Another startup looking to deal with cattle methane emissions using seaweed has raised $2.176 million in Seed funding. The round for Fremantle Seaweed, at an $11 million pre-money valuation, comes a week after seven-year-old Sea Forest (ASX:SEA) listed on the ASX. The Tasmanian startup raised $20.5 million at $2 per share for a $112m market… Read more »
After give years of self-funding, sexual wellness brand Normal has turned to crowd-sourced funding (CSF) platform Birchal for its first external raise. Normal, cofounded by sex coach, author and educator Georgia Grace and ex-McKinsey consultant and social scientist Lucy Wark, is Australia’s top female-founded sexual wellness brand, offering products to help people, especially women, have… Read more »
The hardest lesson I’ve learned about raising capital is that there’s no such thing as the right investor — only the right capital stack. Every time we started raising for Goterra’s next phase, the advice was the same: find your lead investor, fill the round, move fast. That playbook hasn’t changed much, even as the… Read more »
Liftwomen the female-focused crowdfunding platform, has raised $1.3 million as it looks to expand into Asia. The raise was led by Singapore VC Braxton Capital Ventures with support from former Alibaba Australia boss Maggie Zhou and former AXA chair Asia Gordon Watson. The cash injection is earmarked to Asian expansion, especially Hong Kong and China,… Read more »
It’s often those most entrenched in existing systems (and have benefitted from them) that disparage and deny the usefulness of novel forms of doing, well, anything. While business financing isn’t the only area where this happens, it might be the sector in which this attitude is most harmful, in terms of holding back innovation in… Read more »
Zero Co, the cleaning products startup will close at the end of the month with founder and CEO Mike Smith pulling down the shutters because they can’t find a pathway to profitability. The six-year-old startup set records in 2021 when it raised a record $5 million in just six hours on the Birchal crowd-sourced funding… Read more »
Imagine having a groundbreaking business idea that could change lives, but every time you seek funding, you hear: “It’s too early,” “Come back when you have traction,” or worse, “Prove yourself first.” This is the reality for countless women entrepreneurs across Australia and Asia. Women have different financial needs to men, however most financial products… Read more »
A demonstrations of the power of equity crowdfunding (CSF), market leader Birchal is a testimonial for its own platform with more than 800 investors pouring $2 million into the company’s own raise in just 29 hours. While it doesn’t beat the 63 minutes it took Birchal to raise $3 million in 2022, it’s still the… Read more »
Crowd-sourced funding (CSF) platform Birchal’s new Birchal First Syndicate has turbocharged $1.9 million in funding for Victorian hardware technology startups in 90 days since its launch. The angel syndicate, backed by a $300,000 LaunchVic grant, combines its lead investments with retail investor support on the crowdfunding platform’s equity capital raising campaigns. While battery-powered aircraft engine… Read more »
Crowdfunding platform Equitise has been handed to voluntary administrators after cofounder Jonny Wilkinson failed in his own attempts to raise a $500,000 bridging round. Administrators Damien Mark Hodgkinson and Mohammad Mirzan Bin Mansoor from Sydney firm Olvera Advisors were handed the books on October 31. An initial creditor’s meeting will be held on November 12.… Read more »
Crowdfunding market leader Birchal has cut its costs base by 30%, along with several roles, after the first half of 2024 “significantly underperformed” the platform’s expectations. News of the job losses were first revealed by SmartCompany just 24 hours after Birchal set out to paint a positive picture for the sector in its annual review… Read more »
Mentwell, a gift card healthcare startup that’s honed in on mental health and wellness, has raised $228,950 in a crowdfunding campaign. The Birchal campaign in June was backed by 117 investors as the platform looks to expand into the US and UK markets. Mentwell founder and CEO Nikki Williams said her mission is to revolutionise… Read more »
Corporate regulator the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) has issued its first interim stop order over a crowd-sourced funding (CSF) campaign. ASIC intervened in the raise for Hirehood, an hire marketplace for holiday items such as surfboards, bikes and baby equipment, on the VentureCrowd platform. The regulator’s concern is over the structure of shares… Read more »
A recycling startup dealing with problem products, such as soft plastics, coffee pods, blister packs and vapes, has raised $1.15 million from 1014 investors in a crowdfunding campaign. Five-year-old Sydney-based RecycleSmart plans to accelerate it national expansion with the funds. In the last 12 months, RecycleSmart has doubled its customer numbers, revenue and also seen… Read more »
Welcome to The Ask, Our column designed for founders looking for capital. It may be venture capital, crowdfunding or another path, and is designed to flag your startup to potential investors. If you’re on the hunt for cash, we’re happy to share the news with Australia’s startup community. This is your chance to pitch directly… Read more »
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