Mark Hurley
About Mark Hurley
Mark Hurley is an entrepreneur, director and investor. <cite>He grew up in Kerikeri, New Zealand.</cite> In 2014 he founded Little Giant, a product and innovation agency that worked with New Zealand technology startups. Dentsu Aegis Network acquired it in 2017, and he was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award that year.
In 2019 he co-founded Jasper, a commercial real estate firm that combines institutional strategies and analysis with technology. Crunchbase lists Jasper as having over $500m of assets under management, with clients including Blackstone and Stonepeak.
In 2023 he co-founded Caruso with Oliver Shaw, who is CTO. Caruso is an AI-native fund administration platform. Fund managers use it to onboard investors, manage compliance, raise capital and issue distributions. <cite>Caruso's technology began as an internal tool inside a fund management business and was spun out in early 2023.</cite> Caruso has since named Dallas as its North American hub, and Hurley now lives in Dallas. His Crunchbase profile also describes him as splitting his time between Auckland and Dallas.
Crunchbase counts 9 investments across 7 portfolio companies, with 1 lead investment and 2 exits (none by IPO). It also counts 4 companies founded. His X profile lists Tracksuit, Jasper, First AML, Sharesies, Whip Around and Narrative as investments. His Crunchbase bio also names Marloo and Joyous.
Crunchbase's news timeline shows him as a named investor in Whip Around's NZ$7.9m Series A alongside Fantail Ventures. It also shows a Sharesies seed round involving Angel Investors Marlborough and other investors. His most recent listed investment on Crunchbase is First AML's Series B. Crunchbase does not make the dates of his individual investments public, so none are given here.
Marloo is the clearest AI-related angel investment. <cite>It makes an AI assistant for financial advisers, and it raised A$4.2m in pre-seed funding.</cite> Crunchbase's bio and his X profile do not list a check size or date for his Marloo investment.
His main AI work is as an operator. Caruso describes itself as an AI-native fund administrator. In 2026 it announced a US expansion and an AI-native approach to fund administration. Founders should treat his angel portfolio as mostly fintech and B2B software, with AI appearing inside those products. It is not a dedicated AI-fund thesis.
The portfolio leans toward New Zealand-origin technology startups, mostly in fintech, compliance, financial software and brand analytics. His LinkedIn headline describes him as an early-stage tech investor. Crunchbase's bio calls him an active angel investor with a portfolio of leading technology startups.
He has not published a check size, target ownership or formal investment thesis that we could find. He has also not published a statement on what he looks for in founders. Those details are left out here rather than estimated. His operating background is in building software and services businesses, fund and investor management, and commercial real estate technology, so relevant domain experience may matter to him. That is an inference from his career, not a stated criterion.
- Marloo: AI assistant for financial advisers that handles paperwork and compliance tasks. Investment date not public.
- Tracksuit: brand tracking software. Listed as an investment on his X profile and Crunchbase bio.
- Sharesies: New Zealand investing platform. Crunchbase shows an early seed round involving angel investors.
- First AML: anti-money-laundering and compliance software. It is his most recent investment on Crunchbase, in its Series B.
- Whip Around: Crunchbase lists him as an investor in its NZ$7.9m Series A, alongside Fantail Ventures.
- Joyous and Narrative: both named in his Crunchbase bio as portfolio companies. Details not public.
- Caruso and Jasper: companies he co-founded, not angel investments.
- crunchbase.com/person/mark-hurley-3
- crunchbase.com/person/mark-hurley-3/person_overview_investor/timeline
- linkedin.com/in/mark-jude-hurley
- x.com/markjudehurley
- startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-auckland-presents-firesi
- nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/former-northlander-little-giant-
- nzherald.co.nz/business/ex-sharesies-managers-raise-46m-for-marloo-the
- getcaruso.com/en-us/resources/blog/Caruso-raises-seed-capital
Investing activity
Mark Hurley has made 9 investments according to Crunchbase across 7 portfolio companies, and has led 1 round, seen 2 exits and founded 4 companies.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Mark Hurley
Does Mark Hurley invest in AI startups?
He is an investor in Marloo, an AI assistant for financial advisers. He also co-founded and runs Caruso, an AI-native fund administration platform. His angel portfolio is mainly fintech and software, not a dedicated AI list.
What is Mark Hurley's angel check size?
He has not made a check size public, and we did not find a stated range. Ask for it directly in an intro rather than assuming a figure.
What stage does Mark Hurley invest in?
His visible investments include pre-seed and seed-era companies such as Sharesies and Marloo, plus Whip Around's Series A and First AML's Series B. He has no published stage rule. Crunchbase counts one lead investment.
What companies has Mark Hurley founded?
He founded Little Giant in 2014, and Dentsu Aegis Network acquired it in 2017. He co-founded Jasper in 2019 and Caruso in 2023.
How can founders contact Mark Hurley?
His public channels are LinkedIn, X (@Markjudehurley) and markhurley.com. A warm introduction from a shared founder or investor is usually the better route, and he has not published pitch instructions.
Where is Mark Hurley based?
He is based in Dallas, Texas, where Caruso has its North American hub. Crunchbase says he splits his time between Auckland, New Zealand and Dallas.
Is Mark Hurley an angel investor?
Yes. Mark Hurley invests personally as an angel and is CEO, Co-Founder & Director at Caruso. Crunchbase counts 9 investments and 2 exits.
How can founders reach Mark Hurley?
Founders on Lounge can see Mark Hurley's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Mark Hurley to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.