Ledger.

Startup · $264m raised

Brighte

Sydney, NSW

Coverage

Stories naming Brighte. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.

Fund close $230m

Climate tech now employs 7000+ people and is driving Australia's economic growth, Climate Salad's annual analysis finds

Climate Salad's report says Australia's climate tech sector has passed 7,000 workers across 730 startups and drew $680 million in venture capital; Sea Forest's ASX debut and fund commitments point to investor appetite.

5 deals

Australia’s Top 5 Most Well-Funded Fintech Startups in 2025

Ranking of Australia’s five best-funded fintechs — Airwallex, Athena, Zeller, InDebted and Brighte — profiling each one’s total raised, most recent raise, backers, valuation and growth moves.

Funding announcement

Mike Cannon-Brookes names former Macquarie banker Tan Kueh as Grok's CEO

Mike Cannon-Brookes' investment vehicle Grok Ventures has hired Tan Kueh, ex-Macquarie, UBS and BlackRock, as CEO, joining CIO Jeremy Kwong-Law, as it sharpens its strategy around climate investing.

2 deals

Alberts Impact Ventures: 2023 in review

Investor's own year in review: five new portfolio companies, a follow-on into ULUU, the Verve Super exit, the Equity Clear gender-reporting initiative, a first founders' retreat, and a sweep of awards for portfolio companies.

Also OIF Ventures portfolio·Alberts Impact Ventures portfolio·Alberts Impact Ventures portfolio·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Women's Agenda·Crunchbase News

Key hire

Grid Connections: Who’s going where in Australia’s energy transition

A rolling roundup of Australian energy-sector job moves, listing dozens of executives, directors and ministers joining or leaving utilities, regulators, developers and industry bodies between May and December 2023.

4 deals

Mike Cannon-Brookes tips $200 million into renewables finance company Infradebt

Atlassian's Cannon-Brookes, via his family firm Grok Ventures, has invested $200 million in renewables project financier Infradebt days after his AGL bid was rejected; the capital is already funding a Queensland battery project.

Also TechCrunch Venture·Crunchbase News·TechCrunch Venture·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·TechCrunch Venture

Funding announcement

Mike & Annie Cannon-Brookes just turned Grok Ventures into Australia's first $1 billion VC fund to invest in climate tech

Startup Daily reports the Atlassian co-founder and his wife have pledged a billion dollars via their family firm Grok Ventures to climate-focused startups, plus half a billion to philanthropy.

12 deals

Ignition Lane's Weekly Wrap: the rise of the technouveau riche

Weekly roundup covering Canva's huge raise and rich-list climb, a run of Australian startup funding rounds including SiteMinder and Mable, Domain's purchase of IDS, and Mailchimp's sale to Intuit.

Also Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech

Unnamed stage $20m

Fintechs scored a staggering $133 billion in investment globally so far this year

KPMG's half-yearly fintech report records record global investment in the sector for early 2021, with Australian fintech drawing over A$1.2 billion, spanning a neobank takeover and several large raises.

Also Square Peg Capital portfolio·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy

3 deals

Your 90-second guide to the day in tech

Daily roundup reporting Databricks' billion-dollar Series G, Robinhood's emergency raise during the trading saga, DesignCrowd's $10 million pre-IPO funding, Xinja's wind-up vote, and record Australian venture capital in 2020.

Also Startup Daily

17 deals

Ignition Lane’s Weekly Wrap: VC’s $1.6bn year, Christmas collapses, Bassat’s bitcoin bet

Weekly newsletter rounds up venture news: multiple Australian and regional VC fund closes, startup raises including Brighte and Judo, acquisitions of eNett and Sine, neobank collapses, and new revenue-based lenders.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·TechCrunch Venture

Unnamed stage $100m

Brighte bags $100 million to “go deeper” on energytech, but founder Katherine McConnell is keeping a startup mindset

Energy and fintech firm Brighte has raised $100 million from existing backers, led by Grok Ventures, and is moving into retail energy with a new model combining generation and retail.

Also RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Fintech News Australia

11 deals

Aussie Female Startup Founders Secured 26.5% of Larger VC Investments in 2018 (REVISED)

Techboard revises its analysis of large 2018 funding events won by female-founded companies, recounting raises by Airwallex, Canva, Judo Capital and others, earlier big rounds, and UrbanYou's acquisition.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

3 deals

Sydney’s AirTree Ventures closes $275M fund as Aussie unicorns gather pace

AirTree Ventures closes a $275 million third fund backed by Australian institutions and announces staff moves; the piece also recalls Canva's raise, Prospa's ASX listing and :Different's new round.

Also Startup Daily·StrictlyVC·AFR Technology·TechCrunch Venture

3 deals

“Here for the long term”: Why Brighte is using its latest $15.5 million raise to make an unexpected pivot

Brighte has raised $15.5 million in Series C funding led by AirTree Ventures, with backing from the Atlassian co-founders' funds, Naomi Milgrom and Qualgro, and will expand its financing platform into home improvement.

Also Australian FinTech

4 deals

Wind, water and Australian sun: Five startups making waves in renewable energy

Profile of five Australian renewable-energy startups covering wave power, wind forecasting, turbine monitoring, solar payment plans and battery materials, along with their recent grants and raises from ARENA, government programs, AirTree, NAB and others.

Also SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·Techboard

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