Accelerator
Antler just invested in 13 new startups – and nearly half have a female founder who’s also the CEO
Of the 13 companies, 46% have a female founder and in all cases, that founder is also the CEO
Funding
US investor Jason Calacanis and Brisbane Angels back IT startup Tribu in $1.25 million seed round
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 »
Funding
Australian insurer IAG doubles down on cybersecurity startup in $25 million raise
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 »
Funding
Augmented reality hospitality startup The Village Co scores $1.2 million seed round
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 »
Space
Jeff Bezos and his brother are beating the world’s billionaires into space next month
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark will be among the first passengers aboard his Blue Origin space mission next month. The world’s second richest man took to Instagram to announce he’d be aboard New Shepard’s first human flight on July 20. “Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to… Read more »
ASX
Altium shares soar after knocking back Autodesk’s $5bn takeover bid
Shares in ASX-listed software venture Altium (ASX: ALU) jumped 40% after the company rejected an unsolicited $5 billion takeover offer from NASDAQ-listed multinational software behemoth Autodesk. The non-binding, indicative and unsolicited offer from for 100% of Altium at A$38.50 per share, by way of a scheme of arrangement, was rejected as “significantly” undervaluing the business,… Read more »
Funding
Skalata-backed feedback startup Hearsay is helping companies decipher what customers are really saying
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 »
Funding
Venue management startup Ivvy raised $7 million in pre-IPO round
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 »
ASX
ASX-listed software security company IXUP is buying Data Republic’s $50 million tech platform for $3m
ASX-listed data security company IXUP Ltd (ASX:IXU) has scored a software bargain from the administrators of failed tech startup Data Republic, buying the data exchange’s intellectual property and IT for just $3 million. The purchase price represents a 94% discount to the almost $50 million Data Republic spent building the platform. The acquisition came from… Read more »
Advice
Ignition Lane Weekly Wrap: M&A mania, Tesla trademarks, African fintech, another SoftBank implosion & NFTs explained
Welcome to Ignition Lane’s Weekly Wrap, where they cut through the noise to bring you their favourite insights from the technology and startup world. Ignition Lane works with ambitious business leaders to apply the Startup Mindset to their technology, product and commercialisation problems. This wrap goes out free to subscribers every Saturday. Don’t forget you can catch Gavin Appel discussing… Read more »
ASX
Skills startup A Cloud Guru sells to Pluralsight on $2 billion valuation after just five years
US tech workforce development venture Pluralsight will acquire online learning startup A Cloud Guru in a deal believed to be worth $2 billion. The sale is likely to be one of the biggest in local tech for the 5-year-old London-based startup. A Cloud Guru was originally built in a month in a Melbourne bedroom… Read more »
Other tech
Basketball legend Andrew Bogut backed proptech startup Listing Loop in a $3 million raise
Real estate marketplace ListingLoop.com.au, which specialises in pre-market and off-market property sales, has closed a $3 million round to accelerate its already stellar growth. The pre-series A raise was co-led by Michael Locaso from investment and advisory firm LP7, who has since become the company’s Chief Operating Officer and property entrepreneur Michelle Catelan from RP… Read more »
Funding
Agtech VC Tenacious Ventures has a $35 million fund
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 »
Business
NSW is cracking down on gig economy delivery riders to improve safety
The NSW Government is introducing new laws to improve safety in the gig economy after five food delivery riders died on the job last year. The new laws will become part of Work Health and Safety legislation and come amid concerns over a lax approach to road safety by the riders themselves. The changes are… Read more »
Fintech
Business payments platform Paytron lands $4.35 million seed round to launch
Multi-currency payments startup Paytron has raised a $4.35 million seed round as it launches it product for the SMB market. Australian VC fund Carthona Capital and Germany’s Picus Capital were the major backers in the raise. Co-founders and former banking execs Jaco Veldsman and Francois Henrion set out to address the pain point of small… Read more »
