Be worried about the right things at the right time. I took this photo on an ancient four-prop 30 seat passenger plane in Tonga. It looked a bit like an old DC3 (it wasn’t) with the old-fashioned metal riveted skin and the only other time I’d flown in something like that was in Kenya. Obviously… Read more »
Micro-training platform Hindsite has landed an $3.25 million seed round as it looks to ramp up its global potential. 360 Trading founder Matt Kuppe, Greg Ruddock from Ironbridge Capital, Terry Hartan and Duncan Alexander led round, which values the business at $18 million. Previous backers include angel investor ACAC Innovation, along with friends and family,… Read more »
Cloud-based construction operations platform Assignar has raised US$16.5 million (A$22.3m) secondary financing round. US VC giant Tiger Global led the round with local secondaries fund SecondQuarter Ventures joining in along with existing backers Fifth Wall, and Boston-based HighSage Ventures. Previous investors include Tola Capital and Our Innovation Fund. Assignar has now raised more than US$30 million since… Read more »
Gaming user-generated content (UGC) platform mod.io has raised US$25 million (A$35M) in a series A. The round was led by the VC arm of the world’s largest video game vendor Tencent. The Chinese company joins in LEGO Ventures, OIF Ventures and existing investors Makers Fund, Play Ventures, Sequoia Capital India’s Surge and GameTech Ventures in the… Read more »
The Victorian government has looked across the border to manage its $30 million Venture Growth Fund, with Sydney venture capital firm OneVentures awarded the tender for the role. The plan for the venture debt fund was announced in the Victorian budget last year to inject late-stage capital into revenue positive startups. The fund was part… Read more »
Splash, a Brisbane music technology startup that created a music-making game in Roblox, has raised $27 million in a Series A funding. The round was co-led by Amazon’s Alexa Fund and BITKRAFT Ventures with participation from Australian venture investor King River Capital and Khosla Ventures. In Splash, players earn fame by performing to live audiences… Read more »
Sydney technology and venture capital firm Lakeba is setting up shop in the US as part of its ongoing global expansion plans. The eight-year-old tech investor is opening an office in Austin, Texas. The push into the States is being led by two tech startups Lakeba has already backed: document verification platform Ezidox and in-app… Read more »
Early-stage venture capital firm ReGen Ventures is raising US$50 million (A$67m) for its first fund as it looks to back startups with a focus on regenerative technologies. The VC firm, formed in early 2020 by former investment banker and hedge fund manager, Dan Fitzgerald, has a global focus, with its Australian base in the holiday… Read more »
Anti-money laundering regtech startup First AML has raised A$28.7 million (NZ$30m) in a series B. The round was led by Blackbird Ventures, with support from new investors Headline Ventures, and existing backers Pushpay founder Eliot Crowther, US firm Bedrock Capital and Kiwi VC Icehouse Ventures. Blackbird partner Samantha Wong will join the board. The funds… Read more »
Canberra-based quantum cybersecurity venture QuintessenceLabs has raised $25 million in a series B. The round was led by the CSIRO’s VC fund Main Sequence Ventures and Canadian VC TELUS Ventures, with additional participation from Mizuho Financial Group-backed InterValley Ventures, which helps early stage Australian tech companies crack the Japanese market, and Capital Property Group. The… Read more »
Sydney startup Renewtrak, which automates the renewals of subscription and services contracts, has raised $3 million in a seed round. The raise was led by Sydney VC firm Tidal Ventures and supported by several existing investors, including Bridgeclimb founder Paul Cave. The cash is for global expansion plans. Renewtrak’s customer base includes leading tech companies… 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 »
Decarbonisation startup Loam Bio, which uses microbes microbes to sequester carbon in farm soils, has raised $40 million in a series A. The round is led by Marc Benioff’s TIME Ventures. Other investors include Main Sequence Ventures, Horizons Ventures, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Acre Venture Partners, Mike Cannon-Brookes’ Grok Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, and Fiona… Read more »
New Zealand climate tech startup Vertus Energy has raised $1.2 million in a pre-seed funding round for its green fuel production technology. The round was led by Icehouse Ventures with support from NZ deep tech hub Outset Ventures, Startmate, and NOAB Ventures. The The new funds will enable Vertus Energy to expand its field pilots, making… Read more »
Proptech platform Inspace, which enables real estate agents to host virtual property inspections, has raised $4 million in a pre-series A as it eyes off the US and UK markets. The round was led by Our Innovation Fund (OIF) with support from Aconex co-founder Leigh Jasper, seed VC Investible and Artesian. OIF Partner Geoff Levy,… Read more »
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