Every round, fund close and exit we can source, with the article it was reported in and what it actually said.
A profile of the InspireNine fashion styling platform, covering its founding team, prototype, revenue model and market size, alongside a call for $200,000 in backing.
Yum Brands has agreed to acquire ASX-listed restaurant tech company Dragontail Systems for $93.5 million, with the deal pending shareholder and regulatory approval and expected to close in late 2021.
Wholesale Investor profiles A.D.A.M., a 3D bioprinting startup making patient-specific bone implants, citing its FDA regulatory pathway, university incubator acceptance, and a Series A round underway with a lead investor secured.
Australian fixed wireless carrier Swoop Telecommunications debuts on the ASX under ticker SWP after a $20 million underwritten capital raising, having earlier completed a $61.3 million reverse takeover via Stemify.
Also ARN (ARNnet)
Valocity has hired Matthew Claffey as Head of Client Partnerships to support its growth in Australia, with Mark Nassif welcoming his banking, finance and property data experience.
Brisbane EV fast-charger maker Tritium will list on Nasdaq through a SPAC merger with Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corp. II, valuing it at $1.2 billion, with expected gross proceeds of up to $403 million and no PIPE.
Also SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy
Square Peg's podcast interviews Vend founder Vaughan Fergusson and new CEO Ana Wight, covering the retail software company's culture, leadership, its almost US$60 million raised, and its US$350 million sale to Lightspeed POS in March 2021.
Also Startup Daily
Profile of CashD, a Sydney earned-wage-access fintech, covering its team, origins and plans; the company notes it has finalised a seed round with unnamed significant investors.
E-commerce startup Little Birdie raised $30 million pre-launch from Commonwealth Bank, which took a 23% stake at a $130 million valuation. The article also recalls Catch.com.au's earlier $230 million sale to Wesfarmers.
Advice technology provider Ignition expands into the UK with offices in London and Edinburgh, shortly after closing an AUD26 million Series B led by Morgan Stanley.
Also SmartCompany
A weekly technology roundup reporting a New Zealand booking software firm's sale, an Australian beauty retailer's acquisition, several venture raises, executive share sales at an e-commerce firm, and a new government fund committee.
ASX-listed payments firm Zip Co has agreed to buy the outstanding shares of European BNPL provider Twisto and UAE rival Spotii, extending its buy-now-pay-later reach across Europe and the Middle East.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·Crunchbase News·TechCrunch·Startup Daily
Beforepay names Jamie Twiss, formerly of Westpac and First State Investments, as CEO, with founder Tarek Ayoub staying on in a strategic role as the company eyes a likely IPO.
Airtasker announced a $20.7 million share placement and a $3.4 million acquisition of US home-services marketplace Zaarly, whose founder joins to lead US expansion, two months after its ASX float raised $83.7 million.
Blackbird's investment note explains its participation in Forte Global's seed round, describing the education financing model that funds unemployed people's training using future tax revenue, and founder Nat Ware's background.
Also Startup Daily
Melbourne e-commerce startup Little Birdie raised 30 million Australian dollars in prelaunch funding from Commonwealth Bank ahead of its June launch, valuing it at 130 million Australian dollars, with CBA integrating its shopping content into its banking app.
Sydney drone-planting startup Lord of the Trees has joined Google's sustainability accelerator, gaining mentoring and engineering support, while its founder reports a first capital raise approaching its target.
Perth proptech Openn Negotiation has lodged a prospectus to raise up to $9 million through an ASX initial public offering, projected to list in June 2021 at a valuation above $34 million.
AfterWork Ventures announces Bella Acton as its Creative Director, describing her storytelling background, her startup Never Liked It Anyway, her role at Kin Group, and why the fund hired a creative lead.
Replas's managing director describes its recycled-plastic manufacturing, government grants including Sustainability Victoria funding, an RMIT collaboration, and its Polyrok soft-plastic concrete aggregate.
Perth digital studio Harmonic New Media has been bought by ReEnergise Digital, a marketing firm co-founded by two UWA graduates, with the deal funded by equity and debt and Harmonic's founder assisting during transition.
Melbourne proptech firm Rental Heroes secured a seven-figure seed round led by Investible to advance its AI tenant-request platform and expand into the US and UK markets.
Also Startup Daily
Livestock tracking firm Ceres Tag launched commercially at Rockhampton and sold a five percent stake to satellite company Pivotel for a reported 2.5 million dollars, with Pivotel's chief executive joining its board.
Antler Australia expands to Melbourne, hiring Sam Hilditch as Head of Melbourne, opening a headquarters at CreativeCubes.Co, and having closed its first A$46 million fund.
Tidal Ventures profiles Search.io, the AI search startup founded by Hamish Ogilvy and David Howden, recounting how Tidal became its first venture investor and later advised the founders on scaling, hiring and sales.
Nick Bell expands his Asia-based digital agency First Page into Australia, installing Byron Redhead as Melbourne CEO, four years after selling WME; launch clients include Godfrey Hirst and James Said.
A funding roundup covering Hnry's trans-Tasman expansion raise, Josef's legal-tech round with US investors, and Beta Technologies' large electric aircraft Series A backed by Amazon's climate fund.
A ministerial letter inadvertently disclosed seven recent ARENA grants totalling $79.1 million, including funding for Genex's pumped hydro project, CuString, Raygen, the Australian Energy Council and Rio Tinto's aluminium division.
Also RenewEconomy
Wholesale Investor profiles TEX.inc, a B2B e-learning marketplace founded by former big-tech executives, detailing an open million-dollar convertible note offering ahead of a planned Series A.
Tiger Global led a $40 million round into Stake, an Australian zero-brokerage trading platform, with DST Global partners joining. Previously bootstrapped, the company will use the capital to expand internationally.
Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech
Will-writing and funeral comparison platform Gathered Here has raised $1.1 million led by BetterLabs, with Luxem and angel Murray Bleach participating, to grow its team and charity bequest tools.
Deakin University and Li-S Energy will produce lithium-sulphur batteries in Geelong at a new $20 million facility; the startup recently raised over $20 million and plans a public listing.
Also @AuManufacturing
Fujitsu Australia has acquired data analytics firm Versor, adding AI and machine learning data capabilities to its digital transformation consulting, with both companies' executives welcoming the completed deal.
New Zealand digital lender NZ Fintech Group is courting wholesale investors for growth capital, citing a past convertible note settlement, a credit facility, and a Deloitte Fast 50 ranking in its offering pitch.
Ignition Lane's weekly roundup reports Tyro buying Medipass, several startup raises, ASX listings, Hey Tiger shutting down, Airwallex culture complaints, CSIRO's technology spending plan, and Musk's bitcoin antics.
Also Startup Daily
Analysis of Hey Tiger's closure after three years, drawing lessons for social enterprises and SMEs on balancing purpose with commercial viability, expert advice and strategic planning.
Also Startup Daily
Podcast interview in which Hone's co-founder and chief executive recounts PhD research origins, early consulting work for CSIRO, a government commercialisation grant, and the pivot into grain-testing hardware.
Interview with Emma Jakobi, Fremantle co-founder of English-learning platform mmmEnglish and Hey Lady, covering community building and the pair's completion of Spacecubed's Plus Eight accelerator in 2020.
Cisco has agreed to acquire vulnerability management firm Kenna Security, planning to fold its risk-based technology into the SecureX platform, with the deal expected to close in Cisco's fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.
A weekly roundup reporting raises by Athena, Comestri, Mass Dynamics and CircleSource, plus Malcolm Turnbull investing through Turnbull & Partners in UK cloud forensics startup Cado Security.
Podcast interview with HEO Robotics chief executive Dr William Crowe about his space startup, plus Australian space news: a discovery centre opening, a rocket motor test, and a first space commander.
Amdocs has bought cloud consultancy Sourced Group, founded in Australia but now Canada-headquartered, for US$75 million. The piece also recalls Sourced's 2019 raise and later funding tied to launching Kivera.
Blackrock has sold down its Afterpay stake below the 5% substantial holder threshold, while the BNPL firm's shares slide to a seven-month low despite Morgan Stanley staying positive.
Square Peg's podcast episode interviews Ovira founder Alice Williams about building a wearable period-pain relief business, her Startmate experience, and lessons for new founders.
Zip Co, an Australian BNPL firm, has taken a strategic investment stake in Philippine pay-over-time provider TendoPay, marking its first step into Southeast Asia, with new Singapore operations supporting the expansion.
Daily roundup noting Babel Finance's US$40 million Series A and Malcolm Turnbull backing Cado Security's US$10 million Series A, alongside Peloton earnings, Afterpay's share slide and Gravity Industries' marine jet suit trials.
Also SmartCompany
Israeli insurance-marketing software firm Gefen Technologies has lodged an ASX IPO seeking A$25 million at a $127 million market capitalisation, having earlier raised $6.5 million in seed funding from several Australian fund managers.
IP lawyer Kylie Diwell joins the board of the Brandon Capital-managed MRCF. She argues research commercialisation needs skilled teams, while MRCF leaders welcome government innovation support and urge patent box tax reform for biotech.
Mortgage lender Athena has raised a $90 million Series D led by Square Peg Capital with earlier backers returning. The piece recalls its earlier Series A, B and C raises and lists other investors.
Also Australian FinTech·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech