Company
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round Disney raised.
Companies Disney acquired or merged with, per published coverage. Buying a company is not investing in one: nothing here counts in the deals column.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Iger | Former Chief Executive (former) | AFR Technology, Startup Daily |
| Tom Staggs | COO | Startup Daily |
Stories naming Disney. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Preview of the sixteen startups in Startmate's Summer '25 Accelerator cohort pitching at Demo Day at Carriageworks, closing out Blackbird's Sunrise gathering in Sydney.
Blackbird's blog interviews Juno founder Michelle Gilmore about her AI conversation product, its early adopters, and the $2.8 million raised to scale it.
Interview with Juno founder Michelle Gilmore on her AI listening engine, fifth venture and first external funding — $2.8 million with Blackbird's Nick Crocker leading — plus early customers.
Lendi Group has appointed four senior leaders across content, marketing, creative and PR, rounding out its growth leadership as the Aussie Home Loans owner also flags further roles.
Roundup of nine local startups that together banked a combined $38m-plus this week, spanning precision instruments, proptech, adtech, robotics, food, energy storage and AI, with several earlier raises recalled.
Also Australian FinTech·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·AgFunderNews
Andromeda Robotics secured $3 million in seed funding from Purpose Ventures, which led the deal, to grow its aged-care companion robot Abi; Galileo Ventures provided an earlier pre-seed in 2023.
Also Women's Agenda·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·Women's Agenda·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia
Opinion piece on the buzz around a musical number promoting Canva's enterprise offering at its Los Angeles event, noting cofounder Cliff Obrecht's approval, huge viewership and the company's US listing ambitions.
Startupbootcamp profiles IN.LIVE, a streaming platform for independent creators, as one of the teams in the current Sports and EventTech cohort, noting mentor guidance and introductions the program aims to provide.
Aura Ventures sets out why it backed Layer's seed round with several co-investors, covering the gaming IP licensing opportunity and the founders' relevant experience.
UK pay-access fintech Wagestream, formed from Sydney's Earnd, secured a A$236 million Series C — equity led by Smash Capital with Silicon Valley Bank debt — to expand beyond Britain, including across Australia.
Ignition Lane's weekly roundup: Zip's deal for Sezzle, Zeller's unicorn raise, several Australian funding rounds, Startmate backing Provvy, a space manufacturing grant, NZVC's first close, and tech's response to Russia.
OIF Ventures' investment note setting out why it put AUD$1.3 million into Arcade, a gamified employee-engagement software startup co-founded by David Cherrie and James McLaren, aimed at deskless frontline staff.
US music licensing marketplace Songtradr closed a US$50 million Series D backed by Australian institutions and Richard White, valuing it at US$300 million, after acquiring MassiveMusic, Tunefind, Pretzel, Song Zu and Cuesongs.
Also SmartCompany
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
Wholesale Investor profiles Voxon Photonics, whose volumetric display projects 3D content viewable without headsets; the company is seeking a pre-IPO equity investment in exchange for a minority stake.
Ignition Lane's weekly roundup reports MyDeal and Adore Beauty listing on the ASX, Rokt's US$80 million Series D, several trans-Tasman raises, Quibi shutting down, Westpac trimming its Zip stake, and local executive appointments.
Also Crunchbase News·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·ARN (ARNnet)
Short-form US streaming service Quibi is shutting down six months after launch, despite raising US$1.75 billion from backers including Disney and NBCUniversal, with founders blaming the pandemic.
Also Startup Daily