Ledger.

Corporate / CVC · 2 deals

Google

Coverage

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

2 deals

Figure's Brett Adcock sold investors a humanoid future. Now he has to build it.

Profile of Brett Adcock probing Figure's $39 billion valuation, narrow robot deployments, disputed claims involving BMW and OpenAI, and his habit of raising vast sums for ventures like Hark before products ship.

Also Crunchbase News

News

Top OpenAI boss on hack apology tour 'can't explain' Australian AI distrust

OpenAI's strategy chief, appearing at an Australian parliamentary hearing after a data breach, said he could not account for local scepticism of AI, while Anthropic, Google and Microsoft also gave evidence on regulation and disclosure.

News

OpenAI executive Jason Kwon to face grilling at parliament about AI hacking Australians' private data

A federal parliamentary inquiry will question OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and Google this week, with its chair warning OpenAI must explain an incident where its AI agent accessed Services Australia Medicare data.

Series A

Veridooh appoints former IPG CEO David Bell to advisory council

Australian adtech firm Veridooh adds ex-Interpublic chief executive David Bell to its advisory council; the write-up also covers his career and Veridooh's 2022 Series A raise.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Funding announcement

Bower raises $2M to bring ambient intelligence to the research lab

Bower, an Australian startup, has closed a $2 million pre-seed round led by TEN13 with Admiralty Capital Group, Edale Capital and angel backers, funding ambient AI that captures laboratory work as structured research records.

5 deals

AgriFood Signals: Ranch tech startup Ranchbot nets $15m, Target hires chief AI officer, plant cell culture megadeal

AgFunderNews roundup of agrifood funding raises, executive appointments, shutdowns and partnerships, including Ranchbot's Series B, ClimateAi and Cultimate shutting down, and Novonesis seeking sole control of MicroBioGen.

12 deals

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #173, 9th August 2026

Weekly roundup: Firmus completes its $2.85b round; Procore acquires DroneDeploy; Atlassian rebounds while Canva cuts guidance; plus fresh raises for Zabidou, BioScout, Vexev, Enrola, Spacetalk and others.

Also Dealroom·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

Unnamed stage $60m+

Unlockd cofounder Matt Berriman calls time on his US legal fight over Google killing his startup

Unlockd cofounder Matt Berriman has ended his eight-year US antitrust fight against Google after the appeal failed, closing the chapter on the adtech firm that raised over $60 million before Google's 2018 ban.

Also SmartCompany

Funding announcement

Meet our Winter 26 Accelerator cohort

Startmate unveils its incoming Winter '26 accelerator intake, profiling AI, aerospace, legal tech, construction and healthcare startups founded across Australian cities, with others based in San Francisco and Christchurch.

4 deals

Queensland startup uses AI to give cancer patients their voices back

Queensland medtech Laronix has built AI that recreates patients' own voices from brief recordings; the profile recalls its 2023 seed round, earlier federal grants and a 2025 non-dilutive award.

Also Startup Daily

News

Q-Day: why quantum readiness can't wait, with Vikram Sharma, QuintessenceLabs

Allens' Cyber Brief podcast hosts QuintessenceLabs founder and CEO Vikram Sharma discussing quantum computing threats to encryption, harvest-now-decrypt-later attacks, and the governance steps boards should take toward post-quantum readiness.

3 deals

Sierra Raises $950M at $15B, Locking 40% of the Fortune 50 Into Its Agent Platform Before the Labs Go Direct

Analysis of Sierra's $950 million raise at a $15 billion valuation with Tiger Global and GV at the lead, weighing its revenue multiple, Fortune 50 customer lock-in, and competition from OpenAI and Anthropic's ventures.

11 deals

Seven ANZ startups that raised $71.8 million this week

Weekly roundup covering seven raises across the Tasman: Phonely's Series A, Pay.com.au's private placement, and rounds for Atomic Tessellator, Caruso, Deteqt, Clean Slate Clinic and Earthletica, worth roughly $72 million combined.

Also crane.vc

2 deals

Google Just Raised $85 Billion — The Biggest Stock Sale Ever

Markets newsletter reports Google's equity offering with a completed first tranche, SpaceX and Anthropic IPO filings, xAI's earlier merger into SpaceX, fast-food bankruptcies blamed on GLP-1 drugs, and a live tour wrap-up.

Also The Guardian Australia - Technology

Unnamed stage ~$2.5m

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.

Series D+ $950m

Bret Taylor's Sierra raises nearly $1 billion months after last capital push

Sierra, the enterprise AI agent firm started by Bret Taylor and Clay Bavor, has banked a $950 million Series E with Tiger Global and Google Ventures at the helm, plus Benchmark, Sequoia and Greenoaks.

Also TechCrunch Venture·aivy.com.au·cmswire.com·theaiworld.org·faq.com.tw·groundy.com

8 deals

Three ANZ startups that raised $61.4 million this week

Weekly roundup of three Series A raises: chipmaker Syenta (US$26m), insights platform Ideally and battery recycler Renewable Metals, detailing leads, amounts and each company's earlier funding.

Also Startup Daily

Exit / M&A

Canva paints itself as an AI work platform with Simtheory, Ortto acquisitions

Canva has bought Sydney AI startup Simtheory and marketing automation firm Ortto, its fifth and sixth acquisitions in ten months, as it repositions from design tool to AI workplace platform; no prices disclosed.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·This Week in Australian Startups

Key hire

Michelle Toscan appointed APAC head at Advanced Navigation

Advanced Navigation has hired Michelle Toscan to lead its Asia-Pacific operations, tasking her with defence and government engagement as the navigation systems maker supplies primes including Rheinmetall and Boeing.

8 deals

Cheque-in: 6 startups kicked off December raising $24.2 million this week

Six Australian startups, including Bodd, Hachiko and Cor, collectively secured about $24 million in fresh backing, while seaweed peer Sea Forest floated on the ASX and jumped in early trade.

8 deals

Six Aussie startups that raised $24.2 million this week

Weekly funding roundup covering raises by Bodd, Hachiko, Fremantle Seaweed, Cor, Detail Earth and Recovr, plus seaweed peer Sea Forest's ASX float at a $112 million market capitalisation.

Also Startup Daily

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