Me&u takes on American Express and DoorDash as it eyes first profitable year
Me&u launches a new AI-powered reservations platform to compete with Resy and SevenRooms, targeting profitability in 2026 after merging with Mr Yum.
Venture capital fund · 18 deals
Melbourne, VIC
Every published round Acorn Capital took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
Companies Acorn Capital has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complexica Pty Ltd | 29 May 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| Conflux | 29 Oct 2021, Series A | 2 | 0 | |
| Elenium Automation | 23 Apr 2019, Series A | 2 | 1 | |
| Flare HR | 2 Nov 2020, Series C | 1 | 0 | |
| ImmVirX | May 2021, Seed | 1 | 1 | |
| Liquid Instruments | Sep 2022, Series C | 3 | 1 | |
| Marketplacer | Dec 2019 | 3 | 0 | |
| Me&U | 2Q 2023, Series C | 1 | 0 | |
| Moula | 9 Dec 2019, Series D+ | 1 | 0 | |
| Mx51 | 31 May 2021, Series A | 2 | 1 | |
| Rich Data Co | 6 Aug 2024, Series B | 1 | 1 |
Companies Acorn Capital's own portfolio page lists that no published round yet places it in. The page is the source; the round is being looked for.
| Company | Site |
|---|---|
| Acorn Capital Funds | investorserve.com.au ↗ |
| Acorn Capital Micro Opportunities Fund | boardroomlimited.com.au ↗ |
| ACQ | www-au.computershare.com ↗ |
| www.acorncapital.com.au | aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com ↗ |
Fund closes reported for Acorn Capital, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Acorn Capital has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Acorn Capital did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| James Douglas | Investment Director (former) | Startup Daily (Tue 13 Dec 2022), Startup Daily (Mon 24 May 2021), SmartCompany |
| Andrew Burt | INVESTMENT DIRECTOR | Australian FinTech, Acorn Capital team page |
| Matt Sheehan | Investment Director | Startup Daily, complexica.com |
| Robert Routley | Chief Executive Officer | Startup Daily (Tue 19 Jul 2022), Startup Daily (Mon 9 Dec 2019), Acorn Capital team page |
Stories naming Acorn Capital. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Me&u launches a new AI-powered reservations platform to compete with Resy and SevenRooms, targeting profitability in 2026 after merging with Mr Yum.
Perth family office Verona Capital has bought majority control of mining-robotics maker Dredge Robotics, giving early investor Acorn Capital a 3.4x return, while the founders retain significant stakes and stay in charge.
Weekly roundup of four ANZ raises: Conflux Technology's $11 million Series B, BuildPass's $7.5 million seed, Projectworks's US$5 million Series A alongside a CEO change, and DNAiTECH's NZ$1 million round.
Also Startup Daily
Heat exchanger maker Conflux Technology has banked an $11 million Series B, fronted by Breakthrough Victoria's $5 million pledge and supported by AM Ventures and Acorn Capital, to speed product development and expand offshore.
Roundup covering seven Australian companies' recent raises — Splend, Rich Data Co, Slice, InvestorHub, Eyeonic, Graceview and Monty Compost Co — from fleet electrification finance to AI compliance and compost-monitoring seed rounds.
AI decisioning firm Rich Data Co has landed $9 million from Acorn Capital, lifting its Series B to $37 million, as it pushes into North America after signing its first US bank customer.
Also SmartCompany
Weekly roundup of nine Australian startups that together raised over $233 million, led by Hysata's $172 million Series B, with rounds also for V2 Digital, AgriWebb, Disco, Genero, Brainfish, Kite Therapy, Nucanon and Maslow.
Venture investor Acorn Capital's $6.5 million investment in AI software vendor Complexica lifts outside backing past $31 million since 2021, adding the fund manager to an institutional shareholder register.
Also Startup Daily
Weekly roundup reporting me&u's Series C, several agrifoodtech fundraises across Europe, Danone's stake in Imagindairy, Remilk's Israeli approval, plus partnerships, launches and layoffs.
Melt Ventures launched an advanced manufacturing venture fund expecting first close soon and targeting $20 million by March 2023; the piece also recalls earlier backing of Camplify, Gamurs, Greaseboss and other companies.
Cut Through Venture's August update rounds up July 2022 Australian startup funding, listing raises from Mx51 to WeMoney, Startmate's newest cohort of twelve, and the beta launch of its investor search tool.
Also Techboard
A roundup of Australian startups that raised funds in recent weeks: mx51, Refundid, Storipress, HIVERY, InternMatch, upcover, Pearler and Loopit together secured over $100 million despite a cooling venture market.
Also Cut Through Venture
Payments company mx51 has closed a Series B round of $32.5 million with existing backers participating, after an undisclosed lead investor, and plans to expand in Australia and internationally.
Also Australian FinTech·SmartCompany·Cut Through Venture·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech
Marketplacer has banked a fresh $38 million injection from first-time and returning backers after a mooted 2021 float failed to proceed, with the money earmarked for growth in America and product development.
Geelong metal additive manufacturing firm Conflux has raised $8.5 million in a Series A backed by AM Ventures and Acorn Capital to expand capacity, equipment and production capability.
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
Weekly roundup covering CBA's strategic stakes in Little Birdie and Amber, several Australian funding rounds, Zip's BNPL acquisitions, Tritium's planned NASDAQ listing, Amazon's MGM purchase and other global tech news.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Women's Agenda
Melbourne marketplace software firm Marketplacer has raised $20 million, with prior backers returning and new investors joining, ahead of a planned 2021 listing.
Accounting software company MYOB led a Series C investment in HR platform Flare, joined by existing backers and a former prime minister, who also takes an advisory role alongside a new commercial partnership.
Moula has closed a $20 million Series D round led by wealth manager Escala Partners, with existing shareholders Liberty Financial and Acorn Capital also allocating, after strong 2019 loan book growth.
Also Startup Daily
Airport automation firm Elenium has closed a Series A round led by Acorn Capital to fund global expansion, sales hiring and R&D, with an investment director joining its board.