Why We Chose Boson as the Name

From a young age, I harboured a deep fascination with the mysteries of the universe. My childhood dream was to become a physicist, unravelling the secrets of the cosmos and contributing to our understanding of the fundamental forces that govern our world. This passion led me to pursue physics at university, eager to delve into the realm of quantum mechanics, particle physics and general relativity.

However, as I progressed through my studies, I came to a realisation. While my love for physics remained undiminished, I discovered that my strengths lay elsewhere. The rigorous mathematical foundations and abstract theoretical concepts, while intellectually stimulating, didn’t align with my personality, which loves to interact with people and loves to see real impact.

This epiphany led to my entrepreneurial journey. In my third year of university, I co-founded a hardware and software startup for transportation, providing digital video compression, decompression and transferring solution for transportation industry. Our product was used in the first digitally monitored expressway in China. It was an exhilarating experience that opened my eyes to the world of innovation and business. Yet, even as I ventured into this new territory, the allure of science continued to resonate in the depths of my mind.

My career path took me through various roles after I exited the company in 4.5 years — from management consulting to corporate venture capital, corporate executive positions, and eventually to angel investing. Each step broadened my perspective and honed my skills in identifying, nurturing and scaling up innovative ideas. These experiences culminated in the co-founding of our venture capital firm, a moment that brought me full circle to my initial passion for science and innovation. I felt all the dots were connected.

When it came time to choose a name for our firm, my thoughts naturally gravitated towards the world of physics. The concept of the Boson particle struck a chord with me. In particle physics, bosons are subatomic particles whose spin quantum number has an integer value. They are force carrier particles, facilitating interactions between fermions, which form the matter we see around us. This resonated deeply with my vision for our venture capital firm.

Just as bosons give rise to the fundamental forces that shape our universe, I envisioned our VC firm as a catalyst for innovation, providing more than just capital to founders. We aim to be the force carriers in the startup ecosystem, facilitating connections, providing strategic guidance, and empowering entrepreneurs to build the companies that will shape our future.

The name ‘Boson’ encapsulates this philosophy perfectly. It’s a nod to my scientific roots and a representation of our role in the entrepreneurial landscape. Yes, it’s often mistaken for ‘Boston’, but this minor confusion often leads to interesting conversations about our unique identity and mission.

Our initial vision for Boson was to focus primarily on deep tech investments, aligning with my background in physics, our collective passion for groundbreaking scientific advancements and our GP’s existing investments, including Clarity Pharmaceutical (ASX:CU6). However, as we were launching our first fund in 2021, we made a strategic decision to blend more B2B SaaS companies into our portfolio. This approach allowed us to balance the long-term potential of deep tech with the more immediate market traction typically seen in B2B SaaS. This blend of deep tech and B2B SaaS in our portfolio mirrors the duality of my own journey — the theoretical physicist turned IT entrepreneur and then a practical business leader.

This journey from physics to entrepreneurship mirrors that of many of my former classmates, now professors in prestigious universities across the United States and China. Many have successfully translated their research into tangible technologies through entrepreneurial ventures. However, Australia lags behind in this trend, with fewer academics taking the entrepreneurial leap. This gap presents both a challenge and an opportunity for our innovation landscape. As commercialisation models in universities evolve, there’s growing potential for deep tech startups to emerge from Australian academic institutions. I’m passionate about fostering this ecosystem, encouraging researchers to consider the commercial potential of their work. Australia has a wealth of scientific talent and innovative ideas; what we need is the right support structure and mindset to transform these ideas into world-changing technologies.

As we look to the future, I’m excited to announce that our new fund, the Boson Fund II Newton, will be returning to our roots, with a renewed focus on deep tech. We’re planning to allocate approximately 80% of our investments to deep tech ventures. This shift reflects our growing confidence in the transformative potential of cutting-edge technologies and our commitment to driving forward the frontiers of innovation. It’s a thrilling prospect that brings us closer to the scientific passions that inspired the name ‘Boson’ in the first place.

Choosing ‘Boson’ as our name is a personal reminder of my journey — from a physics-loving child to a venture capitalist. It symbolises the fusion of scientific thinking with business acumen, of theoretical concepts with practical applications. It represents our commitment to being more than just financial backers but true partners in the creative process of building groundbreaking companies.

In essence, ‘Boson’ is not just a name. It’s a manifestation of our vision, a tribute to the forces that drive innovation, and a personal emblem of my lifelong passion for science and progress. It’s a name that carries the weight of my dreams, the lessons of my journey, and the promise of the future we aim to help create — now more than ever as we refocus on the deep tech innovations that have the potential to reshape our world.