The rapid rise in Australian early stage investment platforms has continued with the launch of Melbourne-based Flying Fox. Early stage investment was considered “the valley of death” for startups in recent years due to a lack of capital. And while Australian early stage investment lags well behind the UK and US – $3.60 per capita… Read more »
US-based angel VC The Fund is launching in Australia + NZ Local founders are joining forces to invest in next gen ANZ startups Investors come from Canva, CultureAmp, Adore Beauty, Linktree, Safety Culture + more The Fund aims to back 50% female founders Founders and others from Australia’s most successful startups, including Canva, Culture… Read more »
The founders of rival BNPL companies Zip and Afterpay have piled into a record $15.5 million seed round for a 10-month insurance company designed for the smart home era. The seed investment for Honey Insurance was led by an impressive list of institutional investors: RACQ, which is underwriting the challenger brand; property settlement platform PEXA,… Read more »
Financial advice startup Lumiant, has extended its $1.17 million seed capital raise through equity crowdfunding site Equitise and is now looking to raise a further $2 million. The fintech it’s seeking the additional capital amid high demand for its services to investing in its ability to scale and increase distribution across Australia. Lumiant is a… Read more »
Construction tech platform Mooven has raised $5 million in a series A. VC firm Equity Venture Partners led the round supported by Five Ventures Investment. The funds are earmarked to scale its Australian and New Zealand teams, and prepare for expansion into the United States. Mooven provides construction teams, project managers and governments with the… Read more »
Early stage venture capital firm Investible has hit the first $35 million close target on its second fund in just three months. The Sydney-based VC has a target of $50 million for its new fund and recently installed CEO Rod Bristow, whose first job was the raise, said the speed and success of the initial… Read more »
Melbourne-based workforce management startup Ento has closed a $5 million Series B, with its backers eyeing an ASX listing. The round was led by Perennial Value Management, with existing investor AirTree Ventures chipping in once again. The funds will be used to double the size of the current team of 40, open offices in Sydney and… Read more »
Simulate, a New York startup that makes “simulated” chicken nuggets, founded two years ago by Australian Ben Pasternak when he was just 19, has raised US50 million (A$65m) in a series B. The round was led by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, husband of tennis champion Serena Williams, through his VC fund Seven Seven Six. Ohanian… Read more »
Brisbane artificial intelligence startup Tribu, which aids IT helpdesks and managed service providers (MSP) automate assistance requests, has raised $1.25 million from Brisbane Angels and the California syndicate founded by US investor Jason Calacanis. Tribu is using machine learning and AI to help IT support companies deal with what the industry calls “level 1” calls… Read more »
Insurance giant IAG’s VC arm, IAG Firemark Ventures, has led a US$19 million (A$25m) series “B-1” raise into Australian cybersecurity startup UpGuard. Firemark was among several investors backing the nine-year-old business once again, including Pelion Venture Partners, Square Peg Capital and August Capital, bringing the total raised to A$59 million, following a previous raise in… Read more »
Hospitality startup The Village Co, which is changing the way restaurants entertain young customers, has raised $1.2 million in a seed round. The Hunter Valley-based augmented reality tech startup was backed by new and existing investors, including accountancy firm PKF. CEO and founder Mick Carr said the seed round was a major milestone for the… Read more »
Even if you think the customer may not always be right, it’s increasingly clear that people expect to be heard by the companies they buy from. That’s where tech startup Hearsay comes into play. Marketer and customer experience expert Pip Stocks founded the venture to create a more structured and scientific approach to customer feedback… Read more »
Ivvy, a cloud-based event and venue management platform, has raised A$7 million in a pre-IPO round. The pre-IPO raise was led by Thorney Investment Group, and Gandel Invest, led by Tony Gandel. Ivvy plans to list on the ASX within the next 12 months. The 12-year-old venture has now raised $20 million in funding, including a $6… Read more »
Tenacious Ventures, a specialist agrifood tech venture capital firm, has build a $35 million fund to invest in early-stage startups with a focus on climate change resilience. The Tenacious Ventures Fund I achieved its first close in March 2020 at just over $20 million, backed by $8 million from the Australian Government Clean Energy Finance… Read more »
The forced closure of customer contact centres during the coronavirus pandemic delivered a silver lining for Cloudwave, which has raised $2m in a series A to expand into Asia and the US. The oversubscribed $2m round was led by Moelis Investment Bank, supported by Singapore-based VC fund Vulpes Investment Management. The cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) startup… Read more »
Daily startup news and insights, delivered to your inbox.
