ClimateTech startup FloodMapp has set a new record for an Australian seed round after raising US$6 million (A$8.4m). The round led by New York VC Union Square Ventures’ Climate Fund, with participation by Mundi Ventures, Climate X, and Jelix Venutures. FloodMapp will use the capital injection to scale the company and expand into new markets.… Read more »
Investors poured more than $71 million into 89 companies via crowd-sourced funding (CSF) in 2021, new analysis of the sector reveals. Nearly a third of that figure ($21m, 30%) flowed in the final quarter of the year thanks to a series of record raises. In 2021, the number of CSF offers completed rose by 82%… Read more »
FinTech Australia has appointed financial services investor, advisor and long time executive Andrew Porter as its new CEO. Porter brings more than two decades of experience in the financial services sector to the position, including holding senior roles at three global payments fintechs OFX, World First and TransferMate. FinTech Australia chair Simone Joyce said Porter’s… Read more »
Sydney artificial intelligence startup, Cherry Recommends, has been selected to take part in the legendary accelerator program by Y Combinator. The US venture capital fund invests US$125,000 for at 7% stake in the companies it brings into the program. Cherry is an AI promotion recommender platform that grows sticky online customers by increasing customer engagement,… Read more »
The Commonwealth Bank has taken a 20% stake in Brisbane fintech startup Paypa Plane for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2018 by Simone Joyce and Jonathan Grant, Paypa Plane is a digital payments provider, building a bank-grade platform where traditional scheduled payments and payment initiation via the New Payments Platform (NPP) and PayTo, which is… Read more »
OwnHome, a fintech startup that wants to turn renters into property owners, has raised $31 million in a Series A. The round was led by VC firm Square Peg with existing backers including the Commonwealth Bank’s VC arm X15, GFC, Entrée Capital, AfterWork, and Possible Ventures doubling down on the startup. The cash injection is… Read more »
Wollongong Internet of Things (IoT) startup Binary Tech has raised $1.8 million in a seed round as it looks roll out supply chain IoT devices. The round was led by Artesian Ventures, joined by Beachhead VC and angel investors including Dr. Craig Davis, Peter McKie and Nick McNaughton. McNaughton will join the company’s board. Founder… Read more »
Sydney NFT tech startup Immutable is partnering with NYSE-listed gaming giant GameStop to develop the world’s largest gaming marketplace for gamers to buy, sell and trade in-game assets. As part of the deal, the two companies are looking to launch a fund worth up to US$100 million for NFT gaming projects. GameStop will use the… Read more »
A New Zealand medtech startup that’s developed the world’s first automated 3D planner for joint replacement surgeries has raised US$5 million. The round coincides with Formus Labs launching its orthopedic surgery planning solution which provides surgeons with unprecedented insight into the pre-operation planning process. The investment was led by New Zealand VC firm GD1 (Global… Read more »
Credentials management startup CredShare has raised $2.7 million as it looks to transform the compliance landscape for exchanging credentials. The round came from a series of high net worth investors as well as ASX-listed Touch Ventures and Ellerston Capital to give the venture a valuation of $14 million. It comes as the regtech startup prepares… Read more »
New Zealand agritech startup Protag has raised NZ$1 million for its smart ear tag sensors for the dairy industry. Investment firm Sprout led the round, with support from US-based Finistere Ventures, Kiwi dairy giant Fonterra, and Israeli venture builder OurCrowd, with support from NZ government agency Callaghan Innovation’s Technology Incubator Programme. The cash will fast… Read more »
Australian design giant Canva has acquired UK data visualisation platform Flourish as it looks to ramp up its European growth plans. The cost of the deal was not disclosed. London-based Flourish has more than 800,000 users creating data stories ranging from Covid vaccination to climate change. More than 9.5 million visualisations have been created, generating… Read more »
Western Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest has lodged criminal proceedings against Facebook over cryptocurrency scam ads that used his name and image. Dr Forrest, chair of Fortescue Metals Group, and a major tech startup investor, has alleged that Facebook breached federal anti-money laundering laws by failing to remove the ads, which have been appearing on the… Read more »
Australian tech startup Buildxact has raised $18.5 million in a series A as it launches in the UK. The SaaS (software-as-a-service) tech solution for residential builders is already in the US and Canadian markets and the funds will enable rapid growth in North America, alongside a launch in the UK this week. The raise values… Read more »
Venture capitalist Grant Chamberlain, a partner in Sydney VC OneVentures, has died after falling from a cliff in North Bondi. He was 50. Chamberlain joined OneVentures four years ago following two decades in merchant banking that included managing director roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank and Nomura. He was running the M&A… Read more »
Canva has a new $500 million shareholder – a Sydney private equity firm that previously made a fortune from pet food 
Envato founders exit in $373 million Shutterstock deal 
Outdoor adtech startup Doohly banks $500,000 pre-Seed to speed up digital ad execution 
Breakthrough Victoria invests $37 million to lure US near-space exploration platform World View to Melbourne 
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