Every round, fund close and exit we can source, with the article it was reported in and what it actually said.
Hospitality staffing platform Barcats has raised $2.4 million to connect workers with venues, while a me&u report highlights pandemic-driven changes including greater tech adoption, later trading hours and premium drinks orders.
Blackbird advertises for a Portfolio FP&A Manager to analyse portfolio data, describing its billion dollars under management, 68-company portfolio, workplace benefits, and startups including Canva, SafetyCulture and Culture Amp.
Glyscend Therapeutics, a Johns Hopkins spin-out, is starting a Phase I trial of its type 2 diabetes pill in Adelaide; the piece recalls its AUD$29 million Series A led by Brandon Capital's MRCF.
Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio
Resale marketplace Warrp is keeping its seed round open until end of August after strong user growth, with co-founders Matthew Ng and Roman Granovskyi discussing metrics, product plans and investor interest.
Adelaide-backed biotech Glyscend is recruiting volunteers for phase 1 trials of a pill mimicking gastric bypass surgery to treat type 2 diabetes, funded with $29 million from Brandon Capital's MRCF, Santé Ventures and Breakout Labs.
Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio
The WA government has awarded International Graphite $2 million toward the state's first graphite micronising and foil plant in Collie; the company is completing a seed raise and eyeing an ASX listing.
Columnist and longtime Afterpay critic Stephen Mayne reacts to Square's agreed all-share takeover of the Melbourne BNPL company, valuing it at $43 billion, and notes the windfall for its founders and federal tax coffers.
A retrospective of Afterpay's journey from its 2014 founding and only venture raise to its ASX listing, US and European expansion, and its agreed $39 billion takeover by Square, alongside partnerships and controversies.
Glyscend Therapeutics, an Adelaide-Baltimore biotech, is recruiting volunteers for phase 1 trials of GLY-200, a pill mimicking gastric bypass for type 2 diabetes, developed with $29 million from MRCF, Santé Ventures and Breakout Labs.
Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio
Square is acquiring ASX-listed buy-now-pay-later firm Afterpay in a US$29 billion (A$39 billion) scrip deal, with co-founders Anthony Eisen and Nick Molnar joining Square once it completes in early 2022.
Deakin University's Institute for Frontier Materials received an ARC Linkage grant to work with HB11 Energy on proton-boron fusion and hydrogen storage; HB11 raised an oversubscribed pre-seed round in February 2021.
Profile of augmented reality startup FoundAt announcing its acceptance into Microsoft for Startups and selection for a Plug and Play Japan accelerator batch, with an open investment offering to fund its MVP.
Crypto-collateral lender Loda has filled its first institutional liquidity pool, drawing $15 million from over 15 decentralised finance investors including Framework Ventures and Spartan Capital, with two more pools to complete as demand requires.
A Matrix Partners venture investor reflects on Square's agreed merger with Afterpay, crediting the Sydney-founded buy-now-pay-later pioneer with sparking a global payments shift that rivals rushed to copy.
Australian buy-now-pay-later firm Afterpay has agreed to a US$29 billion acquisition by Square, with founders Nick Molnar and Anthony Eisen expected to join the payments company once the deal completes in early 2022.
Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech
Square announced plans to acquire Melbourne-based buy now, pay later provider Afterpay in an all-stock deal, and the piece surveys the BNPL sector's backers, competitors and growth forecasts.
Philippine regulators have licensed Peppermint Innovation to lend via its bizmoPay micro-enterprise service, with rollout costs covered by a $2.5 million placement completed earlier in 2021.
Sydney customer-messaging startup Pendula raised $6.75 million, exceeding its April target, in a round led by MA Financial Group with existing backer Equity Venture Partners, funding overseas expansion and platform analytics.
Melbourne proptech Programa, which streamlines project management for interior designers and architects, has secured a seed round co-led by Equity Venture Partners and Investible to grow its platform connecting designers with brands.
Independent fibre network operator DGtek has raised above $7m in a Series A led by MA Financial's growth arm, with Treia Capital clients also taking part; proceeds partly funded its purchase of FG Telecom.
Square has agreed to acquire Australian buy-now-pay-later firm Afterpay in an all-stock transaction valued at $29 billion, expected to complete in early 2022, with Afterpay's co-CEOs set to join Square.
Also TechCrunch Venture·TechCrunch Venture·Tech Funding News - Australia·TechCrunch Venture·TechCrunch Venture
Nightingale Partners announces a backing of LiveWire, the new automation venture of experienced founder Peter Walsh, with Francisco Dias Costas appointed to its board.
Mining technology firm MaxMine has promoted Coert Du Plessis, formerly of BHP and Deloitte, from COO to CEO, with Tom Crawley moving to executive chair. The piece recalls MaxMine's May Series A backed by Viburnum Funds.
Profile of satellite IoT company Myriota, a University of South Australia spin-out, recalling its seed backing from exactEarth and support from investors such as In-Q-Tel, Host Plus and Main Sequence Ventures.
Aura Group announces managing director Calvin Ng has joined BNK Banking Corporation's board as a non-executive director, alongside independent director Michelle Guthrie; the article also recalls Finsure's merger with Goldfields Money.
Also Aura Group portfolio
Feature on Australia's growing space tech sector: an accelerator chief cites Gilmour Space's series C, space agency grants to four startups, and emerging companies in geospatial data, space medicine and orbital manufacturing.
Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing
Interview with Main Sequence partner Martin Duursma on why the deep-tech fund backs Australian space startups, the sector's commercial shift, and opportunities in satellites, launch and supporting software.
EY Australia has bought Melbourne managed security firm SecureWorx, whose CEO Philip Mulley moves across as sovereign cyber security leader, extending EY's cyber capabilities after earlier purchases of Aleron and Open Windows.
ARENA announced $24.55 million in grants to five companies including Evie Networks, Ampol and Chargefox to build over 400 public EV fast charging stations across Australia under Round 1 of the Future Fuels Fund.
Also @AuManufacturing
San Diego clinical-stage biotech Ensysce Biosciences is set to list on Nasdaq under ticker ENSC from July 2, 2021, after completing its merger with SPAC Leisure Acquisition Corp at the end of June.
Aura Ventures' thesis post explains its plant-based protein outlook and announces co-leading Harvest B's pre-seed round alongside Woolworths' venture arm W23.
Also Aura Group portfolio·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing
Blackbird Ventures announces it joined PsiQuantum's USD450 million Series D round, and sets out why the startup's silicon photonics approach can scale to a useful quantum computer.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia
Rewire Holding, through its Saurus.com brand, announced a partnership with a London casino and recalled a $2.3 million pre-Series A raise, plus its CEO's background, Fosun incubator membership and product milestones.
Profile of Patch, a Brisbane platform letting buyers make enquiries on any home off-market without an agent, founded by Mark Allen with co-founder Chris and backed by early-stage VC Antler.
A report by crowdfunding platform Birchal shows Australian equity crowdfunding investment jumped 620% year-on-year, with $47 million raised in 2020-21, including notable campaigns by Cannatrek and Batch Brewing.
Investment group TrueGreen has secured $110m from Tor Investment Management to back EV bus maker Nexport's planned Moss Vale factory in NSW, with a possible early-2022 IPO flagged.
Grey Innovation is seeking investors for a new ESVCLP venture fund backing startups from its portfolio, citing tax advantages; the piece also recaps the group's history and Covid ventilator program.
The Australian government is giving the Bushfire Building Council of Australia a $3 million grant to build a bushfire home-rating app, one of five disaster resilience projects sharing just over $4.2 million.
A venture making real milk proteins by fermentation has launched with backing from a national science agency, a dairy co-op and a venture fund, and two rival protein startups' fresh raises are noted.
Sydney venture firm King River Capital has made a first close on its second fund with US$95 million committed, drawing family offices and tech executives as backers, and has invested from it in Paystand's Series C.
Fermentation-based dairy startup Eden Brew launches with A$4 million from CSIRO, its venture fund Main Sequence, and dairy co-operative Norco, targeting its first animal-free milk product on shelves within 18 months.
Pocket-money app Spriggy has raised a $35 million Series B led by NAB Ventures, with Perennial Value Management and Grok Ventures backing, to build new products and triple headcount.
Square Peg's podcast special explores how founders build talent engines, featuring interviews with leaders from Deputy, Vend, Aconex, Fiverr, Zeller and others, published alongside the firm's search for a new Head of Talent.
Save the Children Australia's Impact Investment Fund has taken an equity stake in edtech firm Inquisitive, its second startup backing. Founder Tim Power earlier built 3P Learning and ClickView.
Weekly roundup reporting Invoice2go's sale to Bill.com, raises by Go1, Employment Hero, InDebted and others, Rokt's secondary sale, Wildcard Ventures' launch, plus global deals including Zoom-Five9 and Salesforce-Slack.
Form Energy unveiled its iron-air long-duration battery and announced a $US200 million Series D led by ArcelorMittal's XCarb fund, which invested $US25 million; earlier backers include Bezos, Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Macquarie Capital.
Bill.com is acquiring Australian invoicing app Invoice2go for US$625 million, with completion expected by year's end; the piece also recalls Invoice2go's earlier raises in 2014, 2016 and 2018.