Travel and GPS startup AirBolt locks in $2 million seed round
Connected device maker AirBolt has raised a $2 million seed round led by 72Capital and Moat Investments to expand its travel lock and GPS tracker range and grow internationally.
Every round, fund close and exit we can source, with the article it was reported in and what it actually said.
Connected device maker AirBolt has raised a $2 million seed round led by 72Capital and Moat Investments to expand its travel lock and GPS tracker range and grow internationally.
Sydney gifting app Shouta has raised a $1 million seed round from entrepreneur angels including Aconex's Rob Phillpot and Carsales' Steve Kloss, to grow its team and expand its Shouta Biz workplace offering.
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Iress extends EQT's due diligence exclusivity by ten days as takeover talks progress, while the board cautions shareholders that the non-binding proposal may not lead to any transaction.
Quantum Brilliance appoints former IBM quantum executive Mark Mattingley-Scott as European managing director, based in Stuttgart, where he will build an engineering and R&D team.
Roundup of manufacturing updates: a psychedelics licence for a cannabis producer, a hydrogen grant, patents, a wellness brand acquisition, government program support, and a Turkish diagnostic distribution deal.
Western Australian companies won three national iAwards categories, with Avicena Systems named Australian Startup of the Year. The article also recalls Avicena's $3 million federal Modern Manufacturing Initiative grant received in July 2021.
Orbital UAV is expanding its Perth engine production site after winning a $195,000 defence global competitiveness grant, with CEO Todd Adler saying the funds will buy inspection and verification equipment and lift output.
Profile of Wildfire Energy, whose patented MIHG waste-to-hydrogen technology won the 2021 Hitachi Global Challenge. It completed Brinc.io's accelerator, secured government grants, and is launching a seed funding offering.
Australian payments fintech Azupay has raised A$10 million in equity from Ellerston Capital's JAADE fund to grow its customer base and product plans, building on earlier backing from Tattarang.
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Wholesale Investor promotes an investment offering in Bioself, maker of the Sensate relaxation device, which is raising USD1 million through a SAFE and has previously drawn backing from several named investors.
Digital SME bank Avenue Bank has received a restricted ADI licence from APRA, counts Liberty Financial Group among its backers, and has appointed Steve Kinsella as chief financial officer.
Podcast interview with Dan Jovevski, WeMoney's founder and CEO, covering his earlier fintech exit at SwitchMyLoan and the two million dollars his Covid-era startup WeMoney has raised.
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Microsoft is acquiring Queensland video startup Clipchamp, which raised a $13.2 million Series A in 2020; CEO and co-founder Alexander Dreiling announced the sale, with investor Steve Baxter calling the company Canva for video.
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Melbourne fund manager Salter Brothers led a $6.5 million Series A in payments platform Verrency, with Perennial Value Management and existing shareholders also investing; Simon Jones joins the board.
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Comparison site Finder hires Damon Pezaro from Prospa as its first Chief Product Officer, tasking him with international product strategy, while continuing a hiring spree and expanding offices globally.
Round three of a federal grant program distributes $8.5 million across ten projects; named recipients include RMIT, Deep Brain Stimulation Technologies and University of Sydney.
Eye-disease drug developer Azura Ophthalmics has appointed healthcare biotech veteran Steven Altschuler, a Ziff Capital Partners managing director and Spark Therapeutics co-founder, as chair of its board.
Workplace culture platform Remote Social has secured $1 million in seed funding from Black Nova VC, NeuroPower, Antler Australia and five angel investors to grow its Culture-as-a-Service offering for distributed teams.
Car financing platform CarClarity raised a A$3 million Series A led by Equity Venture Partners, with existing backers Raj Bhat and Ben Taylor joining, to fund a new online car buying service.
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Sydney neobank Avenue Bank has received a restricted banking licence from APRA, letting it lend working capital to small businesses, with a full licence targeted for mid-2022.
Victorian defence manufacturer DefendTex has received $3 million under the Cooperative Research Centre Program to scale up 3D printing of small rocket motors, working alongside RMIT, DSTG and other partners.
ASX-listed payments company Zip Co has announced plans to take full ownership of South African buy-now-pay-later provider Payflex, intending to grow the local business and expand into other African markets.
All G Foods, a Sydney maker of alternative proteins, has secured $16m in seed funding, with $5m of it from the CEFC's Clean Energy Innovation Fund, and its burgers reach IGA shelves.
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Adelaide solar panel maker Tindo Solar is dismantling its original factory ahead of a move to a larger $11 million plant, supported by a $1 million federal manufacturing grant.
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Video analytics firm Unleash live raised an $8 million series A led by SafetyCulture, with Patagorang Investment Group also investing, to fund an AI apps store and US expansion.
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Australian micro-investing fintech Cache has appointed Don Koch, former ING Australia CEO and BNK bank chair, as its independent chairman, effective immediately, to help drive micro-investing adoption in Australian banking.
Australian payments fintech Azupay has raised a $10 million equity investment from Ellerston Capital's JAADE fund, following Andrew Forrest's majority stake via Tattarang the previous year.
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Adelaide cancer biotech Carina Biotech has raised $5.4 million led by Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Foundation, with shareholders, board, management and institutional investors also participating, to advance its CAR-T colorectal cancer therapy toward clinical trials.
Twenty-two CRC Projects share $47 million in grants, backed by $133 million in total investment, funding work on hydrogen storage, electric air transport, plant-based protein, orthotics and other industry research collaborations.
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SmartCompany profiles Reel.Reviews, a video testimonial platform for e-commerce brands co-founded by Ainslie Williams and Steve Ford, covering its early clients, conversion gains, and team three months after launch.
TechCrunch reports Zip's purchase of South African buy-now-pay-later firm Payflex, arguing Africa is an underserved market, and recaps the Australian company's earlier deals for Spotii, QuadPay and Twisto.
Weekly roundup: Seer and Open raise Series A and B rounds, Refundid, Komodo and Earth AI secure funding, Giant Leap closes $15 million for its second fund, Task is acquired for $120 million, and Birchal celebrates its 100th campaign.
Vancouver's Semios is buying Perth crop-data platform Agworld for a reported $100 million, a landmark exit for the local agtech scene and a windfall for early backer Yuuwa Capital.
ASX-listed fintech Butn has appointed MYOB executive Helen Lea to its board as MYOB Australia's representative, citing her senior corporate experience across several major Australian and multinational companies.
Refundid, which pays online shoppers their refunds instantly and recovers the cost from retailers, has raised $3 million in equity and debt led by Afterpay-backed AP Ventures, with Paul Greenberg investing and joining its advisory board.
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Credfin has bought payments provider Squarepay. Squarepay's chief executive Brent Wardlaw will move into a role at Credfin, with both sides citing a shared goal of serving fintech and digital finance builders.
Roundup of agrifoodtech news: AgFunder's alt-protein fund closes at $21m; five startups raise; Toast files to go public; Pinduoduo pledges ag spending; Wing, Vow, Nourish, Ginkgo and Eat Just items noted.
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An Envestnet | Yodlee executive argues open banking and data aggregation have helped Australian fintechs grow through the pandemic, citing sector investment figures and past raises by Finder, Judo Bank, AfterPay and Airwallex.
NSW government grants totalling $1.1 million go to Blue Tribe and KGM Services for solar panel recycling projects under Phase 1 of its Circular Solar program, with Phase 2 applications opening next month.
Australian crypto micro-investing platform Bamboo hires Josh Thillagaratnam, Colton Dillion and Anna Cheng from Xero, Acorns and Spaceship. Its Series A is only in final stages, so no round is recorded.
Podcast episode arguing rooftop solar will dominate the grid within five years, featuring an interview with Autonomous Energy about its recent buyout, with PVsell sponsoring the show.
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Book extract by the Equity Mates hosts urging investors to look beyond Australia, mentioning their podcast's December 2020 seed backing from Stake's founder for a reported six-figure sum in return for 8%.
Christchurch student wellbeing software firm Komodo has raised NZ$1.8 million in seed capital led by Folklore Ventures, with Flying Fox, Icehouse Ventures and two Culture Amp staff also taking part, to fund hiring and product development.
Aura Group reports its Aura Venture Fund I is performing in the top quartile for its vintage, driven by portfolio companies including Shippit, Gamurs and Integrated, with further liquidity expected this year.
Canberra awards Defence Global Competitiveness grants totalling over $1.2 million across six Australian small manufacturers, funding equipment and capability upgrades to lift their defence export production.
Quantum control startup Q-CTRL has appointed Dr Tom Stace, previously Deputy Director of the University of Queensland's EQUS, as its new Principal Quantum Control Engineer.
US cloud email security firm Avanan has been bought by cyber security vendor Check Point, which will fold the startup's technology into its Infinity platform to lift its email protection capabilities.
Profile of Serenade, an NFT and performance marketplace for musicians, tracing founder Max Shand's route from Afterpay employee to venture investor, with OIF among its backers.
Startupbootcamp Australia announces ten fintech startups from seven countries joining its 2021 accelerator cohort, focused on financial health and wellbeing, building on seventeen companies previously accelerated that collectively raised nearly $30 million.