The Queensland government’s new venture capital development fund has backed five VCs: Antler, Five V Capital, Main Sequence, Mandalay Venture Partners and Salus Ventures, with a combined $130 million investment. Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick said the deals will give Queensland startups access to up to $200 million in new matched… Read more »
Grok Ventures, the private investment fund of Atlassian cofounder Mike Cannon-Brookes, has named global asset management executive Tan Kueh as CEO, joining chief investment officer Jeremy Kwong-Law. Cannon-Brookes said that Grok is entering a new phase of growth, having refined its investment strategy to make a bigger impact on addressing the global climate challenge. “Having… Read more »
Venture capital funding in Australia plunged 53% in 2023 on the previous year, returning to the level seen at the startup of the Covid pandemic in 2020. The year saw 413 reported deals totalling $3.5 billion (down from $7.4B in 2022) according to the third annual The State of Australian Startup Funding Report by Cut… Read more »
I see hundreds of founders pitch each year across industries and idea spaces – Antler invests in around 25 businesses each year in Australia alone. These pitches include a lot of generative AI, SaaS and HR Tech innovations, but flipping it around – here are 10 opportunities I reckon are worth exploring in 2024. 1.… Read more »
For better or for worse, some small things can make you look like a beginner when pitching to VCs. During my time at Square Peg as a senior associate, I’ve seen plenty of things founders and startups do well, but also don’t, during their pitches. So here are my top five things to avoid –… Read more »
Brisbane based investor Daniel Gavel is known for his down-to-earth and innovative approach to investing through angel investing, Black Sheep Capital Fund, and the Flock Syndicate. The Black Sheep portfolio includes Airtasker, Sendle, Amber Electric and Llama Life. Gavel recently sat down with Cheryl Mack from Aussie Angels and Maxine Minter to talk about his… Read more »
Melbourne biotech startup Prota Therapeutics has raised US$21 million (A$32m) ahead of a Phase 3 clinical trial for its oral therapy treatment for peanut allergy. The round, a combination of equity and debt financing, was led by Singapore-based SPRIM Global Investments (SGI). Australian VC OneVentures was an early backer of the biotech and one of… Read more »
My venture partners and I are raising money for new venture funds at the moment and there’s an awkward moment every time I have an initial conversation with anyone who’s considering investing in VC for the first time: the moment when I have to raise the question of holding a sophisticated investor certificate. When I… Read more »
Jessy Wu helps lead Afterwork Ventures, a community-powered VC deploying $20 million across Australia and New Zealand. Previously, Wu was a Senior Investment Analyst at NAB Ventures. Outside of work, Wu volunteers as a Telephone Crisis Supporter for Lifeline and as an ethics teacher for Primary Ethics. A person dedicated to giving back, Wu has… Read more »
A new venture capital and growth advisory firm to help startups move to scale-up has been launched by the chairman and CEO of advertising agency Claxon, Daniel Willis. One03 Ventures will focus on providing venture capital and/or growth advisory services to Australian businesses and brands with annual revenue between $2.5 million and $25m. Willis has… Read more »
Mentorloop is no longer your typical startup. For starters, it’s been operating profitably for more than two years after pivoting the business away from a growth-at-all-costs strategy in response to 2020’s initial pandemic-led funding freeze. Now its cofounders argue that other founders should look to the “thriving middle” with their business and consider steering towards… Read more »
2023 was a tumultuous yet transformative year in the venture capital and startup landscapes. As day zero investors, Antler has seen the effects of this year from a VC standpoint and through the lens of our portfolio companies. The following reflections offer a retrospective analysis of the past 12 months, imparting our view on the… Read more »
Jessy Wu, one of the most articulate, insightful and outspoken people in Australian venture capital, has been appointed partner at AfterWork Ventures. She was the first hire at the three-year-old VC, joining in 2021 as an Investment Manager and Head of Community. Founding partners Alex Khor and Adrian Petersen praised Wu as an irreplaceable team… Read more »
It seems all is not rainbows and unicorns in Australian venture capital. A bit of the green-eyed monster is emerging against market leader Blackbird Ventures, according to today’s AFR. The business paper has been talking to “industry sources”, anonymous founders and VC figures who won’t go on the record because they “need to eat”, painting… Read more »
New Zealand’s most active venture capital firm Icehouse Ventures, says it has “VCed itself” after raising NZ$10 million (A$9.3m) in equity capital. The raise was supported by business leaders and family offices across Aotearoa, as well as Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, and the US. Icehouse’s backers are a who’s who… Read more »
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