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 »
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 »
Antler has unveiled its latest investments from the 12th Australian residency: eight new startups selected from thousands of applicants, spanning robotics, cybersecurity, and health – all with a strong emphasis on AI. The cohort reflects a growing trend for Antler: more founders building at the intersection of AI and deep industry expertise, moving faster than… 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 »
An AI startup that takes corporate consultancy into the digital age has raised $1 million in pre-Seed funding. The round for NSW startup InsightWise was led by California VC Aliavia Ventures and Ari Klinger’s Sydney family office, No Brand Holdings, with support from Victoria Denholm’s Wollemi Capital Group, angel syndicate FB10x and other angels here and… Read more »
A diamond-on-silicon quantum sensing startup cofounded by two University of Sydney professors has raised $750,000 in pre-Seed funding. The raise for DeteQt was backed by deep tech CSIRO-backed Main Sequence Ventures and US deep tech investor ATP Fund. DeteQt was founded by Adjunct Professor Jim Rabeau and Professor Omid Kavehei from the University of Sydney Nano… Read more »
An 18-month-old robotics startup that emerged out of the UNSW Founders Defence 10X program in 2023, has raised $2 million in a pre-Seed round led by CSIRO-backed deep tech fund Main Sequence. The raise for Breaker will be used to triple its team over the next six months and further expand its presence in the… Read more »
Flowing Bee, the AI-powered behavioural insights platform for marketing strategy and execution, has raised $1.6 million in a pre-Seed round. The raise was led by Archangel Ventures, with participation from The University of Melbourne Genesis pre-seed Fund, Antler, LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund, and M8 Ventures, plus strategic angel investors. The cash will be used to… Read more »
The Sydney Startup Hub opened to Antler in Australia’s 13th residency last week, bringing together over 90 ambitious founders from across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Over the next few months, these entrepreneurs – both experienced and new – will test, build, and launch ventures in these three cities hoping to create a new generation of… 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 »
The former head of product at Kayla Itsines’ fitness app Sweat has launched his own startup, raising $600,000 in pre-Seed funding for a booking site for caravan parks and campgrounds. ParkBooker.com is the brainchild of Josh Volk and will go live later this week. The round was backed by Singapore fund Rising Tide Investment, Turo… Read more »
An Antler startup launched less than 12 months ago for people of post online listings selling second-hand products on multiple marketplaces with a single click has raised $800,000 in a pre-Seed round. Shopfront, founded by Nathan Spiteri and Drew Flaherty in April last year, was initially supported with $225,000 from Antler during its accelerator program.… Read more »
Spoony, a social app designed to help neurodivergent, chronically ill, and disabled people, has raised $1 million in pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Antler, NDIS provider Melba Support and Trampoline, with support from former Mable COO Piroska Bisits-Bullen. Spoony emerged from the Antler program in mid-2024, cofounded by CEO Nicholas Carlton and CTO… Read more »
Air-conditioning energy and emissions reduction startup, Conry Tech, has raised $1.6 million in a pre-Seed round led by Bandera Capital with support from Kiwi VC Pacific Channel. The Melbourne startup was cofounded in 2020 by long-term collaborators Ron Conry and Sam Ringwaldt, both experts in developing HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning) products that cut CO2 emissions.… 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 »
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