A New Zealand agtech scaleup Halter has hit unicorn status with a A$1.55 billion (US$1bn) valuation following a $155 million in a Series D. The round was led by US investor Mary Meeker’s Bond, with support from NewView Capital, and existing investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, DCVC, Blackbird, NZ’s Icehouse Ventures, and Promus Ventures. Bond’s investment… Read more »
A major international conference in Auckland next month is focusing on how to better support female founders and highlighting wāhine Māori perspectives on entrepreneurship. The Diana International Research Conference, July 1-4, brings together researchers and industry experts from around the world to tackle funding inequities, structural barriers and discuss the future of women-led enterprise, with… Read more »
Kiwi startup founders take around 29 months on average to score their first pay cheque, but when they get there, they’re doing of okay, with 50% of them on more than NZ$195,000 (A$182k) according to the New Zealand Founder Pay Report 2025. The first deep dive into startup life in Aotearoa, by LiveRem and Oxygen Advisors,… 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 »
Four years after it launched, New Zealand VC fund Phase One has fully deployed its NZ$2.1 million (A$1.94m) early stage fund into 14 tech startups, including five (36%) with female founders. The fund, launched in April 2021, following the establishment of its early stage incubator community in 2020, the attracted GD1 as its anchor investor… Read more »
A Kiwi startup that wants to make kids love maths as much as playing Roblox has raised NZ$1.5 million (A$1.35m) in pre-Seed funding. The round for Polymath was co-led by Blackbird’s NZ office and fellow Aotearoa VC GD1. The app gamifies maths for kids, underpinned by an algorithm that adapts learning moments to each child’s progress.… Read more »
New Zealand’s most active venture capital firm, Icehouse Ventures, has closed its second growth fund, with NZ$122 million (A$111m) in commitments to back later-stage scaleups. The record raise for Growth Fund II, closed at the end of 2024, and will be used to back up to 20 Kiwi tech scaleups, with several investments already made.… Read more »
New Zealand EV charging startup Kwetta has raised A$15.8 million (NZ$17.5m/US$10.5m) in a Series A to tackle grid optimisation in the European market to power up electric buses and trucks. The round was led by the Kiwi outpost of Sydney fund Blackbird, with support from Clean Energy Finance Corporation-backed Virescent Ventures, Icehouse Ventures, and existing… Read more »
New Zealand artificial intelligence-augmented startup Grw AI has raised NZ$2.4 million ($2.2m) in a record pre-Seed round led by US investors in less than a month at a NZ$12 million valuation. The investment from a roll call of West Coast VCs and Silicon Valley angel investors with see the Grw AI team relocate from Auckland… Read more »
A New Zealand retail crime reporting and surveillance platform that was being scrutinised by Australia’s Information Commissioner has raised NZ $82 million (A$74.3m) in a Series C. The raise for Auror was co-led by the Woolworths-backed retail venture fund W23 Global, Nasdaq-listed US taser and body camera manufacturer Axon Enterprise, and Westpac-supported Reinventure. Also chipping… Read more »
Kiwi editech Crimson Education has raised NZ$67 million (A$60m) Series D that has seen the scaleup’s valuation jump by nearly 40% in just two years. The raise was previously reported in July, but the size of the round was not disclosed. It was led by NZ investor Movac, with support from existing backers HEAL Partners,… Read more »
Alimetry revolutionises gut health diagnosis by integrating AI into its wearable device, raises US $18m to fuel next phase of growth New Zealand startup Alimetry has raised US$18 million (A$27m) in a Series A2 round to commercialise its wearable gut health monitoring device for the US market. The round was led by Kiwi VC GD1… Read more »
Kiwi professional services job tracking platform Projectworks has raised US$5 million (A$7.5m) in a Series A. The round for the management software startup was led by US investor Bridgewest Group, supported by existing backers, including NZ VC Punakaiki Fund, and the company’s new US-based CEO Mark Orttung. It values the business at A$90m, and the… Read more »
New Zealand startup DNAiTECH, which has developed instant diagnostic tests that don’t need a lab, has raised NZ$1 million (A$910k) in a pre-Seed round led by Sprout Agritech. It’s Sprout’s 10th investment alongside partners Finistere Ventures in the US, NZ dairy goliath Fonterra and venture builder OurCrowd, as well as the Te Pokapū Auaha Callaghan… Read more »
New Zealand fintech Emerge has raised $12 million in a Series A, amid hopes to build NZ’s first challenger bank. The round was led by Altered Capital with support from Icehouse Ventures, K1W1 and NZ Fintech Fund, plus US VC Hard Yaka. It’s the second investment for Altered Capital, an early investors in UK challenger… Read more »
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