Three years after a record $2.2 million pre-Seed round for two teenagers to solve the problem of abandoned online sales, their eCommerce fintech has raised another $18 million in a Series A. The round for Brisbane startup Instant was led by Belgian early stage VC Hummingbird Ventures, which revels in the title “the best venture… Read more »
Sydney advertising and electric vehicle charging startup Jolt has eschewed VC funding for its latest global expansion, instead striking a $214 million (C$194m) loan agreement with the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) to fast track its charging network across the top of North America. The funds will see Jolt install 1,500 fast and free kerbside chargers… Read more »
Entries for a pitch competition offering a prize package worth more than $200,000, as well as $20,000 in perks for every artificial intelligence (AI) startup that enters close this week. Pitchapalooza, by the team behind Cut Through Venture and One Pitch, is searching for Australia’s best AI pitch. Entries close on Friday, February 28. The… 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 »
Twine, an AI startup offering conversation insights for business, has raised $2.3 million (US$1.5m). The round was led by Sydney VC Airtree, with support from angel investors Gill Findlay from Immutable, Sam Nickless, CEO of legal heavyweight Gilbert + Tobin, and Hemal Shah, Atlassian’s product VP. The funding will be used to accelerate product development and… Read more »
ASX-listed VC Bailador Technology Investments has put its cash on the table to lead a $25 million raise for a investment property startup. The fund (ASX:BTI) picked up half the tab, putting $12.5 million in to PropHero, supported by existing investors AfterWork, Jelix Ventures, Europe’s Samaipata and Fifth Wall, plus Opera Tech Ventures. The Sydney-… 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 »
A startup hoping to chip away at China’s dominance in copper production with a new low-cost way of extracting it from low-grade resources has raised $1.05 million in a Seed round. Banksia Minerals Processing (BMP) was spun out of University of Queensland and has been backed by UniQuest, and IP Group, and grant funding from the… Read more »
Global contractor credentials platform MyPass has raised $7.5 million Series A. The round for the 12-year-old worker onboarding, compliance and credentials management business, which counts BHP, Shell, Woodside and UGL among its customer base, was led by Sydney VC OneVentures. The capital will be used for expansion in North and South America and accelerate product… Read more »
A Melbourne startup building AI agents for the disability and aged care sectors has raised $2.5 million in Seed funding. The round for Minikai was led by Tidal Ventures with participation from Antler. Tigerspike founder Luke Janssen previously backed the startup with a six-figure pre-Seed investment nearly 12 months ago. Minikai’s AI agents are hoping to… Read more »
Battery storage tech startup Allegro Energy has scored a $1.85 million federal government grant to bring its battery technology to mass production. The Newcastle-based startup is one of five early stage tech companies funded under the $400 million Industry Growth Program. Allegro Energy has developed water-based Redox Flow Batteries (RFB) to store renewable energy. The… Read more »
Sydney clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical startup AdvanCell, which is developing innovative cancer therapeutics, has raised US$112 million (A$178m) in a Series C. The round was co-led by US-UK fund SV Health Investors, Sanofi Ventures, Abingworth, and SymBiosis. Additional support came from existing investor Morningside, alongside new investors Tenmile, Brandon Capital, and others. Founded in June 2019, AdvanCell was… Read more »
A Melbourne enterprise technology startup that’s bootstrapped since its founding in 2019 has raised a $5 million Seed round in taking on its first external capital. Slinging cash at Factor House were Blackbird, OIF, Flying Fox and the Alice Anderson Fund, LaunchVic’s female-focused co-investment side-car fund. The funding will accelerate the commercial release of the startup’s flagship product,… Read more »
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