Tiller Rides, Julian Ilich
Funding

Perth e-bike Startup Tiller Rides spins $550,000 raise in 24 hours from crowdfunding

- August 27, 2021 3 MIN READ

A Western Australian startup dubbed “the Tesla of e-bikes” has raised more than $550,000 in the first 24 hours of its crowd-sourced funding (CSF) campaign Perth-based Tiller Rides has smashed the average investment size on the CSF platform Birchal, at $7,639 per investor, around $6000 more than most raises. It also marks the 100th successful… Read more »

George Kenley, Dean Freestone, Mark Cook
Funding

Epilepsy medtech Seer raises $34 million series A backed by Cochlear

- August 27, 2021 2 MIN READ

Medical technology startup Seer has raised $34 million in a series A as it looks to expand internationally. Medtech giant Cochlear, multi-family office EWM Group, SG Hiscock and impact investor Giant Leap backed the round. Seer’s technology is focused on clinical monitoring at home, developing devices checking key physiological signals, such as brain, heart and… Read more »

Quan Pham
Funding

Artificial intelligence provider Pi.Exchange raises $2.75 million pre-series A

- August 26, 2021 2 MIN READ

An artificial intelligence startup making AI accessible to smaller companies has raised  A$2.75 million (US$2m) in a pre-series A round. Pi.Exchange describes itself as an AI-as-a-Service provider and is targeting the banking and retail to professional services sectors with its product. Investors included AI-dedicated VC Boab AI, Artesian, Nextrans and Vision Creator, alongside additional support… Read more »

Waleed Mussa, Thomas Kelly & Yu Liu.
Funding

Doctor training platform Oscer scores $5 million seed round

- August 24, 2021 2 MIN READ

A medtech startup that helps aspiring doctors practice their clinical reasoning skills with AI-powered virtual patients has raised a $5 million seed round. The investment in Oscer was led by Blackbird, joined by January Capital, Inventures, Archangel Ventures and angel investors Brendan Hill, and Jeff Bargman and values the business at $20 million. The University… Read more »

Carbonix Domani Drone
Funding

Drone venture Carbonix lands $6.3 million seed round

- August 23, 2021 2 MIN READ

Carbonix, the Sydney startup that pivoted from high-speed sailing to drones, has raised $6.3 million in a late seed round ahead of US ambitions. The round was led by ASX-listed defence aerospace manufacturer Quickstep (ASX: QHL), and comes as the venture lands a major deal with electricity supplier Ausgrid to use Carbonix drones to monitor… Read more »

Ajay Prakash
Funding

Blackbird backs jobs edutech startup EntryLevel as it looks to reskill the world

- August 23, 2021 2 MIN READ

Work skills retraining startup EntryLevel is gearing up for a seed raise after pre-seed funding from Blackbird Ventures saw the virtual trainer reskill more than 30,000 people in just six months. Blackbird tipped $350,000 into the cohort-based edutech startup, which has an ambition to help one billion jobseekers around the world launch their careers through… Read more »

Anthony Shilton
Funding

Custom earpiece startup Hearables3D raises $1 million

- August 20, 2021 2 MIN READ

Melbourne hearing startup Hearables3D has raised $1 million ahead of plans to expand into the European and US markets. The investment was led by Significant Early Venture Capital and Starfish Ventures. The hearing loss startup, spun out of Swinburne University, also recently landed a $200,000 grant from the Australian Government’s Accelerating Commercialisation program. Hearables3D set… Read more »

Pasha Rayan, Tom Brunskill
Funding

Workplace skills edtech Forage raises $35 million series B

- August 20, 2021 2 MIN READ

Skills training startup Forage has raised US$25 million (A$35m) in a series B. The round was led by Blackbird Ventures, with participation from Telstra Ventures, Citi Ventures, Gaingels, Cap Table Coalition, ETF@JFFLabs and existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners and FundersClub. The raise comes less than 12 months after the four-year-old Y Combinator graduate, previously known as InsideSherpa, landed a US$9.3 million series A. Forage… Read more »

Anastasia Volkova
Funding

Carbon software agtech Regrow raises $23.5 million series A

- August 18, 2021 2 MIN READ

Agtech startup Regrow has raised US$17 million (A$23.5m) in a series A for its carbon measurement software for the agri-food supply chain sector. The raise was led by new US climate change focused VC Ajax Strategies, Tenacious Ventures and Cargill. Existing investors include Microsoft’s venture fund M12, the Jeremey and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust’s Neglected… Read more »

NIna Hooper
Funding

Antler Australia reveals how it’s letting angel investors in on deals with its startup cohorts

- August 17, 2021 4 MIN READ

Antler is known for breaking down the barriers of entrepreneurship and now, via a new initiative, the “Antler Angel Experience,” is also providing access to untapped early-stage funding opportunities. Local investors and startup founders will know, Australia has an early-stage funding gap. It exists due to a market gaining in maturity and results in startups struggling… Read more »

Funding

Seek’s VC backs disability services venture Hireup in $40 million series A

- August 16, 2021 2 MIN READ

Andrew Bassat’s Seek Investments has led a $40 million series A for online disability services platform, Hireup. Hireup helps people with disabilities find, hire and manage their own support workers. The strategic backing by Seek Investments for a minority stake, along with support from existing shareholders, will help the six-year-old business scale nationally.  The Myer… Read more »

Funding

Who Gives a Crap boss Simon Griffiths is among a group of founders backing a ‘next generation’ VC fund

- August 16, 2021 2 MIN READ

Who Gives a Crap CEO Simon Griffiths is among a group of startup founders backing a $10 million for a new “community-powered” venture capital fund that has scooped up the cash together in just four months.  AfterWork Ventures will invest in Australian and New Zealand technology startups at the pre-seed and seed stage and is… Read more »

Fable food
Funding

A VC explains why he backed the new alt-meat startup by Shoes of Prey founder Michael Fox

- August 12, 2021 4 MIN READ

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released this week was described as a “code red for humanity”. We’ve been collectively called upon to drastically reduce emissions in order to stabilise rising temperatures that are already beginning to cause natural events of biblical proportions. Meaningful emissions cuts won’t happen unless we come up with strategies… Read more »