Auckland-based VC Icehouse Ventures has raised its first NZ$5 million towards a $20m target to invest in women-led startups. The new ArcAngels Fund II is Aotearoa’s largest fund investing exclusively in female-founded and led ventures. Theresa Gattung, Chair of Global Women and the Kiwi lead for women entrepreneur initiative SheEO, is a cornerstone investor in… Read more »
New Zealand audio capture startup Dotterel Technologies has raised NZ$3 million (A$2.8m) for its microphone tech, which captures clear sound over long distances. The round was led by Kiwi VC Icehouse Ventures, with support from RocketLab founder Peter Beck, Sir Stephen Tindall’s K1W1, US-backed NZVC, and private investors including Dotterel chair, Sean Simpson, founder of… Read more »
New Zealand startup Flowingly has raised NZ$4.5 million (A$4.2m) in pre-Series A capital. The round was led by local VC GD1 (Global from Day 1), with participation from Icehouse Ventures. The fresh cash will be used for ongoing international expansion, with a core focus on the US. Serial SaaS entrepreneur Jon Kalaugher founded Flowingly in… 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 »
New Zealand agritech startup Croptide, which transmits plant water health to a farmer’s phone in seconds, has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding. The round led by Icehouse Ventures with support from Sir Stephen Tindall’s K1W1 and Masfen Group. Croptide uses internet-enabled sensors to provide timely water measurement data to fruit and wine grape growers.… Read more »
New Zealand fleet inspection and maintenance software startup Whip Around has raised NZ$21 million (A$20m) in a Series B. The round was led by New Zealand-based Punakaiki Fund and US VC firm Amplo. Founded in 2016 by Tim Boyle and James Colley, Whip Around develops solutions to tackle the compliance burden for transport companies in… Read more »
Runn.io, a New Zealand software startup that offers company project managers the ability to plan, track and forecast staffing capability and capacity, has raised US$1.41 million (A$2m) in a Seed round. The round was backed by leading NZ VC GD1 as well as Wavemaker, NZGCP, K1W1, Dovetail Ventures, Icehouse Ventures and Angel Marlborough. The funding… Read more »
ASX-listed hipages Group has acquired New Zealand online tradie marketplace Builderscrack for A$11.8 million in cash and equity. The deal gives hipages (ASX:HPG) access to a NZ$26 billion total addressable market in addition to Builderscrack’s 4,000 active tradies and 200,000 registered homeowners. The Kiwi marketplace saw 95,000 jobs posted on its platform, worth NZ$67 million… Read more »
New Zealand crime intelligence software startup Auror has raised NZ$30 million (A$28.5m). The round was led by Movac, New Zealand’s largest VC firm, with support from GD1, Silicon Valley-based Shasta Ventures, and Sydney-based Folklore Ventures in a mix of primary capital and secondary transactions. Movac partner Lovina McMurchy will join Auror’s board. The company plans… Read more »
Auckland-based cybersecurity startup Onwardly has raised NZ$1 million in a seed round less than 12 months after launching. The seed round was led by Kendra Ross of We Love Cyber, and supported by Pushpay founders Eliot Crowther and Chris Heaslip and entrepreneurs Zheng Li & JD Trask of Raygun. The funds are earmarked towards growth… Read more »
Parkable, a New Zealand-based parking optimisation startup, has raised NZ$4.7 million (A$4.53m) as it prepares for a global push. The round, in both debt and equity funding, was led by Kiwi VC Pioneer Capital, ahead of a planned series B in 2022. Pip England, Chief Executive Partner of Chapman Tripp, New Zealand’s largest commercial law… Read more »
New Zealand software venture Segna, a self-described “data wrangler”, has landed a US$125,000 seed investment from Y Combinator ahead of the startup taking part in the legendary US accelerator program. Segna will be just the fourth New Zealand startups to be part of Y Combinator, which counts Airbnb, Dropbox, Twitch, Stripe, Reddit, and CoinBase among… Read more »
Tech exports from New Zealand generated NZ$10.4 billion in export revenue in FY2021, up 14.4% on the previous year, according to the annual Technology Investment Network (TIN) Report. The TIN Report, now in its 17th year, benchmarks the performance of New Zealand’s 200 largest globally-focused technology companies, categorised according to the primary sectors of biotech,… Read more »
In the 2012 book Why Nations Fail, James A. Robinson and Daron Acemoglu look at why some great nations are destined to fail and some to succeed. One major theme amongst failures is leaders that aren’t prepared to share the success of a nation, and keep all the glory for themselves, eventually leading to revolt.… Read more »
New Zealand markets investment platform Sharesies has raised NZ$50 million (A$48m) in a series C that values the business at NZ$500 million (A$480m). The round was led by existing investor Amplo. The US VC firm contributed around half the raise to take a 7.5% slice of the company. New Zealand VC Icehouse Ventures also backed… Read more »
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