Darja Nelson began her career as a Neuroscience researcher and quickly moved into commercialisation of deep tech IP from NZ research institutes and universities. She was bitten by the start-up bug as she led the spin out of a revolutionary sensing technology from Plant & Food Research through multiple rounds of capital raising and international partnership. This fueled a passion for creating and growing early-stage start-ups and their leaders and drove her into the world of early-stage investment and company building.

In her role Operating Partner at Bridgewest Ventures, she works with founders and leadership teams to turn strategy into execution. She supports portfolio companies across capital raising, growth planning, product and go-to-market focus, operating cadence, and decision making. Darja brings a practical, hands-on approach to scaling teams and building repeatable systems that hold up under pressure.

Darja has a BSc in Biomedical Science, a an MSc in BioScience Enterprise and an MSc in Biomedical Science, all from the University of Auckland.