Hezi Leibovich

🇦🇺 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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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

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #160, 10th May 2026

Roundup: three startups raised $5.71m combined; Canva's local revenue passed $4.1b with profit and IPO plans; Sweden's Legora bought Melbourne regulatory-tech firm Graceview; Fishburners went into administration.

Gabby and Hezi Leibovich-backed Fingertip acquired by rival Linktree – and will close

Linktree has bought Melbourne rival Fingertip and will shut it down in 2026, with its cofounders joining; the piece also recaps Linktree's earlier acquisitions and the Leibovich brothers' failed ventures.

Also Dealroom·Forbes Australia

Cashback platform Cashrewards to close after 11 years

Cashrewards, a shopping rebates platform once bought by ANZ's venture arm, is shutting down and returning member balances. It had earlier acquired Little Birdie, previously backed with $30 million by Commonwealth Bank.

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

Australia Post takes 25% stake in Shiperoo ahead of the recommerce boom

Australia Post has acquired a quarter of Melbourne logistics startup Shiperoo, price undisclosed, backing its AI-powered fulfilment and returns platform as the founders plan overseas expansion.

Catch: A business timeline, in their words

Retrospective timeline of Catch's journey from its 2006 launch through Tiger Global's investment, the Menulog and Luxury Escapes deals and Wesfarmers' $230 million acquisition, to Wesfarmers' announced wind-down.

The one that got away: After paying $230 million for Catch, Wesfarmers is shutting it down

Wesfarmers is closing Catch, the online retailer it bought for $230 million in 2019, citing local ecommerce competition; the story also recalls Catch's venture backers and Little Birdie's $30m stake, pause and rescue.

Also Startup Daily

Smart50 alumni Cashrewards acquires Little Birdie

Cashrewards has bought Little Birdie, the deals startup backed by Commonwealth Bank that went quiet in May; the piece also recalls Cashrewards' 2017 Smart50 nod, 2020 ASX float, and later takeover by 1835i Ventures.

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Fowl play: CBA-backed ecommerce site Little Birdie shuts down

Little Birdie, a Melbourne shopping-deals marketplace from the Leibovich brothers and Jon Beros, has closed three years after a $30 million backing by Commonwealth Bank.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

British retail giant Frasers Group buys a stake in MySale

Tiger Global backs building marketplace ArchiPro's $32 million Series A

Building products marketplace ArchiPro has landed a Tiger Global-led Series A to fund hiring and features across Australia and New Zealand, having previously taken $4.7 million from backers Ruslan Kogan and Hezi Leibovich.

Big banks back receipts fintech Slyp in $25 million Series A

Receipts startup Slyp has raised a $25 million Series A, with new investors Sayers Group and the Leibovich brothers joining existing bank backers including NAB Ventures, Reinventure and ANZ.

Also Australian FinTech·SmartCompany

Bookwell to be acquired by global rival Fresha

Australian beauty booking marketplace Bookwell is being acquired by London-based rival Fresha, with Bookwell's high-profile investors receiving Fresha shares. The piece also recalls the founders' earlier EatNow merger and Fresha's Series C extension.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Flux closes oversubscribed seed round as it scales up its mission to improve financial literacy

Australian fintech Flux raised an oversubscribed A$800,000 seed round led by Ruslan Kogan and the Leibovich brothers, funding growth of its financial literacy app and the launch of its B2B product Flux At Work.

Also Cut Through Venture

Flippa bags $15 million to boost online marketplace for buying and selling businesses

Online business marketplace Flippa has raised a $15 million Series A led by OneVentures, with angel investors including the Leibovich brothers, after twelve years bootstrapped, as pandemic conditions lift small-scale acquisition activity.

Ignition Lane's Weekly Wrap: CBA's cash splash, NZ's Hi-Tech awards, the biggest tech news from around the world

Weekly roundup covering CBA's strategic stakes in Little Birdie and Amber, several Australian funding rounds, Zip's BNPL acquisitions, Tritium's planned NASDAQ listing, Amazon's MGM purchase and other global tech news.

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

Little Birdie bags $30 million from CBA to launch 'homepage' of e-commerce

E-commerce startup Little Birdie raised $30 million pre-launch from Commonwealth Bank, which took a 23% stake at a $130 million valuation. The article also recalls Catch.com.au's earlier $230 million sale to Wesfarmers.

Micro-influencer startup Tribe raises $5.5 million in pre-IPO capital, amid tech frenzy on the ASX

Australian micro-influencer marketplace Tribe has secured $5.5 million in pre-IPO funding from Saville Capital, Cyan Capital and SG Hiscock, with chief executive Anthony Svirskis weighing an IPO amid strong public-market appetite for tech stocks.

Also Startup Daily·Cut Through Venture

Kmart owner Wesfarmers to buy Catch Group for $230 million in bid to bolster e-commerce

Wesfarmers has agreed to acquire e-commerce company Catch Group for $230 million, pending regulator approval, to strengthen Kmart and Target's online and fulfilment capabilities.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily