General Catalyst

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #179, 26th September 2026

Weekly roundup recording a dozen raises and acquisitions, Firmus's scheduled float, a new $50m venture fund, a founder share sale, grant winners, an accelerator intake, and an AI agent's government breach.

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Heidi hits $1.2 billion valuation with $470 million in fresh funding

Heidi raised US$100m in a Blackbird-led Series C plus US$240m in customer-acquisition finance from General Catalyst, reaching a $1.26 billion valuation as Australia's fourth billion-dollar startup of the year.

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Buildkite quietly raised $21 million earlier this year after posting massive losses

ASIC filings show Buildkite raised $21m via convertible debt in January 2026 after heavy losses and a CEO change; its earlier backers include OneVentures, AirTree, General Catalyst and Dom Pym.

Also Capital Brief

Motive raises $1.3B from General Catalyst, pulls IPO filing to double down on AI

Motive, the fleet software firm once called KeepTruckin, took in over $1.3 billion from General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund and scrapped its IPO filing, staying private; a General Catalyst executive joins its board.

Motive Secures More Than $1.3 Billion in Growth Financing from General Catalyst

San Francisco fleet-operations AI company Motive announced over $1.3 billion in growth funding from General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund; the investor's managing director joined its board, and Motive withdrew its S-1 filing.

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Investment Notes: Outlier Space

Investible's note explains its pre-seed backing of satellite startup Outlier Space alongside GD1 and others, arguing uncrewed return-capable platforms will make off-world manufacturing viable as the ISS retires.

Also Forbes Australia·SmartCompany

Palmer Luckey: From Oculus Founder to Anduril Defense Tech Leader

Profile of Palmer Luckey tracing his Oculus VR venture, its multibillion-dollar Facebook acquisition, his co-founding of defense tech firm Anduril Industries, and his gaming hardware venture ModRetro.

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #162, 24th May 2026

Weekly bulletin: four rounds totalling $545.4 million, Codan's completed acquisition, General Catalyst arguing Canva can stay private, grant statistics for women founders, and capital gains tax reform discussion.

Startmate hauls 19 ANZ founders to San Fran for first time since the pandemic

Startmate brought its 2026 intake to San Francisco for investor meetings and a Demo Day hosted by Stripe; Melbourne alumnus Fluency's Accel-led US$6 million seed round is recalled.

Sequoia's new leaders raise about $7 billion for firm's biggest bets

Bloomberg-sourced report says Sequoia's incoming co-leaders have gathered roughly seven billion dollars for a new vehicle backing large, often AI, companies; the piece also covers leadership changes and Wiz's sale to Alphabet.

Crunchbase Predicts: 15 Companies That Could Go Public In 2026 As The IPO Market Gains Momentum

Crunchbase's 2026 forecast lists fifteen late-stage companies it deems probable or very likely IPO candidates, profiling each with past raises, valuations and secondary sales; Australia's Canva makes the list.

Lightspeed Raises $9B as Big VCs Pull Ahead in an AI-Driven Market Reset

Lightspeed has closed over $9 billion across six vehicles, its largest-ever fundraise; the story ties the trend to LPs backing bigger firms and AI bets, and recalls IPOs by Rubrik, Netskope and Navan.

Also thetechportal.com

That’s Carma: used car startup’s shares stall, falling 7.4% on ASX debut

Online used-car platform Carma slid on its ASX debut after a $70 million IPO; the piece recalls its earlier seed, Series A and convertible note raises and names its backers.

In The Space Of Months, AI Funding Boom Adds More Than $500B In Value To Unicorn Board And Reshuffles Top 20

Crunchbase's unicorn tracker analysis finds AI-driven valuations added over half a trillion dollars in months, reshuffling the top twenty and minting eleven new decacorns in H2 2025, including Figure, Kraken, Mistral and Sierra.

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Orchard Robotics Raises $22M Series A for AI Crop Monitoring Tech

Orchard Robotics has banked a $22 million Series A, led by Quiet Capital alongside Shine Capital, with backer General Catalyst returning after a 2024 seed round.

Orchard Robotics Raises $22 Million to Advance AI Farming Technology

Orchard Robotics has raised $22 million in a Series A round backed by Quiet Capital, Shine Capital and others, and plans to double its team and open a San Francisco office.

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The IPO Market Is Opening Up. These 14 Companies Could Be Next.

Crunchbase News profiles 14 venture-backed companies its predictive models flag as likely IPO candidates, from Stripe to Sierra Space, recapping their funding histories, valuations and financial milestones.

Also Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia

Beewise, Inc. Secures $50 Million in Series D Funding to Advance Bee Conservation Technology

Startups Weekly: Different paths on the road to liquidity

Weekly roundup covering several startup acquisitions, a clutch of venture rounds across AI and other sectors, a Clay employee share sale, and Marathon Venture Capital's new fund close.

Used cars online marketplace borrows $30 million as it ponders going public

Sydney second-hand car marketplace Carma has secured a $30 million convertible note co-led by Regal Funds Management and Tiger Global, with General Catalyst and Five V also taking part, as it weighs an IPO.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

From quantum computing to quesadillas: Top 12 biggest capital raises of 2024

Year-end roundup ranking 2024's twelve largest startup raises, headed by PsiQuantum's $940 million government-backed quantum computing round, plus Guzman y Gomez's ASX listing and Betashares' Temasek investment.

We raised a $21m Series B! Now what do we do next? | Buildkite

Buildkite announces a US$21 million Series B with Airtree and OneVentures leading; founder Keith Pitt reflects on nine years building the company, its Test Analytics product, and plans for new developer tools.

Early VC #3 - Diraq and Marqo raised Series A. Ansarada acquired for $236.3m. New Bupa's $20m fund.

Australian startups Diraq, Marqo, and Hatch secured funding rounds. Ansarada was acquired by Datasite. Bupa launched a new venture fund, and the Queensland government backed several VCs and accelerators.

Bugcrowd secures $156.2 million for its crowdsourced cybersecurity platform

Bugcrowd has raised $156.2 million in growth financing led by General Catalyst, Costanoa and Rally Ventures, with two investors joining its board, as the cybersecurity platform plans global expansion and possible acquisitions.

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The top 20 agtech deals of 2023

A year-end countdown of 2023's twenty largest agtech funding rounds, from biofuels and carbon marketplaces to farm robotics, with EcoCeres' $400 million raise at the top.

Also AgFunderNews

Software development platform Buildkite raises $31 million Series B

Devops startup Buildkite has raised a US$21 million Series B led by OneVentures and AirTree, with General Catalyst and angel Dom Pym participating, to build new developer products and grow teams.

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Tiger Global doubles down on used car startup Carma’s $75 million Series A

Carma raised a Series A backed by General Catalyst, Tiger Global and others, following its 2021 seed round, to fund expansion, inventory growth and new reconditioning facilities.

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3D startup JigSpace scores $6 million series A

Melbourne augmented reality presentation company JigSpace has raised a $6 million Series A from returning and new backers to speed global expansion, after a smaller raise the previous October.

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Your 90-second guide to the day in tech

Roundup: Airwallex wins approval to acquire Hong Kong fintech UniCard; Vestiaire Collective raises €178 million to become a unicorn; Hopin announces a US$400 million Series C at a $5.65 billion valuation; Google ends user tracking.

Melbourne-based CI/CD platform Buildkite gets $28 million AUD Series A led by OpenView

Australian CI/CD platform Buildkite raised a A$28 million Series A led by OpenView with General Catalyst participating, valuing it above A$200 million. Its first raise since 2013 seed funding; two new board members join.

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BigCommerce impresses in stock market debut, but its founders had to overcome fear in the early days

Australian-founded e-commerce platform BigCommerce surged in its NASDAQ debut; a republished 2014 interview recounts how founders Mitch Harper and Eddie Machaalani overcame their fear of raising venture capital.

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Melbourne startup JigSpace raises $2 million for 3D presentations tech as COVID-19 drives 900% uptick

JigSpace, a Melbourne platform for interactive 3D presentations, has raised seed funding from local and US venture investors as coronavirus lockdowns lift usage of its tool dramatically.

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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.

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October 17, 2019

Daily venture roundup led by Canva's large raise and Atlassian buying Code Barrel, plus Zubale's new round, a dozen other fundings, executive moves and market data.

Also TechCrunch Venture·Startup Daily·TechCrunch Venture·Startup Daily·SmartCompany