Gold Coast-based AI startup Zeligate has raised $500,000 in Seed funding.
The investment came from DNX Ventures, a California-based venture capital firm that focuses on B2B startups. DNX also has an office in Tokyo and a partner based in Australia, making this its first local investment.
Zeligate plans to raise a Series A round in late 2026.
Zeligate was founded in 2023 by CEO Denver Naidoo. The company’s AI tools are designed to help people handle routine or repetitive work so they can focus more on thinking, communicating, and innovating.
Zeligate’s platform allows organisations to automate entire workflows, not just single tasks, helping to increase productivity across different areas of business.
The Seed funding will help Zeligate expand its product, marketing, and sales efforts across Australia. The company plans to increase awareness and adoption of its main AI product, the Hiring Co-worker.
Founder Denver Naidoo said that partnering with DNX Ventures is a strong vote of confidence in Zeligate’s mission. He also mentioned that the company moved from Brisbane to the Gold Coast earlier this year.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
DNX Ventures Australian-based principal Yurika Imuta said Zeligate has the potential to set a new standard in recruitment and help companies unlock broader access to high-quality talent.
“We were particularly impressed by the company’s AI technology, especially the quality of its AI-driven interview experience,” she said.
“Denver’s deep expertise in AI has enabled the team to build a truly multimodal, AI-native SaaS 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.”
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