Soho Jonathan Lui
Funding

Airtasker cofounder Jonathan Lui’s proptech app, Soho, banks $750,000 to hit $20 million valuation

- November 27, 2023 2 MIN READ

Property buying discovery app Soho.com.au has raised $750,000 from Singapore proptechVC Feedback Ventures in a deal that values the startup at more than $20 million. Launched in 2018 by Airtasker cofounder Jonathan Lui, and described as “Tinder for real estate”, Soho uses artificial intelligence to personalise real estate searches, creating an instant list of properties… Read more »

Elliephant
Funding

Corporate gifting startup Elliephant presented with $560,000 pre-Seed round

- November 23, 2023 2 MIN READ

Gifting platform Elliephant has raised $560,000 in pre-Seed funding with LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund supporting the round. Cofounders Sheree Andersen and Johnny Reid launched Elliephant a year ago, inspired by their own frustration with how companies tackle gifting for clients and staff, setting out to create a new way to approach sales and marketing engagement,… Read more »

Luke Terry
Funding

Brisbane impact incubator White Box Enterprises raises $12 million to launch social enterprises

- November 22, 2023 3 MIN READ

Social enterprise incubator White Box Enterprises has secured $12 million from impact investors and philanthropists to develop startups helping disadvantaged people in regional communities. The raise has been a two-year labour of love for White Box CEO, Luke Terry, who set a $13 million goal. Most of the capital, 75%, came from 13 impact investors,… Read more »

Paul Wiltshire
Funding

Songtradr chalks up $106 million Series E as Epic Games joins cap table following Bandcamp sale

- November 21, 2023 2 MIN READ

Patience and persistence have paid off for US-based music licensing marketplace Songtradr, founded by expat Australian songwriter and entrepreneur Paul Wiltshire, after raising US$70 million (A$106m) in a Series E after a 20-month hunt for investors. That figure is well short of ambitions for a US$170m (A$235m at the time) raise at a US$500m valuation,… Read more »

smoking truck carbon pollution
Funding

Main Sequence once again backs carbon management startup’s $2.5 million raise

- November 21, 2023 2 MIN READ

CSIRO VC fund Main Sequence Ventures has continued its support carbon accounting software startup Avarni, leading a $2.5 million raise. Supporting Main Sequence were Brisbane early-stage fund Sprint Ventures and Afterwork Ventures. It’s the climate tech SaaS platform’s third raise since it was founded in 2021 and its second in less than 12 months, although… Read more »

At the University of Melbourne Started@Melbourne Showcase were Jaala Pulford, Vice Chancellor’s Fellow; Justin Spangaro, CEO, Carbon Cybernetics; Prof Jerome Sarris, cofounder, Psychae Therapeutics; Assoc Prof Fiona Brownfoot, cofounder, Kali Healthcare; Jeffrey Ng, CEO, NIRGenie; Assoc Prof Daniel Perkins, cofounder, Psychae Therapeutics.
Funding

University of Melbourne mental health startup using psychedelics kicks off with $4.5 million

- November 17, 2023 2 MIN READ

Medtech startup Pyschae Therapeutics, which hopes to develop botanically-derived treatments and psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental health issues such as PTSD, anxiety and addiction, has scored $4.5 million in syndicated investment from the University of Melbourne. The funding came from the university’s Genesis Pre-Seed Fund, which backs early-stage research and technologies from the campus, as well… Read more »

Sitemate
Funding

Process digitisation proptech Sitemate nabs another $7.5 million in pre-Series A

- November 16, 2023 2 MIN READ

Sydney software proptech Sitemate has raised $7.5 million in a pre-Series A for its no code platform for the construction sector. Marbruck Investments led the round, with participation from existing investors including Blackbird Ventures and Artesian. It’s 15 months since Sitemate raised $5.2 million in a round let by Blackbird, and since the the business… Read more »

Refilled cofounders - Stefan Kent and Ryan Nelson
Funding

Envato founders back plastics reduction startup Refilled in $1.3 million Seed round

- November 16, 2023 2 MIN READ

Envirotech startup Refilled has raised $1.3 million in a Seed round to transform drink dispensing and reduce single use plastic bottles. The raise was led by existing backer Melt Ventures with support from Envato cofounders, Cyan and Collis Ta’eed and others. Refilled previously raised $600,000 through angel investors and Melt’s modern manufacturing fund. The Sydney… Read more »

PropCode Jonah and Will
Funding

Building regs analysis startup PropCode nails $400,000 pre-Seed round to simplify development planning

- November 16, 2023 2 MIN READ

Sydney property development analytics startup PropCode has raised $400,000 in a pre-Seed round Melbourne VC Skalata Ventures and Brisbane Angels joined the cap table alongside existing investor Antler Australia. The funding will be used to continue the build of PropCode’s AI-based regulatory analysis engine for the construction industry. Cofounded in 2022 with Antler’s backing by… Read more »

Funding

Fintech Upworth banks $1 million in first raise

- November 15, 2023 2 MIN READ

Money management fintech Upworth has secured $1 million in venture capital from leading business angel investors and entrepreneurs for its first external round.  The Sydney fintech’s cofounders Alexandre Chavotier (CEO), Carlos Rios (CTO) and Maxime Chaury (COO & CMO) come from technology, finance and consumer services backgrounds and set out to change the way people… Read more »

Luke and Mark Finn
Funding

US VC Insight Partners backs venue management startup Roller in with $78.6 million raise

- November 13, 2023 2 MIN READ

Melbourne-based global venue management software platform Roller has raised more than $100 million in less than 12 months after New York VC Insight Partners led its latest US$50 million (A$78.6m) round. The fresh capital injection, which needs Foreign Investment Review Board approval, was also supported by existing backers Acadian Software RBC Capital Markets  and SBA… Read more »

Patrick Nappa and Alex Simmons
Funding

Startup lender Kashcade banks $5.5 million raise

- November 13, 2023 2 MIN READ

Fintech Kashcade, a digital lender offering startup founders non-dilutive capital, has raised $5.5 million and it seeks to build out its loan book. The round was led by Prandium Capital, with MD Andrew Whitten, now chairing the Kashcade board. Several startup founders also backed the raise, a combo of $1 million in equity and the remainder… Read more »

First Australians Capital Brian Wyborn
Funding

Indigenous-led impact fund First Australians Capital lands $3 milllion from US fintech Block

- November 13, 2023 2 MIN READ

Square founder Jack Dorsey has backed Indigenous impact fund First Australians Capital (FAC) with $3 million from its ASX-listed parent company Block. It’s the first time the global payments fintech, which in 2022, paid $39 billion to acquire BNPL Afterpay, has made a social impact investment in Australia. The former Twitter CEO and founder, now… Read more »