CEO and founder Olympia Yarger
Business strategy

‘There’s no such thing as the right investor’: Goterra’s Olympia Yarger on why she turned to crowdfunding for her new raise

- November 11, 2025 3 MIN READ

The hardest lesson I’ve learned about raising capital is that there’s no such thing as the right investor — only the right capital stack. Every time we started raising for Goterra’s next phase, the advice was the same: find your lead investor, fill the round, move fast.  That playbook hasn’t changed much, even as the… Read more »

Funding

Cheque-in: 8 startups kick off November by raising $350 million this week

- November 9, 2025 5 MIN READ

Medical technology was a major theme in startup funding this week, with Synchron and Lumonus AI raising hundreds of millions for their forward-thinking solutions. We also counted funding deals from Australian startups that have found new ways to clean ships, improve cattle breeding, provide gifts, and support parents and carers of neurodivergent children. Keep reading… Read more »

Funding

Perth infection management medtech Cytophenix prescribed $1.3 million in pre-Seed

- November 7, 2025 2 MIN READ

Cytophenix, an infection management medtech using rapid antimicrobial susceptibility tests to quickly identify effective antibiotics for patients, has raised $1.3 million in pre-Seed funding. Founded in 2023 by a team of expert researchers, clinicians, and engineers, including Dr Kieran Mulroney, Dr Christine Carson, Sherief Khorshid, Teagan Paton, James Telders and Tim Inglis, Cytophenix is a… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

NRF slings $54 million at Synchron, the Melbourne Uni rival to Neuralink that’s just raised a $305 million Series D

- November 7, 2025 2 MIN READ

The federal government’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) has invested $54 million in Australian founder Brain-Computer-Interface (BCI) medical devices company Synchron as part of a US$200 million (A$305m) Series D. Synchron was spun out of University of Melbourne by cofounders Dr Tom Oxley, Prof Nicholas Opie, and Dr Rahul Sharma in 2012. The company is… Read more »

Ag tech

Queensland agtech startup Nbryo nabs $10 million Seed round to breed better beef

- November 4, 2025 2 MIN READ

Queensland agtech startup Nbryo has raised $10 million for its livestock genetics platform. The agri-biotech is developing a bovine IVF platform to deliver scalable, high-quality outcomes for cattle producers globally. The round was co-led by existing investor Tenacious Ventures, and Kiwi government-backed new believer AgriZeroNZ, with the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), founding investor the Murdoch… Read more »

Humpback Whale and Sydney skyline
Business strategy

Beyond Silicon Valley: Why US founders are looking Down Under for investment

- November 4, 2025 3 MIN READ

For decades, Silicon Valley has been the default destination for ambitious founders. It is still the centre of gravity for venture capital – but that monopoly is quietly eroding. A growing number of global founders, particularly from the US, are now looking beyond the Valley for their next funding partner. And increasingly, that includes Australia.… Read more »

Climate Tech

Shipping climate tech startup Hullbot steams ahead with $16 million Series A

- November 4, 2025 2 MIN READ

Hull cleaning robotics startup Hullbot has raised $16 million in a Series A. The round was led by US-based Regeneration VC with support from Climate Tech Partners, making the first investment from its new fund backing technologies for emissions reduction in hard-to-abate industries. Also investing were Katapult Ocean, Folklore, Trinity Ventures, Rypples, NewSouth Innovations, and… Read more »

Marketing, snake oil, sales, PR, classic, pitch, spruik
Business strategy

Everything you need to know – and do – to make your startup pitch a winner

- November 3, 2025 11 MIN READ

The Founder Institute and Ben Chong, partner at Right Click Capital, take you through how to nail your startup pitch. tl;dr Pitch Deck Templates Don’t have time to read the guide? You can access our Pitch Templates quickly below. One‑Sentence Pitch Template | Elevator Pitch Template | One‑Minute Pitch Template | Long Angel/VC Template Introduction… Read more »

Funding

Cheque-in: 8 startups raised $113 million this week to end October

- October 31, 2025 5 MIN READ

There’s been a flurry of funding deals announced by Australian and Kiwi startups this week — from a Brisbane startup building superfast, hydrogen-powered planes to a Perth company transforming seaweed into a natural alternative to plastic. Keep reading to learn more about the eight Australian and New Zealand startups that collectively raised more than $113… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Data privacy regtech SecurePII lands $5 million Seed raise for global push

- October 31, 2025 2 MIN READ

Melbourne compliance and data privacy startup SecurePII  has raised US$3.5 million (A$5m) in Seed funding. The round was led by Sydney VC Tidal Ventures. SecurePII was founded by Jason Thals, Haydn Faltyn and Bill Placke, self-confessed skiers, mountain climbers, soccer players, cyclists, marathon runners, campers, golfers, paragliders and travellers who are “into motorbikes, sports cars, woodwork, Lego, science fiction,… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Kiwi workplace feedback startup Huckleberry pockets NZ$2.1 million pre-Seed for US ambitions

- October 31, 2025 2 MIN READ

New Zealand voice-based 360 feedback platform, Huckleberry, has raised NZ$2.1 million ($1.84m) in pre-Seed funding. The round was led by US VC Oregon Venture Fund, with support from Archangel Ventures, plus US and NZ founders, including Mineral CEO Nathan Christensen, TradeMe’s Rowan Simpson and M-Com’s Serge Van Dam. Huckleberry enables people to talk rather than… Read more »

ULUU cofounders Michael Kingsbury and Michael Julia Reisser
Climate Tech

Seaweed plastics alternative startup Uluu raises $16 million Series A

- October 30, 2025 3 MIN READ

Perth sustainable materials startup Uluu has raised $16 million in Series A, helping it develop a facility capable of turning seaweed into a natural plastic alternative at commercial scale. The latest raise was led by Germany’s Burda Principal Investments, with contributions from Main Sequence, Novel Investments, Startmate, and impact investors and family offices, including Fairground… Read more »