Metabolic health monitoring platform Vively has raised $1.6 million in a Seed round as it rolls out its Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) program to tackle pre-diabetes. The round was led by Archangel Ventures with support from Bupa Ventures, the VC arm of not-for-profit private health insurer Bupa, and others. Archangel previously led 2022’s $1.5 million… Read more »
A video analytics platform using artitificial intelligence to improve workplace productivity and safety has raised $17 million in a series B. It’s been nearly four years since Unleash Live raised an $8 million Series A led by Safety Culture, and this time the nine-year-old scaleup, now valued at $100 million, did not disclose its… Read more »
Standards Australia has made its first early-stage investment, backing calculation tooling startup in $3.8 million pre-Seed round. The round for CalcTree was led by Foundamental, with support from Suffolk Technologies, Antler VC, Autodesk & Bentley employees. Standards Australia’s VC subsidiary, Kungari, invests in businesses innovating to improve safety, efficiency and quality across the economy, and… Read more »
New Zealand’s deep technology incubator and venture firm, Outset Ventures, has secured NZ$41.5m (A$38.4m) close of Fund II. The final commitments from more than 150 investors are more than a third above the initial NZ$30m target. The Auckland-based firm’s alumni include Rocket Lab, LanzaTech and Mint Innovation. Outset’s Future House currently hosts more than 20 deep tech… Read more »
Payments platform Airwallex has finalised a $232 million (US$150m) Series F funding round at an eye-watering $9.6 billion (US$6.2 billion) valuation. The company – which was founded in Melbourne but is now headquartered in Singapore – has already dinged the $1 billion annualised revenue mark and is on the hunt to keep expanding its global… Read more »
Battery materials startup Sicona Battery Technologies has raised AU$15 million from an existing investor, India’s Himadri Speciality Chemical, as part of a deal to commercialise its technology. The Wollongong startup previously raised $22 million in a Series A led by Himadri two years ago, adding to a $3.7 million in a pre-Series A in August… Read more »
As a founder who has successfully navigated the choppy waters of fundraising through the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the Covid-19 pandemic, I find myself facing yet another storm, this time, stirred by Trump’s recent trade policies. The current funding environment bears an uncanny resemblance to those past crises, and the implications for early-stage startups… Read more »
An R&D finance fintech based on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has raised $2.3 million towards a $25 million fund to lend as non-dilutive capital to Australian startups. Founder Alex Knight moved home to Coolum three years ago to raise a family, having previously worked at crowdfunding platform VentureCrowd and debt financier Tractor Ventures, having also invested… Read more »
A Melbourne-founded startup that taken the old business card and turned it into a digital networking tool has raised US$25 million (A$38.5m) in a Series A. The round for Blinq was led by Touring Capital, with supported by HubSpot Ventures and existing local backers Blackbird and Square Peg. The startup, founded in 2017, previously raised… Read more »
A two-year-old regulatory compliance startup has raised $6 million in a Seed round to develop AI for risk management. The round for Haast was led by Airtree, with support from US-based defy.vc, and existing backers Aura Ventures and Black Sheep Capital. The Sydney-based startup previously a $1.2 million pre-Seed in 2023 to monitor greenwashing and… Read more »
Blackbird has added another unicorn to its portfolio, but unlike Canva, has come late to the party with plans to tip $60 million into fintech Airwallex. The AFR reports that the VC is signing on for an unannounced capital raising for Airwallex, ahead of plans to go public in the next 12 months. Airwallex last… Read more »
Palm oil is both important to everything from food to cosmetics and detergents, and an environmental disaster, with rainforests being felled for the cash crop. It’s estimated to be in 50% of all Western household and food products, with 75 million tonnes produced annually. It’s also the leading cause of orangutan extinction, with between 1,000… Read more »
Mohit Midha, cofounder and CEO of Hoogly was at Blackbird’s Sunrise last week, tired but unable to stop smiling after global recognition for his employee engagement startup in California and London. The fact that he set out to also raise $500,000 and now has $1 million with 10 days left before he closes his latest… Read more »
Startups developing new treatments for cardiovascular disease, type 1 diabetes, and technology to capture carbon dioxide in the air have been backed by the University of Sydney’s new Pre-Seed Launch Fund. The $25 million fund invests in ideas and people, turning academic research developed at the uni into high-growth startups, bridging the gap between proof-of-concept… Read more »
A Melbourne startup cofounded by two 24-year-old former university students has banked $1.5 million in pre-Seed funding. The raise for Fluency was backed by HammerTech cofounder Bradley Tabone, Archangel Ventures, and Singaporean VCs 1MX.ai and Orvel Ventures. Best mates and self-taught developers Finnlay Morcombe and Oliver Farnill, a former Swinburne engineering student, launched Fluency in 2023,… Read more »
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