New Zealand startup Flowingly has raised NZ$4.5 million (A$4.2m) in pre-Series A capital. The round was led by local VC GD1 (Global from Day 1), with participation from Icehouse Ventures. The fresh cash will be used for ongoing international expansion, with a core focus on the US. Serial SaaS entrepreneur Jon Kalaugher founded Flowingly in… Read more »
Melbourne-based artist marketplace Book An Artist has raised $1 million to support its global ambitions. The round was led by Black Sheep Capital, supported by tech heavyweights such as Airtasker co-founder Tim Fung and Amaysim co-founder Rolf Hansen. Founder Gaurav Kawar launched Book An Artist in 2019 as a platform to connect businesses and people… Read more »
The devastation in Ukraine has put into sharp contrast the ridiculousness of the startup industry’s obsession with capital raising and marketing hype. The military metaphors baked into our general business strategies become laughable at a time like this. This was explained best by senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, Frank V. Cespedes, in the Harvard… Read more »
Melbourne cybersecurity startup Cydarm has raised $3 million in its second equity round. The round was led by Japan-focused local VC InterValley Ventures, supported by Five V Capital, with Sydney VC Right Click Capital doubling down on its initial 2018 investment, the company’s first. Several individual cybersecurity execs also chipped in. The funds will be… Read more »
White label comparison and technology platform CIMET has raised $26.6 million in fresh capital as part of a strategic partnership with ASX-listed iSelect Limited (ASX:ISU). The capital will be deployed to expand the startup’s product and technology offerings beyond just energy and broadband into new sectors such as banking and finance covering credit cards, loans, insurance… Read more »
Sydney contract and supplier software platform Portt has been acquired by UK firm Advanced for an undisclosed sum. The sale comes just 14 months after the 11-year-old procurement tech venture raised $4 million in VC funding after a decade of bootstrapping. The funds were to tackle slavery risks in company supply chains as Modern Slavery… Read more »
Sydney NFT gaming startup Immutable has raised $280 million in a Series C that values the business at $3.5 billion. The round was led by Singapore’s sovereign fund Temasek, with support from Hong Kong-based gaming software firm Animoca Brands, as well as Chinese video gaming giant Tencent. New investors include ParaFi Capital, Princeville Capital, Arrington… Read more »
Recruitment automation startup PredictiveHire, which uses an AI bot to tell immediately if a candidate is right for a job using just five questions answered via phone text, has raised $7 million in a pre-Series A round. Sydney talent recruiting firm Hudson is one of the startup’s key backers, along with several individuals including Yarra Capital… Read more »
Residential building software platform canibuild has raised $8 million in a Series A. The round was led by EVP, with support from Regal Funds Management, with the funds earmarked towards growth in Australia, New Zealand and the US, and plans to expand into additional markets Founded in 2020 by Timothy and Stella Cocaro, Deepankur Malhotra… Read more »
Edtech startup FourthRev has raised $11.2 million in a Series A. The round was led by Paris-based edtech impact fund, Educapital, with support from existing backers Reach Capital, Emerge Education and Danner Capital, as well as well as several individuals. The raise comes after FourthRev bagged a $4.16 million seed round led by US education-focused VC… Read more »
AGL has rejected a revised takeover bid from Mike Cannon-Brookes and Brookfield The $8.25 a share bid was a 10% increase on their first bid two weeks ago and worth $5.5 billion Cannon-Brookes said their consortium won’t make a further bid AGL is planning a demerger that it says will offer better value Atlassian billionaire… Read more »
“We’re not gonna take it”, the 80s anthem by US heavy metal band Twisted Sister, has endured an interesting second life in recent years. It’s currently a rallying cry for Ukrainians resisting Russia’s invasion of the nation and the band’s lead signer, Dee Snider, is with them all the way – while also taking a… Read more »
Tesla chair and Blackbird operating partner Robyn Denholm is among three heavy hitters from the tech and VC scene on a new voluntary panel charged with advising the NSW government on local and international investment opportunities. Denholm, who’s also chair of the Tech Council of Australia, has been joined by AirTree Ventures founder Daniel Petre… Read more »
Every week on the Startup Daily TV show, we talk to more than two dozen founders, CEOs, investors and experts about what’s happening in tech. Now you can catch the best of the show with the weekly podcast, SUDS. Every Friday, co-hosts Simon Thomsen and Eliot Hastie, offer the weekly washup from Startup Daily TV.… Read more »
The Australian Government has backed plans to build a $66 million Adelaide-based manufacturing hub for the space industry with a $20 million grant towards the project. The Space Manufacturing Hub, first revealed last December, is a collaboration between the South Australian government and four local startups: nano-satellite maker Fleet Space Technologies, quantum technologies developer Q-CTRL and… Read more »
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