Flying Fox Ventures

Skalata named Australia's most active investor for H1 2024

Australian startup capital climbed 30% in early 2024 even as deal counts fell; Skalata Ventures topped investor activity with 13 participations, ahead of Blackbird and Investible.

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Cricketer Pat Cummins backs longevity startup Everlab's $65 million Series A

Melbourne preventative healthcare startup Everlab raised a $65 million Series A led by Airtree Ventures to expand into the UK, with backing from cricketer Pat Cummins.

Creditors vote to put food waste startup Goterra in liquidation

Creditors have voted to wind up Canberra insect-protein startup Goterra after sale and recapitalisation efforts failed, with administrators reporting mounting losses and recoveries likely confined to their fees.

Cricketer Pat Cummins backs longevity startup Everlab's $65 million Series A

Melbourne preventative health startup Everlab raised a $65 million Series A to fund UK expansion, with Airtree Ventures, Plural, b2venture, Left Lane Capital and cricketer Pat Cummins among the backers.

Cheque-in: 10 ANZ startups raised nearly $193 million this week

Weekly roundup of ten Australian and New Zealand startup raises totalling nearly $194 million, topped by Neara's $90 million round at a $1.1 billion valuation, with Splose, Operata, HAMR Energy and Adora also covered.

Operata raises $11 million Series A as AI reshapes contact centres

A Melbourne software firm monitoring AI-driven customer service operations has closed a Series A round led by Tidal Ventures, valuing it at $100 million, with proceeds earmarked for platform integrations and international growth.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Construction tech startup builds $3 million pre-Series A after rebrand

Melbourne construction software firm SPEC Toolbox, once CLT Toolbox, has banked a fresh $3 million round with Black Nova and Investible co-leading, its third raise after earlier seed and bridge funding.

Also SmartCompany

Cheque-in: 17 ANZ startups – plus Brooki and The Memo – raised $59.61 million this week

A weekly roundup of funding deals by Australian and New Zealand startups, spanning baked goods, retail, health AI, beverages, edtech, solar, legal tech, and Western Australian medical research grants.

Also Startup Daily

Edrolo cofounder's AI teacher burnout startup chalks up $1.85 million Seed round

Melbourne education AI startup Teacher's Buddy has secured seed backing, with Giant Leap leading, to grow its teacher productivity platform across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

Also Startup Daily

Investment Notes: Gega Elements

Investible's note explains its pre-seed backing of Gega Elements, which extracts gallium and germanium from industrial waste, alongside Flying Fox Ventures and Salus Ventures via a co-investment program with TRaCE.

Also gegaelements.com

Archangel Ventures 2021 - A year in review

Archangel Ventures reviews 2021: the Australian early-stage firm closed its first annual fund, made 24 investments, and recalls portfolio raises by Atelier, Bardee, Heaps Normal and Relevance AI.

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AI longevity startup Everlab gets better with $15 million Seed round

Melbourne longevity startup Everlab raised $15 million in a seed round with Left Lane Capital leading and AfterWork Ventures returning; the piece also recalls its 2023 pre-seed and Hermann's prior venture sold to Mars.

Also Forbes Australia

Meet the Aussies on the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list

Six Aussie startups that raised $56.7 million this week

Weekly roundup detailing six Australian startup raises announced this week, covering Heidi Health, Instant, Esper, Trusst AI, Flowing Bee and GonGlobal, with investors, founders, valuations and earlier rounds.

Also Startup Daily

Couple's start-up clinches $25m valuation with Blackbird backing

Melbourne developer-tools startup Factor House closed its first external round — $5 million, led by Blackbird, valuing it at $25 million — with OIF Ventures, Flying Fox Ventures, the Alice Anderson Fund and two angels joining.

The world's first Drought Venture Studio is on the hunt for agtech ideas to future proof farmers

Beanstalk Ventures' Drought Venture Studio, supported by the national Future Drought Fund, has showcased eight agtech startups from its first cohort and moved four into a longer second phase; a second cohort is underway.

Eight Aussie startups that raised $80 million this week

Weekly funding roundup covering eight local companies that together banked $80m, topped by twin $17m Series Bs at Safewill and Fresho, plus Celosia's $16.75m Series A and five smaller rounds.

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Destined for growth: Healthtech startup Kismet adds $20 million to close $32.5 million seed round

Kismet has raised a further $20 million to complete a two-part seed round totalling $32.5 million, with new backer MassMutual Ventures joining Prosus and Airtree; the healthtech startup plans international expansion.

Also SmartCompany

Seven Aussie startups that raised $45.6 million this fortnight

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.

Two Aussie startups that raised $5 million this week

Weekly roundup: InvestorHub banks a $4m Series A extension led by EVP, while Brisbane compost-tech maker Monty Compost Co picks up $1 million from Skalata, Antler and other backers.

Also SmartCompany

The Startmate Demo Day Asks: Here’s what the 10 startups are seeking, from investment to referrals

Startup Daily's Ask column profiles the ten Startmate Summer 2024 Demo Day startups and their funding asks, noting Kite Therapy's completed raise and Carbonaught's government grant.

Autism startup Kite Therapy secures $750,000 to help more children and their parents

Melbourne autism therapy startup Kite Therapy has raised $750,000 in a pre-seed round from Flying Fox Ventures, LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund, Startmate and an angel, while LaunchVic secured a $40 million budget refunding.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·LaunchVic

VC investor Bree Kirkham joins F5 Collective as chief commercial officer

F5 Collective, a fund backing women founders, has hired Bree Kirkham, until recently a general partner at Flying Fox Ventures, as its chief commercial officer to build corporate partnerships.

Four Aussie startups that raised $29 million this week

Roundup of four Australian startups that each announced fresh capital this week: a caregiver healthcare app, a green ammonia producer, a clean energy project modelling platform, and a wellness advice marketplace.

Also SmartCompany

Open banking startup Adatree acquired by payments fintech Fat Zebra

Payments firm Fat Zebra has acquired open-banking platform Adatree, price undisclosed, with all staff moving across; the piece also recalls Adatree's 2021 seed round and the sector's slow consumer-data-right progress.

Also Fintech News Australia·Australian FinTech·Fintech News Australia·Fintech News Australia

Eight Aussie startups that raised $81.5 million this week

Roundup of eight local raises totalling roughly $81.5 million: generative AI, sustainable packaging, VR medical training, optical radar, drinks, preventive health and wholesale retail software.

Also Ten13 portfolio·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia

Asian VC Sequoia India selects two Australian startups for its accelerator after rebrand and split from US

Peak XV, the former Sequoia India, has picked Relevance AI and Mercu for the ninth Surge cohort, while recalling earlier Australian investments including HealthEngine, Checkbox, Nugit and the collapsed delivery firm Voly.

Three Aussie entrepreneurs to watch

Profiles three founders: Kismet's Mark Woodland ($4m pre-seed for disability-services software), Forage's Tom Brumskill and Pasha Rayan (job-simulation platform, Series A and B), and Diolog's Amy Benson (self-funded investor-communications startup planning a seed round).

Also Blackbird Ventures portfolio·Startup Daily

Five Aussie startups that raised $7.5 million this week

Weekly roundup covering five Australian startups' raises: Phasio's seed led by AirTree, CLT Toolbox, X-Hemp's crowdfunding, gridmo's first round, and Humpday's pre-seed from Antler.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia

Aconex cofounder and Bluescope back $1.5 million Seed round for proptech software

CLT Toolbox, a Melbourne maker of software teaching builders about mass timber, has raised $1.5 million from BluescopeX, Gravel Road, Archangel Ventures, Flying Fox, Ecotone and several angels.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Flying Fox, Jump Start receive $600,000 in VIC government funding to boost women-led startups

LaunchVic commits $600,000 funding to support women in startups

Victoria's startup agency is giving Flying Fox Ventures and Jumpstart Studio $300,000 each to run pre-accelerator programs for women founders, alongside continued backing of the Alice Anderson Fund.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Australian manufacturing roundup: Zip Water appoints a marketing director, EMVision triggers a milestone payment, Kleos Space faces bankruptcy, AnteoTech secures placement commitments, and LaunchVic funds two women-founder pre-accelerators.

Seven Aussie startups that raised $16.4 million this week

Weekly roundup detailing seven Australian startup raises totalling $16.4 million, covering Thinxtra, Canopus Networks, Mash, Beamible, Earthodic, Citadel.run and Cleverbean, with investors, amounts and founder backgrounds.

Also Techboard·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Seven startups that raised $77.2 million this week (kind of)

Weekly roundup of seven Australian and New Zealand startup raises, headlined by a previously unreported $32 million seed for banking software venture Constantinople, plus new rounds for six other companies.

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Four Australian startups that landed $69.5 million in funding this week

Weekly roundup reporting four Australian startups together raising $69.5 million: Eucalyptus $50 million, MadeComfy $10 million, Safewill $5.5 million Series A, and rebranded InvestorHub $4 million.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·vrinsider.com

Former 'LinkedIn for blue collar workers' startup Sample rebrands and pivots for new $2.4 million Seed raise

Sample rebranded as Mercu, pivoting from a professional network for essential workers to employee engagement software for deskless staff, and raised a $2.4 million seed round with Sequoia Capital India returning alongside new backers.

Also Startup Daily

Digital estate planning platform Safewill lands $5.5 million in 2nd Series A two years on

Estate planning startup Safewill has landed a second Series A of $5.5 million, led by Carthona Capital with Reinventure and Flying Fox Ventures, to grow the platform and expand overseas.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Fresh Equities rebrands after raising $4 million

Investor engagement platform Fresh Equities, now called InvestorHub, landed a $4 million round led by Sydney venture firm EVP, having previously collected $2.3 million in 2021 from fintech founder angels and two other backers.

Archangel Ventures - 2022: Year in Review

Archangel Ventures' annual review recounts closing its second fund above $32 million, passing $10 million invested in Australian startups, and portfolio raises by Aerotruth, Bare, Trendspek, Pearler and Vively during 2022.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia