Microsoft founder Bill Gates has made his first investment in an Australian startup, backing Perth-based climate tech venture Rumin8 in a US$12 million (A$17m) second phase of its Seed round. The raise was led by the Gates-founded VC firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), with participation from fellow billionaires Andrew and Nicola Forrest via their agri-food… Read more »
Brisbane fintech Bloom Impact Investing has raised $525,000 in seed round co-led by Up bank cofounder Dom Pym, with the founders of Envato, Collis and Cyan Ta’eed, doubling down on the investment app. In a sign of the realigned times, the funding is less than Bloom’s $675,000 pre-seed raise in October 2021. That round was… Read more »
Queensland software startup Alii has raised $2.5 million in a self-described pre-Series A round that values the business at $10.25 million. The round was led by Brisbane private wealth fund Maranello Capital, which previously invested in the seed round in 2021. The subscription software platform straddles fintech, edtech and regtech to deal with accounts payments… Read more »
Perth veterinary tech startup Vedi has raised $3 million as it looks to become the pet version of the federal government medical database My Health Record. The funds came from two international investors, with MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., once again backing Vedi, joined by pet-focused New York VC Companion Fund,… Read more »
A company that created a hands-free walk-talkie replacement for outdoor adventurers has raised A$12 million in a Series A, just months after shipping its first product. Loose Cannon Systems was founded by Peter Celinksi, the former CTO at Denon & Marantz, and was previously the founder of Avega Systems, which sold to Altec Lansing in… Read more »
In this essay, we are imagining a pitch from an early stage deep tech company, probably still working inside a university. An investor red flag might not be obvious to a founder. Why would it? They build up over years as signals of weakness and they are best avoided. Knowing what they are makes it possible to… Read more »
Melbourne clothing tech statup Bodd has raised $5 million, as it looks to use its 3D body scanning technology for advanced manufacturing. The round. announced on Christmas eve, was led by retail entrepreneurs Candice and Nick Hirons, supported by a range of family offices and high-net worth figures. Bodd’s executive chairman, Tim Allison, who is… Read more »
Vively.com.au, a metabolic wellness platform, has raised $1.5 million in an oversubscribed pre-Seed round led by Archangel Ventures. Vively uses constant glucose monitoring via an arm patch to help people understand how their diet and lifestyle is affecting their metabolic health in real-time. The funding will be used on product development and growth to capture… Read more »
Health and aged care compliance reporting platform Zipline.io has raised $10 million as it looks to ramp up US market growth Existing backer EVP led the round with the VC’s largest follow-on cheque, supporting by King River capital. New backers include TechnologyOne founder Adrian Di Marco, Aconex cofounders Leigh Jasper and Rob Phillpot, the Sypkes… Read more »
The venture capital arm of energy giant BP has tipped $20 million into Sydney solar array startup 5B, to close out its $55 million Series B. The additional funds from bp ventures end a 15-month capital campaign that saw the first $30 million secured in June, with the round being led by existing backers… Read more »
Cutting-edge Australian tech scale-up  Synchron, which hopes to give paralysed people the power to control computers with their minds, has raised $110 million in a Series C. Synchron is a clinical-stage endovascular (inside the blood vessel) brain-computer interface (BCI) company founded in 2016 by Dr Tom Oxley and Professor Nick Opie. It is based in Brooklyn, New… Read more »
Canberra-based manufacturing startup Syenta has raised $3.7 million in seed funding to drive production of its exceptionally fast, multi-material 3D printers. The round was led by Blackbird, alongside Brindabella Capital and Jelix Ventures. The ANU-based startup spent two years in “stealth mode” as cofounders Jekaterina Viktorova and Professor Luke Connal developed a multi-material 3D printer using… Read more »
Real estate and infrastructure digital twin creator Willow has raised US$28.8 million (A$42m) . The round was led by the Sydney-headquartered venture’s existing backers, who chipped in at a lower valuation to 2021’s pre-Series B round. Willow chairman Nicholas Moore, the former Macquarie Group CEO, is a key investor, alongside fellow director and TCI Renewables chair… Read more »
Aotearoa data startup Partly, which makes it easier to source vehicle parts, has raised NZ$37 million (A$34m) in a Series A. It’s a national record for a Series A and follows a NZ$3.7 million pre-series A in October 2021. The latest round was led by European VC Octopus Ventures, with Blackbird’s Kiwi wing tipping in… Read more »
Carbon management startup Avarni has raised $3 million in venture funding, less than 12 months after launching. It’s the startup’s second raise – and part of a recently emerged trend to decline to identify a round – since it was founded in 2021. CSIRO VC fund Main Sequence Ventures led the raise with support from… Read more »
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