Every round, fund close and exit we can source, with the article it was reported in and what it actually said.
Cut Through Venture's newsletter reviews first-half 2021 Australian and New Zealand startup funding, covering aggregate round statistics, new unicorns, founder age patterns, and the strong funding of recently founded COVID-era companies.
Weekly roundup of Australian startup funding: Gilmour Space's $61m raise, rounds for Mindset Health, HowToo, Beer Cartel, Tracer DAO and Wimp 2 Warrior, Currus Biologics' $10m cancer-treatment raise, and Alberts' $16m impact fund.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily
Opinion piece by Hydrostor and Energy Estate executives arguing compressed air storage can serve Australia's grid, citing Hydrostor's financing round with Meridiam, its Broken Hill project, and overseas storage investments.
Butn Limited, an Australian B2B transactional funder for SMEs, closed an oversubscribed $20 million IPO and begins ASX trading under code BTN on 6 July 2021, with MYOB raising its stake to 19.9 percent.
Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·SmartCompany
Accenture has bought cloud infrastructure firm CS Technology, continuing an acquisition run that recently included Perth's Electro 80, reportedly for $30 million, and digital services company Industrie&Co.
Sydney startup Spiral Blue sent its Space Edge Zero computers into orbit aboard SatRevolution satellites via Virgin Orbit, and holds an Australian Space Agency Moon to Mars grant and a Defence Innovation Hub contract.
Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing
Three unnamed Tasmanian plastics recycling facilities will share 20.3 million dollars in federal grant money under the Recycling Modernisation Fund, reprocessing waste plastic into products and creating more than fifty jobs.
News roundup: Das Studio to design Adelaide's Line Zero factory project, Adbri's Mawsons JV buys Milbrae, VEEM wins a modernisation grant, and Lithium Australia secures a European patent.
Blackbird's profile interview with Partly co-founder and COO Nathan Taylor covers the auto parts platform's New Zealand origins, its Christchurch base, and recalls Blackbird's seed investment made the previous year.
Also Blackbird Ventures portfolio·Blackbird Ventures portfolio
Melbourne augmented reality presentation company JigSpace has raised a $6 million Series A from returning and new backers to speed global expansion, after a smaller raise the previous October.
Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia
Australian micro-investing firm Raiz Invest has promoted Weiwei (Alex) Gao to Chief Financial Officer from 1 July 2021, drawing on his finance background at Instreet Investment and long involvement with the business.
Student fintech QPay raised $1.15 million from 745 crowdfund investors via Birchal, plans a Canadian launch and global growth, and partnered with neobank Volt; it previously won Shark Tank money and Blackbird backing.
George Medicines has begun two Phase III trials testing its triple-combination pill GMRx2 as a first-line hypertension treatment, with patient availability possible by 2023 pending US regulatory approval.
Drug developer George Medicines has started two Phase III trials of its GMRx2 triple-combination pill as a first-line hypertension therapy, enrolling patients across seven countries, with possible availability by 2023 pending US regulator approval.
Profile of delivery-access startup One Key Access, whose credentials let couriers enter apartments and use lockers; chief executive Chanel Costabir discusses the technology, growth challenges and early backing from Antler.
Commentary piece on VC exit strategies (IPO, trade sale, secondary sale) referencing recent Australian tech M&A deals and venture funding rounds including Sendle, UpGuard, Sonder and others.
Aura Group's analysis of venture capital exits, reviewing recent Australian deals such as MessageMedia's sale and several funding rounds, then explaining the three liquidity paths: IPOs, trade sales and secondary sales.
Also OIF Ventures portfolio·Square Peg Capital portfolio·Square Peg Capital portfolio·investor.atmeta.com·The Guardian Australia - Technology·OIF Ventures portfolio·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Techboard·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·wired.com·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·about.fb.com·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·rswebsols.com·brandclickx.com·economictimes.indiatimes.com·TechCrunch Venture·TechCrunch Venture·Crunchbase News·TechCrunch Venture·Crunchbase News·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·LaunchVic
SmartCompany surveys Australia's space tech sector as Gilmour Space lands a $61 million Series C, profiling players such as Fleet, Myriota and Space Machines and recalling Moonshot's incubator backing of eleven startups.
Also @AuManufacturing·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing
A partnership of Lockheed Martin, Omni Tanker and UNSW Sydney has received AMGC Commercialisation Fund money to develop composite cryogenic tanks for liquid hydrogen, aimed at satellite and space applications.
Gold Coast rocket firm Gilmour Space raised a $61 million Series C led by Fine Structure Ventures, with Blackbird, Main Sequence and super funds taking part, ahead of a planned 2022 orbital launch.
Also SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing
Calix received a $1 million federal grant for its Bacchus Marsh biotech operations, while CSL is dedicating floors of its new Melbourne headquarters to a biotechnology incubator with university and research institute partners.
Caravan rental marketplace Camplify has listed on the ASX after an $11.5 million IPO, with shares closing lower despite upgraded forecasts; its largest holders include Apollo Motorhomes, founder Justin Hales, Acorn Capital and Slingshot.
Also Startup Daily
NZ startup Toku Eyes raised NZ$3.6 million in seed funding led by Icehouse Ventures to commercialise its THEIA eye-screening AI, and has previously received about NZ$4 million in grants from NZ government bodies.
Alberts unveils its first impact-focused venture fund for early-stage businesses, sized at $16 million, and introduces the team behind its new impact investing arm.
Brisbane flow battery maker Redflow has launched a capital raise of roughly $23 million, pairing $5 million from a US investor with an entitlement offer, as it pushes into the American storage market.
Also RenewEconomy
FoundAt announces its selection for Plug and Play Japan's Summer/Fall 2021 Energy Batch 1 accelerator, giving it mentoring, corporate connections and a September demo day pitching opportunity.
Melbourne cancer immunotherapy startup Currus Biologics, spun out of Peter MacCallum, raised $10 million led by the Brandon Capital-managed Medical Research Commercialisation Fund with Uniseed, to advance its BEAT technology toward human trials.
Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily
Applied EV has received undisclosed Victorian government grant support and expects to add 20 staff at its Bayswater North facility, as the autonomous electric vehicle developer prepares trials of its Blanc Robot platform.
Invus Opportunities has put US$200m into UK credit marketplace ClearScore, valuing it at US$700m, and gains a board seat while existing backers and management keep most of their shares.
Three WA space projects each won $200,000 federal Moon to Mars feasibility grants; Perth consortium AROSE is part of two funded projects, which also secured earlier WA government funding.
Also SmartCompany
An obituary tracing John McAfee's life from his anti-virus software success through crypto promotion, tax-evasion charges, extradition approval by Spain, and his death in a Spanish prison cell.
Square Peg's podcast interviews Zeller chief executive Ben Pfisterer about building the Melbourne payments fintech, his path through NAB, Visa and Square, and challenging Australia's major banks.
Tidal Ventures' investment notes explain why the firm backed TheLoops, a customer-support analytics platform, covering market tailwinds, product thesis, subscription model, and the backgrounds of co-founders Somya Kapoor and Ravi Bulusu.
Queensland's Essential Goods and Supply Chain Program has awarded Cleveland Bay Chemical Company undisclosed support to produce aluminium chlorohydrate for water treatment at its Townsville plant, replacing imports and creating jobs.
Describes Perennial's third trust, open to wholesale investors, backing companies ahead of and at their stockmarket listing, with money invested mostly in Australia.
Perennial's page for its second Private to Public Opportunities Fund, a trust for wholesale investors backing unlisted, pre-IPO and listed companies, mostly in Australia; no amounts or closes stated.
Obituary reporting antivirus pioneer John McAfee found dead in a Barcelona prison after extradition approval, recalling his company's multibillion-dollar sale to Intel and his later tax-evasion charges.
UK infrastructure asset manager Amber Infrastructure has acquired a majority stake in Brisbane cloud and data centre provider Iseek on undisclosed terms, reportedly worth up to $110 million, with CEO Jason Gomersall staying on.
Queensland's state government has granted a combined $840,000 to three regional manufacturers — Fabricator Engineering Industries Australia, TEi Services and Moduline — under its Manufacturing Hubs Grant Program, funding equipment purchases and digital development.
Profile of Bramp, a platform co-founded by Benni Weller and Joe Mathew letting small businesses build brands without agency costs; the founders met through Antler's program, with a limited launch planned for late August.
An opinion piece arguing Australian startups should adopt non-dilutive funding options, citing a large recent raise by a local software company from a US investor as evidence of offshore appetite for local tech.
Also TechCrunch Venture·Crunchbase News·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily
Australian pet services platform PetCloud, part-owned by RSPCA QLD, has opened an equity crowdfunding campaign on Birchal, capped at two million dollars and closing in July 2021, to grow market share.
An opinion column argues Australia should rebuild local solar panel manufacturing, recounting lost ventures like CSG Solar, citing SunDrive's $8 million raise, and urging coordinated government policy against Chinese dominance.
US music licensing marketplace Songtradr closed a US$50 million Series D backed by Australian institutions and Richard White, valuing it at US$300 million, after acquiring MassiveMusic, Tunefind, Pretzel, Song Zu and Cuesongs.
Also SmartCompany
ScreenCoach has received a second-stage government commercialisation grant, adding to earlier first-stage funding, and has launched a capital raise of equity and SAFE notes to finish beta trials and launch its screen-time product.
Also Wholesale Investor
Edtech startup 1Question closed a crowdfunding round of about $1.95 million from 454 investors via OnMarket, valuing the screen-time app near $10 million, and signed a preinstallation deal with device maker IQU Group.
Also Startup Daily·Wholesale Investor·SmartCompany·Wholesale Investor
Australian BNPL firm Openpay has agreed to buy Payment Assist, a British automotive buy-now-pay-later provider, for £11.5 million upfront plus an earn-out of up to £17 million, completing in FY2022's first half.
Fintech Rewire Holding has closed a second seed round, adding US$2.3 million for its Saurus.com multi-currency banking app, which serves underserved communities and includes cash-deposit and payment-transfer technology.