Business

Ozharvest and chef Matt Moran step in to revive subscription produce startup Good & Fugly as the founders depart

- May 28, 2025 3 MIN READ

The founders of social enterprise Good & Fugly have departed the business suddenly after five years, with OzHarvest Ventures and chef Matt Moran looking to give the “ugly” fruit and vegetables subscription service a second life. Cofounders Richard Tourino and Jonathan Englert announced that the Sydney startup had “ceased trading under our leadership, effective immediately”… Read more »

Peter Leeson
Funding

Birchal’s new LaunchVic-backed investment syndicate has helped raise $1.9 million for hardware startups in 90 days

- December 5, 2024 2 MIN READ

Crowd-sourced funding (CSF) platform Birchal’s new Birchal First Syndicate has turbocharged $1.9 million in funding for Victorian hardware technology startups in 90 days since its launch. The angel syndicate, backed by a $300,000 LaunchVic grant, combines its lead investments with retail investor support on the crowdfunding platform’s equity capital raising campaigns. While battery-powered aircraft engine… Read more »

Darren Westlake and Birchal Chair, Adam Vice
People

Crowdcube founder Darren Westlake joins Birchal to supercharge Australian equity crowdfunding

- November 26, 2024 2 MIN READ

Birchal, Australia’s leading equity crowdfunding platform, has announced the appointment of two industry heavyweights to its leadership team. Darren Westlake, the founder and former CEO of Crowdcube, joins Birchal as a Strategic Advisor, while Rod Bristow, former CEO of Investible, has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director. Westlake, a pioneer in the global equity crowdfunding… Read more »

Matt Vitale
Funding

Birchal is getting into angel investing, backed by LaunchVic

- August 9, 2024 2 MIN READ

Crowdfunding platform Birchal has launched an angel network platform, with backing from LaunchVic. Birchal First is designed to connect angel investors with early-stage Victorian startups in the hardware technology space, investing from pre-seed to Series A. The roll out has been underpinned by a $300,000 grant from LaunchVic and is the 10th angel network the… Read more »

Mina Calvert, Lacey Filipich, Caitlin Robinson & Kane Jackson.
Funding

Fintech Maslow banks $410,000 in crowdfunding raise that sets the standard for social impact investment

- May 17, 2024 3 MIN READ

Social impact startup Maslow has raised $409,676 in a crowd-sourced funding (CSF) campaign from 288 investors, including many other founders in the impact space. Investors included Brendan Doggert, country manager of Sharesies, Youpay founder Matt Holme, former ZeroCo CMO Glen Cassidy, Future Super cofounders Kirstin Hunter and Adam Verwey, Doone Roisin of Female Startup Club,… Read more »

Birchal directors Kellie Morton, Matt Vitale Kate O’Keeffe and Adam Vise
Funding

Birchal raises $2.39 million on its own crowdfunding platform

- December 22, 2023 2 MIN READ

More than 1,100 investors have backed crowd-sourced funding (CSF) platform Birchal in its own CSF campaign, raising $2.39 million. Alongside a range of retail investors, the cap table includes existing investor Dom Pym, cofounder of Up; Mckeage Cole Foundation MD Connie Mckeage; Giant Leap venture partner Peter Cameron; TodayPay founder Peter Cameron; Doshii founder Sean… Read more »

Birchal directors Kellie Morton, Matt Vitale Kate O’Keeffe and Adam Vise
Funding

Crowdfunding platform Birchal launches its own raise, seeking $3 million

- November 29, 2023 2 MIN READ

Crowd-sourced funding (CSF) fintech Birchal is hoping to raise $3 million in a second campaign on its own platform.  The capital raising platform, which has been popular with brewers, medicinal cannabis ventures and impact cleaning products startup Zero Co launched in 2018 when crowd-funding was legalised, has facilitated more than 100 capital raises worth $190… Read more »

pot of gold
Birchal

Crowd-sourced funding: solving the tyranny of distance to capital

- July 17, 2023 4 MIN READ

Geographic remoteness is part of our identity as Australians. Stories of founders relocating to a larger startup ecosystem are common, particularly for founders outside of Sydney and Melbourne. Most notably, Sydney-based Canva, one of Australia’s most successful startups, was originally founded in Perth. But five years into the development of Australia’s crowd-sourced funding (CSF) regime, … Read more »

money plant grow
Investing

Here’s what Australia needs to do next to support startup founders and equity crowdfunding investors

- June 16, 2023 3 MIN READ

Australia was late to the game when it came to allowing startups to raise capital through crowd-sourced funding. But it grew quickly to become the second largest market per capita by 2021, according to the latest global research. Five years in, it’s undoubtedly a huge success, with over $240 million invested across 320 successful offers… Read more »