Every round, fund close and exit we can source, with the article it was reported in and what it actually said.
Breakthrough Victoria announces a $2.5 million Series A investment in Xefco, a Victorian startup whose Ausora technology dyes and finishes textiles without water, helping it scale manufacturing and create local jobs.
Melbourne construction-tech firm Matrak has raised a $2.9 million Series A led by Singapore's G&M Capital, with Our Innovation Fund and Simon Yencken aboard, funding expansion into China and a new Suzhou office.
Textile technology company Xefco has raised A$10.5 million, led by Main Sequence with Investible, Breakthrough Victoria, Virescent Ventures and Voyagers taking part, to commercialise its water-free dyeing and finishing system.
Also Breakthrough Victoria·Main Sequence·Virescent Ventures portfolio·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·australianmanufacturing.com.au·xefco.com·Capital Brief·iTnews·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·trysignalbase.com·@AuManufacturing·knowesg.com
A local property-tech firm has rebranded from EnvisionVR to Enviz alongside a fresh $1.5 million raise from a mixed investor group, with funds earmarked for the rebrand, growth and product automation.
Also SmartCompany
PERE reports the US real estate manager Greystar has closed its eleventh value-add multifamily fund, collecting $1.9bn for the vehicle.
Scalare Partners announces an investment in Inhouse Ventures, a marketplace linking startups with investors and advisors, with James Walker taking a board seat there.
TCA chair Robyn Denholm praises departing Atlassian co-CEO Scott Farquhar, crediting his role building the software firm and his service on the council's board as an inspiration to Australian founders.
Roundup of the week's funding news: nine companies across Australia and New Zealand secured investment spanning clean energy, construction logistics, legal tech, coaching, research tools, creator media, medtech and marketing software.
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Atlassian's co-founder Scott Farquhar will vacate the co-CEO seat on August 31, staying on in governance and advisory roles, with Mike Cannon-Brookes set to lead alone from September.
Leadership coaching platform Peeplcoach has raised $1.3 million from backers including Jacinta McDonell and LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund, funding local and overseas expansion and taking its total raised beyond $3 million.
Eight named Victorian manufacturers, including medical device maker PolyNovo, receive state government grants for new research facilities under a $15 million program, supporting work in health, energy, defence and advanced technology.
Also arkeus.com
Startup Daily profiles Everbility, an AI assistant easing admin for allied health clinicians, ahead of Startmate's Sydney Demo Day; the previously bootstrapped company has taken on its first outside backer.
Melbourne shared-solar firm Allume Energy is part of a Florida coalition winning US$156 million in US EPA Solar for All grants, eight months after a US$1.5 million bridge round from two unnamed American investors.
Qantas Super has committed A$75 million to For Purpose Investment Partners' aged care platform, with Australian Ethical adding an initial $10 million, enabling FP Aged Care Australia to expand its facility portfolio.
Employment Hero has rolled out SmartMatch, an AI job-matching feature for small businesses; chief executive Ben Thompson defends its bias safeguards as the piece weighs fears the technology could entrench workplace sameness.
Canberra has allocated $330 million from its Powering the Regions Fund to nine industrial decarbonisation projects, with named grants for Cement Australia, Adbri, Queensland Alumina and the Murrin Murrin nickel-cobalt operation.
Solar storage company RayGen has opened its Series D with A$20m from Breakthrough Victoria plus US$20m (A$31m) from SLB, backing plans to take its concentrated solar and thermal storage technology into overseas markets.
Also Breakthrough Victoria·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy·@AuManufacturing
WorkRex, a Melbourne-based startup selling AI marketing tools to small firms, has banked a $220,000 pre-seed round from VC firm Skalata; the company recently came through Melbourne University's MAP accelerator.
Also SmartCompany
Q&A with FutureFeed's chief executive on Asparagopsis seaweed as a livestock methane-cutting feed additive: its licensing business, backers, licensees' progress, regulation, research and scaling hurdles.
Roundup covering manufacturing placements by Sparc Technologies and Aurora Labs, Wellnex's planned London listing, an autonomous navy boat trial, a workplace fine, a software degree launch and AusBiotech's next CEO.
Veyor Digital, which builds scheduling software for construction logistics, has raised $2.75 million in a pre-Series A round led by Investible to fuel its push into North America.
Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily
Stoic Venture Capital has promoted Harikesh Pushpapathan into its partnership, with co-founder Guy Hedley crediting two years of work helping university researchers commercialise their science.
Startup Daily profiles Kite Therapy, a Victorian startup training parents to provide therapy at home to children with autism or developmental delays, ahead of Startmate's Sydney Demo Day where it will present.
EV charger maker Tritium has collapsed into administration: KPMG controls its Australian units and McGrathNicol will look for a buyer, after losses, a refused bailout and a failed fight to keep its Nasdaq listing.
Manufacturing roundup: Nova Systems wins a Norwegian contract, R.M. Williams opens a women's boot line, International Graphite secures government grants, three biotechs win NSW Biosciences Fund awards, and Lazo Paper is fined.
Also @AuManufacturing
RayGen has banked a $51 million Series D co-led by SLB and Breakthrough Victoria to scale its solar and thermal storage technology, alongside earlier backers AGL Energy, Equinor Ventures and ARENA.
Also SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·RenewEconomy
RayGen Resources closed a $51 million round led by SLB, with Breakthrough Victoria contributing $20 million, to expand Victorian manufacturing; the piece recalls its 2021 Series C backers and an earlier ARENA grant.
Also Breakthrough Victoria·RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy
Spend management provider Weel has hired Marten Jagers as chief revenue officer and Nina Putica as head of marketing, weeks after unveiling a partnership with Visa and Nium.
Breakthrough Victoria announces putting $20 million into RayGen Resources, a Victorian solar and thermal energy storage maker, to support clean energy, local manufacturing and the company's growth alongside its existing backers.
Also Breakthrough Victoria·Breakthrough Victoria·RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy·@AuManufacturing
Tidal Ventures managing partner Grant McCarthy and Guy Kawasaki compare notes on luck, timing, founder qualities, early-stage mistakes, AI adoption and pitching, drawing on careers spanning Apple, Canva, Yahoo and Tidal.
Blackbird's New Zealand chief Samantha Wong is heading home to Australia, with partner Phoebe Harrop taking over the Kiwi business in May, backed by the existing team plus a new associate.
Build Club and AWS are launching a six-week Sydney accelerator for 15 technical founders in AI, offering credits, mentoring and a US tour, with two founders already chosen.
SmartCompany's AI column profiles Ovum AI, a Melbourne women's health startup preparing its pilot, which has backing from Wollemi Capital and Nakatomi and plans a crowdfunding round; briefs on other AI news follow.
Weekly roundup detailing funding rounds by five Australian and New Zealand startups: a diversity analytics platform, a thermal energy storage maker, a carbon accounting service, an activated carbon producer, and legal communications software.
EV charger maker Tritium DCFC has collapsed into administration, with KPMG appointees taking control of its Australian subsidiaries, after losses, a troubled US expansion, and a failed bid for Queensland government support.
Also Startup Daily·RenewEconomy·@AuManufacturing·RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing
Blackbird partner Samantha Wong is handing leadership of the firm's New Zealand arm to Phoebe Harrop and reflects on building Blackbird Aotearoa, its fundraising, portfolio and lessons from Kiwi founders.
Prep, a marketplace helping food makers reach large buyers, has landed $200,000 in pre-seed funding from Melbourne venture firm Skalata.
Sydney AI platform Heatseeker has released an alpha of its market-testing tool, with founders Kate O'Keeffe and Fiona Triaca saying it helps startups validate ideas, while a pre-seed raise has begun.
Defence Connect reports the launch of Periscope Capital Partners, a private equity fund aiming to deploy $1 billion of private capital into Australian defence businesses over the next decade, led by Mark Stevens.
Sumday, a Tasmanian startup making carbon accounting tools, has closed a seed round to fund UK and US expansion, with Planeteer Capital leading and Blackbird, Wedgetail and Canva's Cameron Adams taking part.
Perth backer Purpose Ventures has added follow-on money to WA care platform PlanCare, taking its seed funding to $2.5 million; the firm's $45 million fund has now backed four startups.
Eight Australian defence businesses will share $3.47 million in federal grants to buy manufacturing equipment and build facilities; QPE Advanced Manufacturing and Hexion Australia receive $1 million each.
Also Defence Connect
Thermal energy storage company MGA Thermal secured $5.7 million from Main Sequence, Melt Ventures and new backer JEKARA, taking its round near $14 million; Shell had earlier invested $560,000 through its GameChanger accelerator fund.
Also Startup Daily·mgathermal.com·RenewEconomy·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy
Melbourne diversity-data firm Diversity Atlas has raised $6m from Canada's Gener8 VC, its first outside backing and a bridge round ahead of a Series A, to fund rapid growth.
Eleven companies reached billion-dollar private valuations in March 2024, three from crypto; the roundup lists each newcomer's raise, lead backer and worth, with Sydney's Deputy the only Australian.
Also Crunchbase News
Roc Partners touts its Agri Investor award wins, including Asia-Pacific agribusiness manager of the year, and recalls completing the 2023 Pace Farm acquisition; a successor fund launch is planned.
Ahead of its 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers awards breakfast, @AuManufacturing names Advanced Navigation chief executive Xavier Orr as keynote speaker, recounting his company's gyroscope manufacturing, Botany factory and underwater exploration work.
Breakthrough Victoria announces a $1m investment in Bygen, a Victorian activated carbon producer, as part of Bygen's $2.6m Series A with Alberts Impact Ventures, Investible, Artesian and Startmate.
Also Alberts Impact Ventures portfolio·Alberts Impact Ventures portfolio·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany
Genex Power, the last Australian-listed developer of renewable energy and storage, has accepted a takeover bid from Japanese partner J-Power at a $380 million equity value, topping a rejected Skip Capital offer.
Also RenewEconomy
Weekly roundup of four raises: Guzman y Gomez banked $134.5 million at a $1.73 billion valuation, Honey Insurance sealed a $108 million Series A, Skin2Neuron gathered $4 million, and AVESS Energy took $1 million.
Also SmartCompany