Ledger.

Startup · $9.8m raised

Heaps Normal

Coverage

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

Funding announcement

Startmate CEO Michael Batko calls time after 8 years, Phoebe Pincus takes the helm

Startmate chief Michael Batko departs following an eight-year stint; COO Phoebe Pincus steps up. The piece credits his tenure for the accelerator's growth, returns and alumni, and notes his exits from two side ventures.

Exit / M&A

Startmate CEO Michael Batko steps down after eight years, COO Phoebe Pincus takes top spot

Long-serving Startmate chief Michael Batko departs the accelerator's top job, with operations lead Phoebe Pincus promoted to CEO; the piece also recalls two side ventures Batko previously exited.

Funding announcement

From 0 to 4.5 billion: how the Startmate pay-it-forward mentorship model built a startup powerhouse

Startmate reflects on a decade of backing founders, profiling breakout alumni across its cohorts and describing how its mentors reinvest in newer startups, alongside its fund model and returns.

Funding announcement

TEN13 Newsletter - Flight Path (September 2025)

Ten13's monthly newsletter reports its first institutional mandate via Queensland's QVCDF, new seed investments in OneMRI and Source, follow-ons in Arintra and Everlab, and portfolio progress including Go1, Qsic, Pearler and After.com.

5 deals

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.

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

7 deals

Chipper Cash Becomes A Unicorn & Mr Yum raises US$65m Series A led by Tiger Global

TEN13 newsletter reporting Chipper Cash's US$150m unicorn round, Mr Yum's Tiger Global-led Series A, and new investments in Payhippo, Preezie, Pushas and Heaps Normal, plus portfolio updates.

Also Skalata Ventures·Skalata Ventures·Archangel Ventures portfolio·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Tech Funding News - Australia·Australian FinTech·AgFunderNews·Women's Agenda·Beef Central / Grain Central·Forbes Australia·TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·LaunchVic

Fund close $15m

Linktree cofounders back new $15 million VC fund

Founder-backed syndicate Side Stage Ventures has become a $15 million seed fund, with LocalGlobe and several founders as limited partners, three startups already backed, and portfolio company Joyn acquiring event firm Arinex.

Fund close $15m

Side Stage Ventures secures $15 million for its launch fund with support from Linktree, Airtasker

SmartCompany reports Side Stage Ventures has completed a $15 million first close of its debut fund, backed by founders of Airtasker, Linktree and Go1 plus LocalGlobe, targeting $30 million and already backing early startups.

Also Startup Daily·Australian FinTech

4 deals

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

Seed $6.8m

This female-founded startup wants to build better managers – and raised $6.8 million in Seed funding to do it

Manager-training platform The Mintable, founded by Lauren Humphrey and Melissa Miller, has raised a $6.8 million seed round led by Blackbird, after previously securing $1.3 million in pre-seed backing.

Also Startup Daily

Funding announcement

Linktree founders back creative startups with new venture fund

Linktree's co-founders have launched Side Stage Ventures, a collective investing in very young creative-tech companies; it has already backed several startups, and associate Ben Grabiner's music platform Platoon was bought by Apple.

Also Australian FinTech

14 deals

Nine startups that raised a combined $70 million this week

Roundup of nine startup raises totalling $70 million, including Q-CTRL's Series B, Foundry Lab's round led by Blackbird, and EnGeneIC's crowdfunded COVID-19 vaccine raise, plus a new Elenium Automation board member.

Also Startup Daily·Techboard·SmartCompany·SmartCompany

8 deals

From AI sewer tech to lab-grown meat: SmartCompany's 10 startups to watch in 2021

A roundup profiling ten Australian startups expected to grow in 2021, reporting raises by VAPAR, HealthMatch, Ovira, Heaps Normal, Vop and Outland Denim, plus grants, accelerator alumni and founders' plans.

Unnamed stage $1.3m

“Australia is playing catch up”: Heaps Normal bags $1.3 million, as investors get ahead of the booze-free beer trend

Non-alcoholic beer startup Heaps Normal has raised $1.3 million from angel investors including founders of Adore Beauty, Culture Amp and Linktree, while its co-founders were completing the Startmate accelerator.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany

Funding announcement

2 WA startups pitch at Startmate demo day

Two WA startups, Gridcognition and Cass Materials, join other Australian companies pitching at Startmate's first remote demo day; the piece also recalls the founders' earlier sale of Greensense and Shell's takeover of ERM Power.

Also Startup News (WA)·Startup News (WA)·Startup News (WA)

Funding announcement

“Move the needle and change the world”: Meet Startmate’s new eclectic and international cohort

Startmate reveals the startups joining its latest Melbourne cohort and its first New Zealand group, while discussing remote operations and new leadership appointments.

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