Gold Coast company logistics startup CartonCloud has raised $12 million as it looks across the Pacific to grow. MA Financial has backed the software-as-a-service (SaaS) company’s vision to expand into Canada and the United States. It’s the first time CartonCloud has taken on institutional capital, having previously raised $1 million in 2017 from High-Net-Worth individuals… Read more »
Automated customer experience (CX) assurance solutions venture Cyara has deferred plans for a public listing on the ASX, instead raising a record US$350 million (A$485m) from US investors. The 15-year-old Melbourne-born, US-based tech company was backed by Californian firm K1 Investment Management. The record deal saw existing investors, including PeakSpan Capital and Greenspring Associates sell… Read more »
Venture Capital firm AirTree Ventures has a new $700 million war chest as it looks to ramp up its backing for early stage startups. Pulling the cash together took just three months, with leading local and international institutions, endowments and foundations signing on. The announcement comes ahead of rival VC Blackbird confirming its new $1… Read more »
Adelaide real estate software company HappyCo has raised US$52 million (A$72m) in a Series B and it looks to ramp up its US expansion. The raise was led by US venture capital firm Camber Creek. The cash will be used to develop new services and hire more Australian staff as co-founders Jindou Lee and Andrew… Read more »
US VC Tiger Global has backed a B2B marketplace developed by the former CEO of eCommmerce platform Catch with a $28 million investment. Tiger previously backed Catch, and this week has also chipped into a Sydney grocery delivery startup’s $75 million Series A. TradeSquare is a B2B wholesale marketplace launched in 2020 by former Catch… Read more »
US VC giant Tiger Global Management has backed one of the multiple local startups hoping to carve out a slice of the rapid grocery delivery market, leading a $75 million Series A into Milkrun. Founded by Koala co-founder Dany Milham, the 10-minute delivery service only launched four months ago, having previously raised A$11 million in… Read more »
Customer research platform Dovetail has raised US$63 million (A$87m) in a Series A for the software startup’s first major funding round. The raise was led by Accel, with participation from existing investors including Blackbird, Felicis Ventures, Grok Ventures, and CultureAmp CEO Didier Elzinga. New backers include Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield, Wedflow CEO Vlad Magdalin and… Read more »
A Sydney edtech startup helping people unlock the power of cloud software has raised $1.3 million in a seed round. The raise for Saasguru was led by Sydney VC Square Peg, with support from Black Nova and comes just six months after the venture was formed . Co-founders Amit Choudhary and Atif Saad developed their… Read more »
A female-founded wellness management platform for youth athletes has closed a $2.5 million seed round as it looks to help athletes with their mental health. Brisbane-based iNSPIRETEK was founded by former competitive gymnast Annie Flamsteed to provide athletes with mental health support and the tools they need when they need them most. The round was led by… Read more »
‘A rising tide lifts all boats’ is a saying popularised US President John F. Kennedy. It’s a reference to everyone winning when the economy is strong. For many investors, 2021 has been a king tide. And this month, the good ship Blackbird, the Australian venture capital firm, revealed just how rising valuations in the companies… Read more »
Officely, a desk booking service for hybrid offices, has raised US$2 million (A$2.8m) in seed funding. The round was led by investor TEN13 alongside angels such as Go1 co-founder Vu Tran and Luxury Escapes co-founder Adam Schwab. The funds will be used to expand the team, and grow the product offering and feature sets. Officely was… 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 »
Ecommerce tech platform Rokt has raised the bar on venture capital backing for Australian startups after raising A$458 million in a Series E. It’s the biggest single venture raise in Australian history and values the business at $2.75 billion. That more that doubles the company’s valuation from A$1.36 billion in June following a secondary share… Read more »
Western Australian billionaire and environmental campaigner Andrew Forrest has backed Sydney plant-based proteins company ProForm Foods as it looks to to target international markets. The strategic minority stake – its value was not disclosed but it’s believed to be around $5 million – came through Forrest’s family company Tattarang’s agri-food venture Harvest Road. ProForm Foods is… Read more »
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