A new Fund-of-Funds venture capital firm, formed by veterans of the super fund Hostplus VC team, has been chosen by the Victorian government to build LaunchVic’s $120 million Victorian Startup Capital Fund (VSCF). Neil Stanford and Brighid Pappin have created V-Ignite to turn $60 million from the state government into $120 million for the VSCF.… Read more »
Buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) fintechs have built their brands over the last several years selling the convenience of “budgeting” your expenses. You can have your cake now, eat it too, then pay it off over 4 interest-free payments. But there’s been growing concerns about the sector, with nearly two-thirds of Australian financial counsellors supporting clients struggling with… Read more »
Electric delivery bike startup Zoomo has raised an extra US$20 million (A$28m) just three months after bagging $80 million in a Series B. The B+ raise was led by new investor New York VC Collaborative Fund, joined by strategic investors MUFG Innovation Partners, the VC arm of Mitsubishi UFJ; local mobility solutions company SG Fleet;… Read more »
Sydney startup Upflowy has raised US$4 million (A$6.6 million) as the customer conversation platform looks to expand into the US market. San Francisco VC Counterpart Ventures led the round in its first Australian-based deal. Pre-seed investors Tidal, Global Founders Capital, Black Nova and Antler doubled down on the two-year-old company, which emerged out of Antler’s… Read more »
Bitcoin mining venture Arkon Energy has raised $2.6 million in a pre-seed round. The round was led by blockchain investment firm Kestrel0x1, alongside strategic investors, such as trade services and renewable energy products provider, Linked Group Services, as well as other angel investors. The startup is using the funds to scale its bitcoin mining operations… Read more »
GreenTech startup, Trace has raised $1.5 million as it looks to help small and medium sized companies (SMEs) track and manage their carbon emissions. The round was backed by 21 investors including private family office 5 Pillars Capital, existing investor Antler, The Fund, Epoch Capital, Existential Capital and several angel investors, including Envato co-founder Collis Ta’eed… Read more »
NAB is on the hunt for 500 tech interns as part of a recruitment drive that will see the big four bank employ 1,500 new tech people 2022. The NAB program is looking for people who are in early and emerging careers, as well as neuro-diverse candidates and those returning to work or transitioning careers.… Read more »
A $5 billion consortium bid for AGL Energy, led by Atlassian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes through his private venture capital firm Grok Venture, has been rejected by ASX-listed energy company as undervaluing the business. Cannon-Brookes, who last year committed to investing $1 billion through Grok on climate change startups over the next decade, teamed up with… Read more »
Climate tech venture firm Aera VC has raised US$30 million (A$42m) in the first close of its new fund to back startups addressing sustainability and global warming. The new climate-focused fund has already backed Michael Fox’s alt-protein business Fable Foods, along with US-based chemical decarbonisation unicorn startup Solugen (valued at US$1.8bn) as well as Shiok Meats… Read more »
Australian DeFi startup Tiiik has raised $5.2 million in a Seed round backed by some leading fintech founders, including Zip’s Larry Diamond. The raise was co-led by Global Founders Capital and FinTech Collective, supported by DACM, B Digital, Decision Tree Capital, Investible, LedgerPrime, Ox Ventures, Athena Ventures, Double Peak, Valhalla Capital, Parsiq, Gate.io, NxGen and… Read more »
The Australian non-profit Ocean Impact Organisation (OIO) is launching an Ocean Impact Accelerator Program and VC fund to back startups with solutions to transform the health of the seas. OIO has already seen startups and entrepreneurs in 45 countries contact them via programs such as the Ocean Impact Pitchfest, Ocean Impact Ideation Program and the HP… Read more »
A new report from the Tech Council of Australia (TCA) reveals the tech industry is fast becoming the sector of choice for people looking to kick-start a new career. The report, Australia’s Tech Jobs Opportunity – Cracking the Code to Australia’s Best Jobs, highlights the unique opportunities offered by tech jobs which are diverse, flexible and well… Read more »
Hunter-based smart maintenance tooling manufacturer Safe Gauge has raised $1.6 million in angel investment. A syndicate of more than 30 investors from Sydney Angels contributed, making it the largest group for a single syndicate in Sydney Angels history. Founder and Managing Director Luke Dawson said he had to prove his worth in a three-step pitching… Read more »
Brisbane drone mapping and data analytics startup Emesent has raised US$23 million (A$32m) in a Series A to fuel its global ambitions. The round was led by local firm Perennial Partners, with international investors Tiger Global and TELUS Ventures. Seed round investors Main Sequence and Archangel Ventures also chipped in. Co-founder and CEO Dr Stefan… Read more »
Australian proptech venture PropHero has raised $1.6 million seed round for its property investment platform. The round was led by GFC Global Founders Capital and supported by AfterWork Ventures, Jelix Ventures and The Fund. The cash is earmarked to improve the company’s data models and digital customer experience, key hires, and to expand the footprint nationally across Australia… Read more »
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