Jonty Kelt
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
Founder
New York, US
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
THE MARQUE
In Their Own Right
Biography
Jonty Kelt is the Founder of Fantail Ventures, a venture capital business investing in innovative early stage companies in the digital assets and enterprise software sectors - www.fantailventures.com
Jonty currently serves in governance roles with: defence software provider Starboard Maritime Intelligence, digital collectibles marketplace Veve, asset management software provider Caruso, cybersecurity AI provider Cynamics, and financial data provider Valocity. He also serves as Venture Partner at King River Capital, Chairman of the New Zealand Dementia Prevention Trust, and on the Board of Governors at Kings College.
Previously, he helped lead the global commercial business of Palantir Technologies, the technology firm that uses data strategy and technologies to protect and grow government and commercial organizations. Prior to Palantir, Jonty worked in executive roles for Google and DoubleClick; co-founded digital marketing technology and e-commerce companies in the United Kingdom and USA and a media company in China. Early in his career, he helped establish Macquarie Bank in New Zealand.
Jonty holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance and Marketing from Otago University, New Zealand. He is also a graduate of Stanford University Law School’s Directors’ College and holds a Certificate in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors, London.
The Record
Background
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2008 — Present
Founder
Fantail Ventures
Fantail Ventures invests in and advises innovative early-stage companies that operate in the digital assets, fintech, data and analytics, and marketplace sectors.
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2015 — 2018
Head of Commercial Partnerships
Palantir Technologies
Palantir Technologies builds software platforms that help human experts perform powerful, collaborative analysis of data at scale. Its software is deployed at public institutions, private enterprises, and in the non-profit sector to address the challenges of responsibly making sense of complex, diverse data.
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2013 — 2014
CEO
Onswipe
Onswipe was a mobile web content optimization technology provider acquired by Beanstock Media in 2014.
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2009 — 2013
CEO and Co-Founder
Group Commerce
Group Commerce is an eCommerce technology platform and distribution network, built specifically for the needs of publishers. It was acquired by NimbleCommerce and is now part of Blackhawk Network.
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2005 — 2009
Vice President | DoubleClick International Search
Google
Jonty served as VP of Doubleclick through its acquisition by Google.
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2004 — 2005
Managing Director
Performics
Performics is a digital advertising technology and services company, which was later acquired by DoubleClick.
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2001 — 2004
Vice President | Business Development
Frontiers Group
Frontiers Group was a Chinese sports and entertainment production and rights management company.
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1999 — 2001
Co-Founder and Director of Business Development
MagicButton
MagicButton was an early internet marketing technology platform.
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1995 — 1998
Business Development Manager
Macquarie Bank
Macquarie Bank is a global provider of banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services.
In The News
Newsfeed
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15 June 2026 · NZ Herald
Pope Leo on the AI era, with Jonty Kelt of Fantail Ventures | Herald NOW Business
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6 June 2026 · NZ Herald
The trillion-dollar business we’re betting the farm on
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2 June 2026 · NZ Herald
Is SpaceX over-valued? Jonty Kelt, Fantail Ventures | Herald NOW Business
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18 May 2026 · NZ Herald
The latest on AI money and global power | Herald NOW Business
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7 May 2026 · NZ Herald
Sovereign wealth funds: who has what? | Herald NOW Business
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23 April 2026 · NZ Herald
El Salvador - the first country in the world to use bitcoin as legal tender
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31 March 2026 · NZ Herald
AI supply chains are fragile - technology finance commentator Jonty Kelt | Herald NOW Business
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17 March 2026 · NZ Herald
Former Palantir staffer takes us inside the tech giant | Herald NOW Business
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25 September 2025 · Ocean News & Technology
Starboard Maritime Intelligence to Scale Global AI-Powered Maritime Intelligence Technology
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8 September 2025 · Starboard Maritime Intelligence
Starboard Maritime Intelligence secures NZ$23M Series A to scale AI-powered maritime technology
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8 September 2025 · Australian Financial Review
Aussie VCs back cocaine-busting defence tech’s $21m raise
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29 June 2022
NFTs Are Transforming The Global Art Market, But Are They Worth The Hype?
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Formative Years
Education
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Stanford University
Stanford Directors' College
2018 — 2018
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University of Otago
Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Commerce, (Majors in Philosophy, Finance, Marketing)
1990 — 1994
Areas Of Focus