ASX-listed startup accelerator and investor Scalare Partners (ASX: SCP) has made its third acquisition, snapping up VC matching marketplace Inhouse Ventures in a deal worth up to $1.73 million. Scalare initially invested in the marketplace in November 2023, taking a 20.7% stake. Venture studio Shadowboxer also backed Inhouse, which was founded by CEO Elliot Spiegel in… Read more »
A Sydney call centre startup is being acquired by US global services platform Zendesk for a reported $100 million. The deal for Local Measure comes 14 years after it was founded by CEO Jonathan Barouch. Zendesk CEO Tom Eggemeier said the acquisition accelerates his company’s expansion into larger, more complex service environments, enhances its AI… Read more »
Brag Media cofounder and former CEO Luke Girgis has launched legal action in the NSW Supreme Court against the company that bought his business, ASX-listed Vinyl Group. The acquisition deal dates back to December 2023, when Vinyl (ASX: VNL) announced it would pay $8 million in cash to acquire 100% of The Brag Media and… Read more »
Car subscription startup Carbar could be a little more public after nine years, having made a takeover bid for ASX-listed rival Carly. The non-binding agreement to merge was announced just before market close on Friday. It will see Carbar acquire all of Carly Holdings Ltd (ASX:Â CL8) for $160,000 in cash and around $3.64 million worth… Read more »
Power retailer Amber Electric has acquired the electric vehicle (EV) smart charging app Charge HQ as the renewables-focused startup positions itself as a key player in the energy management solutions. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Charge HQ allows EV owners to recharge directly from rooftop solar, optimising it based on grid conditions… Read more »
Future of work education startup HEX has acquired Sydney edtech, EntryLevel, to build out its skills training offering. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. EntryLevel, founded in 2020, has developed an AI-powered, cohort-based learning management systems offering online courses in areas such as data analytics, cybersecurity, UX design, Python and growth marketing. More… Read more »
Investors keen to climb about the success of ecommerce unicorn Rokt have shelled out US$335 million (A$510m) to acquire existing shares as the business gears up for an IPO in 2026. The sales values the privately owned New York-based Australian-founded scaleup at US$3.5 billion (A$5.6bn), up from $US2.4 billion (A$3.5bn) in late 2022 when $750… Read more »
Small business HR and payroll platform Employment Hero has spent $112 million acquiring a Canadian rival as part of ambitions to expand into the North American market. The scaleup’s founder and chief economist, Ben Thompson said Canada has been in our expansion plans since their Series A, eight years ago “Humi is Canada’s leading employment… Read more »
Schools-focused digital skills e-learning platform in Grok Academy has survived a near-death experience following allegations of inappropriate behaviour by its founder and former CEO, is rebuilding under the ownership and management of Adelaide’s KIK Innovation. KIK, which delivers the tuition-free coding school 42 Adelaide, stuck a deal to acquire Grok Academy last month. It came… Read more »
ASX-listed music and media company Vinyl Group is broadening its publishing portfolio yet again, acquiring the city guides site Concrete Playground in a deal worth $5 million. Vinyl (ASX: VNL) has signed binding Heads of Agreement to acquire the 15-year-old digital lifestyle brand for $3.5 million in cash and $1.5 million in Vinyl shares, with… Read more »
Global payments platform Banked has tapped into Australian real-time payments with the acquisition of Waave, a fintech using the consumer data right (CDR) to offer a lower cost direct debit alternative to card payments. The sale, for an undisclosed sum, comes less than 18 months after Waave launched following a $4.7 million Seed round in April… Read more »
ASX-listed venture fund Bailador is having a busy week investing, ploughing an additional $5 million into financial advice software and investment platform Dash Technology Group to fund its acquisition plans. Alongside the $5m equity investment, Bailador is also stumping up $5m in a repayable debt facility for Dash to acquire Integrated Portfolio Solutions (IPS), a… Read more »
Vinyl Group’s (ASX: VNL) ongoing acquisitions appetite has added former Sydney startup Serenade to its stable in a conditional deal that represents a major haircut for investors in the NFT music marketplace. Serenade founder and CEO Max Shand will become a Vinyl Group employee, in charge of meeting a range of sales targets in the… Read more »
Global trading platform eToro is getting into the Australian superannuation business after acquiring the controversy-plagued investment app Spaceship Capital in a deal worth up to $80 million. The price is a blow to investors such as Airtree, which previously valued the fintech at more than $100 million. Investment in Spaceship has been opaque, but may… Read more »
Eight-year-old Sydney cloud data centre startup AirTrunk is set to be acquired by US private equity firm in a deal worth a reported $20 billion. The Financial Times reports that the cloud computing and artificial intelligence business, founded by CEO Robin Khuda, who immigrated to Australia from Bangladesh when he was 18, has been part… Read more »
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