Cisco

Whos Paying Whom in AI Booms Circular Money Machine

Analysis of circular financing among AI companies, using Nvidia's investments in OpenAI, Anthropic, CoreWeave and Australian data centre builder Firmus to question how much of the AI boom reflects genuine demand.

Also Rampersand·Dealroom·Cut Through Venture·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia·Business News Australia·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia

Eastend Ventures closes $30 million debut fund

Adelaide early-stage venture firm Eastend Ventures has finalised its first fund at $30 million, with Funds SA as cornerstone backer, and reports seven investments and more than $8 million already deployed.

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Nexthop AI raises $500M at $4.2B valuation

Nexthop AI, which builds networking gear for AI data centres, has banked $500 million in a Lightspeed-led round valuing it at $4.2 billion, and showed off three new switches.

Sharon AI ponders ASX listing after $1 billion Nasdaq debut

Australian AI infrastructure company SharonAI Holdings has debuted on Nasdaq at a valuation above $1 billion, with a December pre-IPO round, backing from Digital Alpha and USD.AI, and an April ASX float planned.

Valiant Finance grows US footprint with appointment of Joe Iavarone as North American President

Valiant Finance, an Australian fintech, has recruited vendor-finance veteran Joe Iavarone from DLL as its North American President, tasked with driving US growth while reporting to co-founder and chief executive Alex Molloy.

Investment Notes: SecurePII

Tidal Ventures explains why it has invested in SecurePII, a voice-compliance startup whose platform redacts payment card data from calls, covering market timing, product, channel model, founders and seed-stage plans.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Research disruptor Heatseeker AI raises $2.4m for growth

Australian research-tech startup Heatseeker AI has landed $US1.5m in pre-seed backing from Capital F and others to chase the huge market research industry.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·mediaweek.com.au·mi-3.com.au·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Sydney startup that wears its values on its Crocs acquired by Zendesk in $100 million deal

Zendesk has agreed to acquire Sydney contact-centre software firm Local Measure, founded by Jonathan Barouch, in a deal reportedly valuing it at $100 million; earlier raises from 2017 and 2023 are recalled.

Also Startup Daily·ARN (ARNnet)

Interactive sees growth through its customers’ acquisitions

Interactive systems chief Simon Durkin explains how serving clients through their acquisitions fuels growth; ex-Datacom Australia head Alex Coates joins as chief executive from January 2025.

London calling: Sekuro expands into UK

Leading Edge DC secures $30M for regional network rollout

Leading Edge Data Centres has received a 30 million dollar equity investment from DigitalBridge Group to speed up its regional Australian edge data centre expansion over the next two years.

HR Tech with €1.4M Already Raised | CEO Exited Companies to Microsoft and Juniper

Profile of European HR-tech firm Scalable Global Solutions seeking growth capital; its founder previously sold two companies to Juniper and Microsoft and held executive roles at major tech firms.

HR Tech with €1.4M Already Raised | CEO Exited Companies to Microsoft and Juniper

Profile of Scalable Global Solutions, a European HR-tech firm enabling SMEs to run remote departments in Croatia, reporting €1.4 million raised and seeking growth capital; its founder previously sold companies to Microsoft and Juniper.

Ignition Lane's Weekly Wrap: The Great Reengagement, backing Web3, riding the markets & the big local raises

Ignition Lane's weekly tech roundup: AirTree raises $700m across three new funds, dozens of Australian startups announce rounds, a wave of acquisitions including Block completing its Afterpay buy, plus Web3 commentary and US market moves.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Investment Notes: SwingVision

AfterWork Ventures explains why it joined SwingVision's $2 million seed round led by Tennis Australia's Wildcard Ventures, alongside Roddick, Blake and the MyFitnessPal co-founders; the app brings pro-grade tennis analytics to amateurs.

Also Startup Daily

The Experience Exchange – cashing in on the global boom in upskilling.

Profile of The Experience Exchange, an employee upskilling platform piloted by PwC, Deloitte, Apple and Cisco. Co-founders Darren Scott and Shane Grove lead it; a safe-note is open and a VC-led equity round is being sought, but nothing has closed.

Singapore-based MSP CrossPoint Technology acquires Australia’s Avante IT

Singapore managed services provider CrossPoint Technology Solutions has bought Australian IT consultancy Avante IT for an undisclosed sum, the third local IT services acquisition reported that week alongside Mentum Systems and Swytch.

Dovetail bags $5 million in funding from cohort of influential Aussie leaders

Sydney customer-research software firm Dovetail raised $5 million from existing backers Felicis, Blackbird, Grok and Didier Elzinga, following its 2020 seed round, to fund a North American expansion.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Techboard·SmartCompany

Ignition Lane's Weekly Wrap: Unicorns galore, online marketplaces put on notice, VC pyramid schemes

Weekly roundup reporting Invoice2go's sale to Bill.com, raises by Go1, Employment Hero, InDebted and others, Rokt's secondary sale, Wildcard Ventures' launch, plus global deals including Zoom-Five9 and Salesforce-Slack.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

News roundup: Das Studio to design Adelaide's Line Zero factory project, Adbri's Mawsons JV buys Milbrae, VEEM wins a modernisation grant, and Lithium Australia secures a European patent.

Leading e-Learning Platform with PWC and Cisco as Anchor Clients | Founders from Executive Positions at Cisco, Adobe, HP, and Vodafone

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.

Cisco spices up SecureX offering with Kenna acquisition

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.

Ignition Lane's Weekly Wrap: Netflix comparisons, ScoMo's digital epiphany, Bitcoin's face-off

Weekly technology roundup covering Australia's digital economy budget, multiple startup raises including SafetyCulture's unicorn round, Data Republic's administration, TikTok's new permanent CEO, and Bill.com's purchase of Divvy.

Also Startup Daily

Private equity snaps up Singapore-based InfoFabrica and Cloud Kinetics, creates mega MSP

Ignition Lane’s Weekly Wrap: Zoom boom, Redbubble hits unicorn, Rocket Lab takes off

Weekly roundup column covering Zoom's record quarter, Redbubble reaching unicorn valuation, founder share sell-downs, a new secondary fund launch, and funding rounds for mental health and e-commerce startups.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Women's Agenda

Space sector accelerator QuantumTX announces first cohort

WA incubator QuantumTX, founded by Atomic Sky, names its first cohort of ten tech companies working across mining, energy and defence to enter the global space sector.

Cisco acquires ultra-low latency networking specialist Exablaze

Cisco has bought Exablaze, an Australian maker of FPGA-based ultra-low latency networking equipment, and will fold its technology into Cisco's Nexus data center switch line.

Also ARN (ARNnet)

Goldman Sachs backs $70 million series B for Sydney cybersecurity startup Secure Code Warrior

Secure Code Warrior raised US$48 million (AU$70 million) in Series B funding led by Goldman Sachs, with Cisco and ForgePoint Capital joining existing backers AirTree and Paladin, plus a recalled 2018 round.

Also ARN (ARNnet)·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·ARN (ARNnet)

Planet Ark Power opens Singapore office in APAC expansion drive during Series A share offer

A Brisbane clean-energy grid startup has opened a Singapore office and launched a Series A share offer to fund expansion into France, the USA and APAC, after winning international energy-transition award recognition.

How Hey You is expanding beyond coffee

Order-ahead app Hey You, born from the Beat the Q and Posse merger and backed by Reinventure, has brought in Uzair Moosa as chief executive as it plans growth into food and new cities.

Startupbootcamp Australia launches fintech accelerator program in Melbourne

Startupbootcamp Australia is opening a Melbourne fintech accelerator on financial health, supported by NAB, Bupa, Deloitte and technology partners, with applications open until April alongside its existing smart energy program.