Sydney edtech startup Language Confidence, which uses artificial intelligence to help people learn to speak English, has raised US$1.5 million (A$2.05m) in a seed round. The round was led by Southeast Asian VC Wavemaker Partners with support from Sydney early-stage VC Investible. The funds are earmarked for expand Language Confidence’s product range of AI-powered APIs… Read more »
Business payments fintech Zeller is claiming unicorn status less than a year after launching following a $100 million Series B capital raise. The Melbourne startup has again looked offshore for capital with US VC Headline leading the round supported by local industry super fund Hostplus. Founded by former Square exec Ben Pfisterer and Dominic Yap,… Read more »
Media intelligence startup Truescope has raised $6.2 million ahead of a push into the US market. The round was led by Sydney VCs Investible and Jelix Ventures, with additional support from private investors. The funds will be used to launch and support Truescope’s United States market entry and accelerate engineering and technology innovations in the… Read more »
AI scheduling startup Licorice has raised $1.8 million as it looks to put an end to the dreaded IT ticket. The Adelaide startup’s backers were not disclosed. The funds are earmarked to accelerate software development and expand its go-to-market strategy globally. Licorice is looking to transform IT services by replacing the “tickets” system for recording… Read more »
The age of fintech for investors is shifting to climate tech startups in 2022, a landmark report into Australia’s startup ecosystem reveals. The inaugural State of Australian Startup Funding report, from Folklore Ventures and Cut Through Venture, has analysed data from more than 800 Australian founders and startup investors for a comprehensive look into the… Read more »
Sydney future of work startup Calven has raised $6.8 million in seed funding as it looks to tackle hybrid work culture. The round was led by Sydney VC Airtree, and several strategic backers, including Herbert Smith Freehills partner Michael Gonski and the Gonski family office. Calven co-founder Jeremy Pollak, a veteran of workplace technology consulting… Read more »
Insurance conglomerate IAG is backing a new $75 million venture capital fund to invest in early startups for its VC arm, Firemark Ventures. The insurer, best known for NRMA Insurance, launched its first fund in 2016 through Firemark. It invested in 18 startups in 33 rounds, including cybersecurity firm UpGuard, satellite Internet of Things creator… Read more »
A new shopping app developed by the twin sisters behind Stylerunner has raised $1.6 million in seed funding. The round was led by former banking exec Andrew Hagger, CEO of Fortescue founder Andrew Forest’s family investment firm, Tattarang and his charity arm, the Minderoo Foundation, supported by ASX-listed Touch Ventures, plus others. Sisters Sali Sasi… Read more »
Land restoration and carbon capture startup Cecil has raised $2.2 million in pre-seed capital. The round was led by agritech-focused VC Tenacious Ventures with participation from Macdoch Ventures and Global Founders Capital. As part of the investment Tenacious general partner Sarah Nolet will join the startup’s board. Cecil simplifies the process of managing and investing in natural assets in… Read more »
Australian-founded, Europe-focused buy-now-pay-later startup Scalapay has raised A$692 million in a debt and equity Series B. The round was led by Chinese tech powerhouse Tencent and US VC Willoughby Capital, with participation from existing backer Tiger Global, Gangwal, Moore Capital, Deimos, and Fasanara Capital. The fintech already hit unicorn status last year following a $210… Read more »
A new Fund-of-Funds venture capital firm, formed by veterans of the super fund Hostplus VC team, has been chosen by the Victorian government to build LaunchVic’s $120 million Victorian Startup Capital Fund (VSCF). Neil Stanford and Brighid Pappin have created V-Ignite to turn $60 million from the state government into $120 million for the VSCF.… Read more »
Electric delivery bike startup Zoomo has raised an extra US$20 million (A$28m) just three months after bagging $80 million in a Series B. The B+ raise was led by new investor New York VC Collaborative Fund, joined by strategic investors MUFG Innovation Partners, the VC arm of Mitsubishi UFJ; local mobility solutions company SG Fleet;… Read more »
Sydney startup Upflowy has raised US$4 million (A$6.6 million) as the customer conversation platform looks to expand into the US market. San Francisco VC Counterpart Ventures led the round in its first Australian-based deal. Pre-seed investors Tidal, Global Founders Capital, Black Nova and Antler doubled down on the two-year-old company, which emerged out of Antler’s… Read more »
Bitcoin mining venture Arkon Energy has raised $2.6 million in a pre-seed round. The round was led by blockchain investment firm Kestrel0x1, alongside strategic investors, such as trade services and renewable energy products provider, Linked Group Services, as well as other angel investors. The startup is using the funds to scale its bitcoin mining operations… Read more »
GreenTech startup, Trace has raised $1.5 million as it looks to help small and medium sized companies (SMEs) track and manage their carbon emissions. The round was backed by 21 investors including private family office 5 Pillars Capital, existing investor Antler, The Fund, Epoch Capital, Existential Capital and several angel investors, including Envato co-founder Collis Ta’eed… Read more »
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