Accelerator

Antler in Australia residency 13 kicks off with more than 90 founders across 3 capitals

- February 18, 2025 4 MIN READ

The Sydney Startup Hub opened to Antler in Australia’s 13th residency last week, bringing together over 90 ambitious founders from across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Over the next few months, these entrepreneurs – both experienced and new – will test, build, and launch ventures in these three cities hoping to create a new generation of… Read more »

Matt Smith
Funding

Worker credentials platform MyPass clocks on with $7.5 million Series A

- February 17, 2025 < 1 MIN READ

Global contractor credentials platform MyPass has raised $7.5 million Series A. The round for the 12-year-old worker onboarding, compliance and credentials management business, which counts BHP, Shell, Woodside and UGL among its customer base, was led by Sydney VC OneVentures. The capital will be used for expansion in North and South America and accelerate product… Read more »

Cryptocurrency

Financial crime watchdog AUSTRAC is targeting crypto exchanges after shutting down several in a compliance blitz

- February 17, 2025 2 MIN READ

Australia’s financial system crimes watchdog AUSTRAC took action against 13 remittance and digital currency exchange providers as part of a year-long blitz, and says more than 50 others are “still in its sights”. The anti-money laundering regulator (the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre) said it remains concerned about money laundering risks in the digital… Read more »

Life hacks

Startup360 – the Valentine’s Day launch: workplace relationships, how to win when you fail & why the standards you set come from the ones you ignore

- February 14, 2025 2 MIN READ

Welcome to the Startup 360 product launch! We hope you like our MVP with cohosts Kayla Medica and Simon Thomsen. We want to have founder fun and find out what makes people tick – it’s not about GTM strategies and the next raise, it’s all about staying human. In our first show, Kayla and Simon… Read more »

Funding

AI agents startup for the aged care and disability services raises $2.5 million Seed round

- February 14, 2025 2 MIN READ

A Melbourne startup building AI agents for the disability and aged care sectors has raised $2.5 million in Seed funding.  The round for Minikai was led by Tidal Ventures with participation from Antler. Tigerspike founder Luke Janssen previously backed the startup with a six-figure pre-Seed investment nearly 12 months ago. Minikai’s AI agents are hoping to… Read more »

Funding

Real-time data management startup banks $5 million Seed round after six years of bootstrapping

- February 13, 2025 1 MIN READ

A Melbourne enterprise technology startup that’s bootstrapped since its founding in 2019 has raised a $5 million Seed round in taking on its first external capital. Slinging cash at Factor House were Blackbird, OIF, Flying Fox and the Alice Anderson Fund, LaunchVic’s female-focused co-investment side-car fund. The funding will accelerate the commercial release of the startup’s flagship product,… Read more »

Accelerator

Startmate selects 16 startups for its biggest Summer Accelerator yet

- February 10, 2025 8 MIN READ

Startmate’s Summer’25 Accelerator cohort is its biggest yet, involving 16 wildly different startups seeking to make a big impact is profoundly varied ways Driving them are 28 hungry, fast-moving, relentless founders who see a different future: one where Gen Z’s are more connected than lonely, where commerce is collaborative, and where the 4 million tonnes… Read more »

Rosterfy cofounders, Shannan Gove, Bennett Merriman and Chris Grant
Funding

Super Bowl volunteer management platform Rosterfy scores $5.5 million

- February 10, 2025 2 MIN READ

Volunteer and workforce management platform Rosterfy has raised $5.5 million from Sydney VC OIF Ventures. The funding tops up aa $3m follow on investment from ASX-listed Bailador Technology Investments (ASX:BTI) after its $9.8m initial investment in April 2023, which Startup Daily reported in October last year, The $3m from Bailador resulted in a 14% ($1.7m)… Read more »

Other tech

Steve Baxter’s new defence-focused VC fund locks and loads $10 million in first close on $60m target

- February 6, 2025 2 MIN READ

Brisbane-based specialist defence technology venture capital firm, Beaten Zone Venture Partners, has secured more than $10 million in commitments, to call first close on the fund. The figure takes the fund to its final condition for ESVCLP (Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnerships) status, with its first capital call underway this week.   Founder and… Read more »

Jamie Hall and Steve Hind
AI/Machine Learning

AI customer support startup Lorikeet banks another $14 million

- February 5, 2025 2 MIN READ

SydneyAI startup Lorikeet has raised another US$9 million (A$14m), just four months after pocketing a $7.3 million Seed round. This time Blackbird led the round, joined by existing investors Square Peg and Kim Jackson’s Skip Capital. The raise values the business at $100 million. Lorikeet was founded in mid-2023 (originally as Optech) by US-based former… Read more »

Business

Westpac invests $10 million in Lawpath to offer customers legal services

- February 5, 2025 2 MIN READ

Westpac hit the EFT button on $10 million for the online legal services scaleup Lawpath, and plans to entice business customers by offering them subscriptions to the legal compliance platform. The bank’s acting business and wealth boss Peter Herbert, said the exclusive partnership will give startups and small-to-medium sized businesses access to affordable legal services,… Read more »