A new online marketplace for vintage, and antique furniture and homewares, Bazaa, has raised $650,000 in pre-Seed funding from angel investors and syndicates. The idea is the brainchild of Voly cofounder Thibault Henry, and Aria Wigneswaran, a former director of e-commerce fashion marketplace Depop. Henry calls Bazaa a new way for people to discover, buy… Read more »
Another year, another Black Friday has been and gone. Black Friday is generally the shopping spree that sends consumers into a buying frenzy and businesses into a logistical tangle, but more and more we’re seeing the sale period drag away from the big day and into a month’s worth of offers for savvy shoppers. For… Read more »
The founders of TradeGecko and Advocately, Cameron Priest and Patrick Barnes, are back with a bang thanks to their new e-commerce startup, Amp, which has secured US$18.5 million (A$28.5m) in a series A, having only launched last year. AMP is their solution for the challenge retailers face in using dozens of different apps to run… Read more »
Collingwood supporter and investor Alex Waislitz has led an $11 million raise via his Thorney Investment Group into an ecommerce startup that’s pivoted from being a surfboard rental business to underpinning retailers such as Patagonia. Five-year-old Awayco is a unified ecommerce solution that includes retail Point of Sale (POS), rental and appointments for retailers to… Read more »
Nourished Life founder Irene Falcone’s latest startup venture, Sans Drinks, has fallen victim to the challenging retail environment, with the business handed to administrators. Jirsch Sutherland partner Andrew Spring was appointed administrator of The Non Alcoholic Drinks Co Pty Ltd, trading as San Drinks, on July 17. Spring said it was “still early days in… Read more »
Event rental e-commerce platform Gecko has raised $350,000 in a pre-Seed round led by the NSW government-backed Techstars program in Sydney. Gecko is one of 12 startups selected for the inaugural Techstars Tech Central accelerator program, which got underway earlier this month. US investors Goodwater Capital and Launch House also backed the startups pre-Seed raise. … Read more »
Victorian alcohol delivery startup Hairydog Group has added rival BoozeBud to its portfolio, acquiring the company’s assets a month after the business was placed in administration. The terms of the deal were not disclosed by Hairydog says the acquisition will push its annual revenue above $75 million, delivering incremental profitability and reinforcing its position as… Read more »
Paris Hilton and electronica duo The Chainsmokers have been added to the A-lister cap table of LA-based expat Australian startup Checkmate, which has raised US$15 million (A$23m) in a Series A. The round was led by GV (formerly Google Ventures), with support from DJ duo Alex Pall and Drew Taggart’s VC fund Mantis, plus several… Read more »
Online furniture retailer Brosa is up for sale after the business was placed in voluntary administration this week. Richard Tucker and Michael Korda of KordaMentha were appointed Voluntary Administrators of the 8-year-old ecommerce company, which raised more than $7 million in venture capital from the likes of Airtree and ASX-listed Bailador Technology Investments. While Bailador… Read more »
Women-led ecommerce app Sortd has raised $1.26 million in pre-seed funding to help shoppers keep track of their wish lists. Sydney founders Jodine Wolman, 27 and Alexis Aaron, 26 have emerged from the Antler Australia accelerator program with backing from the VC firm and several private investors, including ELMO Software’s chief commercial officer Darryl Garber.… Read more »
US-based Australian startup Checkmate has raised US$5 million (A$7.75m) in a Seed round. The raise was led by US VC Fuel Capital. The other investors include Kevin Johnson, the former CEO of Ebates at Rakuten, NFL star Joe Montana’s Liquid 2 Ventures, Ancestry CEO Deborah Liu, Firstbase CEO Chris Herd, XMTP cofounder Shane Mac, f7… Read more »
Melbourne e-commerce platform Local Threads has raised $500,000 in pre-seed funding The round was led by Dr Qin Ding, co-founder of EMQ, a data cloud warehousing platform, with support from angel investors Alex Yin, founder of fashion brand, UOOYAA, and Eric Liam. Cofounders Adam Baodunnov, and Chris Young are hoping to empower Local Threads users… Read more »
Premium shopping app Her Black Book has added cashback rewards to its platform ahead of Australian Fashion Week, which kicks off on Monday. Her Black Book is the brainchild of Sali Sasi and Julie Stevanj, the sisters behind Stylerunner. The pair announced their latest entrepreneurial venture last October, and in February, raised $1.6 million in Seed… Read more »
Melbourne “hype commerce” startup EQL has raised A$25 million to help retailers manage the launch of high demand products. The round was led by New York software investor Insight Partners and local VC AirTree Ventures. Other backers include market leaders in digital commerce, platforms and fan engagement including Guillaume Pousaz’s Zinal Growth, Harry Stebbings’ investment… Read more »
A new shopping app developed by the twin sisters behind Stylerunner has raised $1.6 million in seed funding. The round was led by former banking exec Andrew Hagger, CEO of Fortescue founder Andrew Forest’s family investment firm, Tattarang and his charity arm, the Minderoo Foundation, supported by ASX-listed Touch Ventures, plus others. Sisters Sali Sasi… Read more »
The lessons from Uber, Ola and rideshare’s disruption is that in the end, the consumer still pays 
Here are the finalists in Fintech Australia’s 2024 Finnies awards 
Atlassian cofounder Scott Farquhar steps down as co-CEO 
Unicorn dehorned: Nasdaq-listed Brisbane EV charging venture Tritium collapses into receivership 
Daily startup news and insights, delivered to your inbox.
