AiPX launches AI-native venture studio for founders

AiPX Ventures has launched in Australia as an AI-native venture studio that builds new software platforms with early-stage founders.

The studio is led by Sally Tobin, founder and former Managing Director of Mars United Commerce ANZ, now part of Publicis Groupe. She said the venture studio model differs from a traditional venture capital fund because it works directly with founders to identify opportunities, design products, build early versions, and take them to market.

AiPX will focus on sectors where businesses still rely on fragmented technology stacks, positioning AI-native platforms as a way to simplify workflows and speed up operational decision-making.

Leadership team

Gary Head has joined AiPX Ventures as Chief Product Officer. He previously served as General Manager of Omnichannel at Mars United Commerce and as Company Secretary of Shop! ANZ, an industry body focused on retail marketing and shopper engagement.

Head has 15 years' experience across advertising and product design. At Mars United Commerce, he led omnichannel campaigns and worked on the global rebrand ahead of the company's acquisition by Publicis Groupe in 2024.

The appointments reunite two former senior leaders from Mars United Commerce ANZ. At AiPX, Head will lead product architecture and platform development across the studio's portfolio.

His move also coincides with ongoing work on Cart Index AI, a venture he launched last year. The business focuses on measurement and analysis in retail media and is positioned as addressing a gap in creative effectiveness.

Studio model

AiPX describes itself as a venture studio rather than an investment fund. The model typically provides shared services and central product and engineering resources, with the studio playing an active role in creating new companies and products.

Its work starts with opportunity identification and product design, then moves to building minimum viable products and supporting launches and go-to-market planning.

AiPX said its initial focus will be AI-native platforms built around workflow systems. It also plans to include integrated partner marketplaces that connect users with third-party providers within the product environment.

Founder background

Tobin has worked across commerce marketing and technology product innovation for more than 20 years. A repeat founder, she has built and exited multiple businesses and said they had combined enterprise valuations of more than $900 million.

At Mars United, she led expansion into areas including retail media, eCommerce, and marketing technology, and worked on Asia-Pacific acquisitions that grew the business.

Announcing the studio, Tobin pointed to back-end complexity as a key challenge for companies trying to modernise legacy ways of working.

"Every company I've built has reinforced the same lesson: the hardest problems aren't the ideas; they're the systems that sit behind them. With AiPX, we're taking what we've learned from building and exiting multiple businesses and applying it to support founders who are creating the next generation of AI-native platforms that solve genuine industry bottlenecks," said Sally Tobin, CEO, AiPX Ventures.

Pipeline plans

AiPX is developing a pipeline of four AI-native platforms centred on workflow systems and integrated partner marketplaces.

Initial target markets include trades and construction, and marketing operations. A product for trades and construction is slated for a mid-year release.

The studio has not disclosed funding arrangements, ownership structures, or whether it plans to bring in external capital alongside founders. It has also not detailed the AI technologies or model providers it intends to use across the portfolio.

For founders, the pitch centres on early-stage product creation and platform development, with the studio contributing product leadership, architecture, and build resources. The model reflects growing interest in applied AI platforms aimed at industry-specific processes rather than general-purpose tools.

Head said the studio will focus on turning product ideas into operational software that can be rolled out widely.

"It's incredibly exciting to be back working with Sally to help founders turn ambitious ideas into real, scalable products," he said.