Australian venture funding, tracked

Amaero Engineering to raise $8 million and list

Alvant’s Fund raising moves closer to close

Advanced materials group Alvant has banked £2.35m toward a £2.5m equity round, including $1m from Monument Capital in October, funding commercialisation plans and technical hiring.

Also Wholesale Investor

The future is electric for Bundaberg agricultural waste

Queensland's waste-to-biofutures fund grants Energy360 money to build a Bundaberg biogas plant turning farm waste into power for electric vehicle charging, part of a larger first funding tranche.

Kazia announces company’s achievements at the Annual General Meeting

Kazia Therapeutics reviews its 2019 clinical trial data read-outs at its AGM and recalls a share placement that strengthened its balance sheet and brought new institutional investors onto its register.

Local startup puts ads on wheels

Profile of Perth startup Ads on Wheels, which pays drivers to display adverts on their rear windows, covering its founders, first-year growth, driver payouts and planned national expansion.

As e-scooter startup Raine smashes its crowdfunding target in just 43 minutes, is Kickstarter coming back into fashion?

An e-scooter maker reached its crowdfunding goal within 43 minutes and neared a quarter million dollars, plus seed money from a venture firm, while the piece recalls earlier platform campaigns by other startups.

SMEs receive grants to link with global markets

Australia's federal government has announced Round 4 Global Connections Fund Bridging Grants worth $1.6 million, backing 14 small businesses and 20 researchers on international commercialisation projects, though no individual recipients are named.

5 things you should know about tech today

Roundup covering a new Startmate climate accelerator, BlueChilli's shift to scale-ups, Telstra reviewing muru-D, 86 400's home loan launch, Domain buying Real Time Agent, and Uber's Saudi backing.

BlueChilli winds up early-stage investment to focus on scale-ups and Asia

BlueChilli is pivoting away from early-stage programs toward scale-ups and Asia in 2020 after spending its $10 million venture fund, casting doubt over SheStarts and its proptech accelerator, with job losses expected among its roughly 50 staff.

“If I don’t do it, who else is going to?”: Meet Caia, the medtech striving to provide personal healthcare squads for Aussie women

Profile of a women's health platform, formed in an accelerator cohort, that has banked seed capital and pitched at a demo day, with its co-founders discussing enterprise plans and workplace culture.

Databricks hires Tenable's Bede Hackney as new A/NZ leader

Also ARN (ARNnet)

Education software startup Compass raises $60 million

Melbourne school-management software firm Compass Education has raised $60 million, with Advent Partners taking a minority stake ahead of expansion into the UK, Ireland and Canada, while Chris Ridd joins its board.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Delivery startup Zoom2U raises $4.2 million, after riding the e-commerce boom to $1 million in monthly revenues

Courier platform Zoom2U has raised $4.2 million led by Perennial Value Management, funding expansion, a new Locate2U app and a planned US launch, after previously raising $1.85 million in 2016.

Mike Cannon-Brookes and some of the biggest names in Australian tech are backing Startmate’s new climate change program

Accelerator Startmate has launched a climate startup program offering $75,000 for 7.5% equity, supported by prominent local investors and founders, and is seeking ten teams with applications closing 19 November.

EML Payments to shell out $423m for European fintech

Brisbane payments company EML Payments agrees to acquire London-based Prepaid Financial Services for £226 million upfront plus an earn-out, dwarfing its earlier purchase of Flex-e-Card.

Also Australian FinTech

Three funds bankroll MoneyMe raising

A personal lender preparing to list has drawn early institutional orders, with three local fund managers taking cornerstone roles and the book reportedly filled before the formal build opens.

Novatti secures investment for Aus expansion

Payments company Novatti has received $1.1 million from Australia Fintech Investment Group at a $20 million pre-money valuation, as the pair prepare to launch a consumer digital wallet business in Australia.

PODCAST: This startup, Detexian, deals with the biggest threat modern business faces: data security

Podcast interview in which Detexian's co-founder and chief executive explains its data security product; the piece recalls the startup's CyRise accelerator stint and earlier backing by Right Click Capital.

iStaySafe Acquires Find-Me Technologies, Strengthens position in the IoT Industry

Safety-tech firm iStaySafe has bought Brisbane wearable maker Find-Me Technologies, and investors in both companies, including OneVentures, have secured matching investment from Queensland's Business Development Fund.

Startup warrior: Basketball star Andrew Bogut’s top tips for scoring an investor

Interview with basketballer-turned-investor Andrew Bogut on what makes founders pitch-ready, tied to his leading investor role in Listing Loop's recently closed $3.3 million raise and his other startup investments.

Also Wholesale Investor

Development capital sector invests in manufacturing through Levett

CPE Capital's defence-focused subsidiary ASDAM has agreed to acquire Levett Engineering, a South Australian precision components maker, to join Marand in a planned engineering platform serving defence and aerospace clients.

“A household name”: Lawpath raises $4.4 million in quest to bring better legal services to SMEs

Legaltech firm Lawpath has closed an oversubscribed $4.4 million round led by Adcock Private Equity, with all backers reinvesting, to expand into Asia and grow its Australian SME user base.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Paul Bassat’s VC fund backed a $6m Series A for this clinical trials startup after just 5 days

Clinical trials matching startup HealthMatch, founded by a UNSW medical student, has closed a $6 million Series A led by Square Peg Capital and Tempus Partners, with Paul Bassat joining its board and a Roche partnership announced.

Also SmartCompany

Online lawyer marketplace Lawpath raises $4.4 million for Asian expansion

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Proofpoint to acquire Observe IT for $225M

Security vendor Proofpoint has signed a deal to buy insider threat management firm Observe IT for US$225 million, with completion expected in late 2019 and Observe IT becoming a distinct product group within Proofpoint.

Morningstar buys adviser software firm in Australia

Tech innovation, Quick Safety, sparks life-saving solutions

Profile of Queensland compliance-app maker Quick Safety and its CEO, recalling a 2016 challenge win and a 2018 government fund grant that helped the company bring its electrical safety apps to market.

5 things you should know about tech today

Roundup covering Jodie Fox's book on Shoes of Prey's failure, Google's agreed purchase of Fitbit, the return of Brisbane's RiverPitch investor night, Uber's new ventures, and Monica Lewinsky's anti-bullying Twitter bot.

Activated carbon startup eyes commercial plant

Adelaide startup ByGen, which turns farm waste into activated carbon, plans a $1.5m raise for a commercial plant; the piece recalls its 2018 founding funding, a state grant, and incubator participation.

After raising $650,000 and wooing two Shark Tank judges, this cocktail entrepreneur has sights on a deal with Sainsbury's

Cocktail maker Sofi Spritz raised $650,000 via equity crowdfunding on Equitise, beating its target, while founder Tom Maclean entered a QUT accelerator that could open a pitch to UK supermarket Sainsbury's.

Two drone businesses awarded $8.6 million under Defence Innovation Hub

Two drone technology companies received Australian defence grants totalling 8.6 million dollars, announced by the industry minister at a Canberra conference, with one recipient previously funded for earlier work.

Kazia, a company developing innovative high-impact drugs for cancer, presents to AusBiotech Invest

Cancer drug developer Kazia pitched to AusBiotech Invest, highlighting its Genentech-designed brain cancer candidate GDC-0084, ongoing trials, and solid finances after a recent institutional placement.

SendGold announces crowdfund via Birchal

SendGold has opened an expression of interest for a potential equity crowdfunding campaign on Birchal, with a minimum $250 investment. The piece profiles the digital gold platform's services, reach and regulatory standing.

Laconik raises a further $250K and wins a WA ag grant

Agtech firm Laconik has closed another $250,000 round via GrainInnovate and SproutX, plus a $19,000 WA entrepreneurship grant, while trialling its fertiliser recommendation technology across WA farms with a Curtin PhD graduate interning.

Also Startup News (WA)·Startup News (WA)·Startup News (WA)

Omio buys Rome2rio to build out its global travel aggregator business

Travel booking firm Omio has acquired Melbourne journey-planning startup Rome2rio for an undisclosed sum, keeping it as a separate brand, while the article recalls Omio's earlier $150 million raise.

Digital cellar doors and grapes on the blockchain: Meet the startups in FOMENT's first wine-tech accelerator

FOMENT's wine-tech accelerator pilot has picked seven South Australian agtech startups, including blockchain traceability venture ZionTech and festival wine app Dionysus, for bootcamps ending in pitches to an advisory board.

Harmoney completes A$42.9 million raise to fund further Australian growth

Digital lender Harmoney has closed a Series C round of AU$22.9 million from new investors including Kirwood Capital, alongside an AU$20 million debt facility, to grow its Australian personal lending operations.

Bravura to acquire wealth management software company for $25 million

Listed fintech Bravura plans a $25 million takeover of FinoComp, an Australian wealth management software maker whose UK clients include Aegon and Nucleus, to broaden its product reach.

WeWork goes up in smoke as former CEO pockets a cool billion

Commentary arguing WeWork is no longer a viable business, criticising SoftBank's choice to rescue the coworking firm, and noting the departed chief executive received roughly a billion dollars.

Aussie real estate startup ActivePipe bags $6 million, following “huge reception” in the US

Melbourne property-marketing software firm ActivePipe has secured a $6 million convertible note from IAG's Firemark Ventures and the US realtors' venture arm, bridging toward a Series B amid strong American growth.

Hydrogen company announces $4.4 m research project on advanced carbon materials

Hazer has received an $810,000 Innovative Manufacturing CRC grant for a research project with the University of Sydney on graphite applications, part of a $4.4 million project running to 2022.

CEO Dr James Garner interviewed for CommSec's Executive Series

Kazia Therapeutics' chief executive discussed the biotech's recent four-million-dollar raise, ovarian cancer trial data, and a trans-Tasman award win during an interview in CommSec's executive series.

ASX-aspirant MoneyMe valued at up to $243 million

Broker Morgans' pre-float research values lender MoneyMe between $127 million and $243 million ahead of a possible ASX listing, benchmarking it against peers Zip Co and Prospa.

Final chance to co-own SOFI Spritz – Ends tomorrow

The drinks brand SOFI Spritz invites co-owners before its investment campaign closes, recounting its history: a 2016 Shark Tank backing, awards, and distribution through retailers, festivals and an airline.

QuickSafety the All-in-one Compliance App announces the opening of a $1.3M Seed Raise Round

Compliance app QuickSafety is seeking $1.3 million in a newly opened seed round, after an oversubscribed pre-seed closed in February 2018; supporters include Microsoft, Suncorp Metway, CCIQ, BlueChilli and the METS Ignited accelerator.

Defence Innovation Hub contracts announced for Anywise Consulting and Saber Astronautics

Two defence-sector companies received Defence Innovation Hub contracts announced by the minister: one for bridge monitoring technology, the other for space traffic management data solutions.

Also @AuManufacturing·Defence Connect

Immunology Company Kira Biotech launches with $20M Series A Funding

Brisbane immunology company Kira Biotech has launched with a $20 million Series A, OneVentures leading alongside IP Group and Queensland government support, to progress its lead antibody KB312 into early human studies.

5 things you should know about tech today

Roundup covering Faraday Grid's collapse and asset sale, Nitro's possible listing, Facebook's ex-Australia chief criticising Zuckerberg, free Sydney heart checks, and Catalysr's Melbourne accelerator applications.

Tyro, Carbon Revolution forge ahead with IPOs

Two Australian companies press ahead with planned year-end ASX floats despite a run of collapsed listings, with fund managers commenting on IPO valuations, private equity sell-downs and market conditions.

Lightspeed to bolster Asia-Pacific presence with acquisition of Australia-based Kounta

Lightspeed POS has agreed to buy Kounta, an Australian hospitality point-of-sale software firm, in a cash-and-shares deal worth roughly CAD46.2 million, with extra payments tied to milestones and staff retention.