gap by enabling a more dynamic and inclusive way to evaluate talent, while providing fairer opportunities for all candidates to present themselves.”
Imuta sees Zeligate setting a new standard in recruitment and helping companies unlock broader access to high-quality talent.
The extra seed capital will be used by Zeligate for product expansion, marketing and sales activities nationwide, with a focus on increasing awareness and adoption of its flagship AI products, led by the Hiring Co-worker.
The company says its advanced AI solutions enable organisations to automate entire processes, not just isolated tasks, boosting productivity across a range of business functions.
Zeligate recently enhanced its Zelis platform with live avatars capable of real-time conversations, providing customers with an immersive digital experience. The company says the new technology extends the functionality of Zeligate’s AI workforce and reinforces its leadership in workplace automation.
Invest Gold Coast, which has identified the knowledge economy and technology as key priority sectors for economic growth on the Gold Coast, has welcomed the investment as a sign of the city’s rising prominence in Australia.
“DNX Ventures’ first Australian investment on the Gold Coast signals a powerful shift in strategic capital flows toward our city’s rapidly maturing innovation ecosystem,” says Invest Gold Coast’s head of industry strategy and alliances, Ben Foster.
“It highlights the global confidence in the Gold Coast as a destination where technology, talent, and investment intersect to drive the next wave of economic growth.
“Japan has long been one of Australia’s most trusted and strategically aligned partners, sharing values of innovation, quality, and long-term collaboration, and DNX’s investment underscores the strength of that relationship.
“This milestone demonstrates how global partnerships can accelerate our knowledge economy, create high-value jobs, and enable Gold Coast companies to scale their ideas to the world.”
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