Jack Zhang

🇦🇺 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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15 ANZ startups that raised $67.2 million this week

Roundup of the week's Australia and New Zealand raises: Gridsight, Pearler and Apate.AI secure the biggest cheques, Drumbeat and GonGlobal add smaller sums, and ten AI startups join Airwallex's Latitude 37 program.

Inside Latitude 37: Airwallex's $1 million bet on under-25 AI founders

Airwallex unveils Latitude 37, naming ten young Australian AI startups to its first cohort; members receive equity-free backing, mentorship, worldwide network access and overseas immersion trips.

Airwallex tips $1 million into 10 AI startups

Airwallex's inaugural Latitude 37 program has selected ten AI startups, each receiving $100,000 in non-dilutive cash alongside mentorship, connections and overseas travel.

Also Dealroom·Australian FinTech·fundedstartupsdaily.com

Well, well, Wells

Capital Brief's roundup: superannuation policy plans, a NSW data centre planning dispute, KPMG resisting a break-up, Stripe and Canva leaders on AI, Stripe's local Treasury push, and Culture Amp's data policy change.

Airwallex worth $16 billion after $460 million Series H

Airwallex has closed a Series H valuing it at $16 billion, with Addition in the lead and eight other backers named; the piece also recalls its December Series G.

Also Cut Through Venture·Forbes Australia·Cut Through Venture·Startup Daily

Airwallex founder Jack Zhang is offering $100,000 to AI startup founders under 25

Airwallex cofounder and CEO Jack Zhang announced Latitude 37, an annual program giving ten young Australian AI founders $100,000 each without taking equity, plus network access and overseas immersion; registrations are open.

Once close enough for an acquisition, Stripe and Airwallex are now going after each other

Airwallex co-founder Jack Zhang recounts turning down Stripe's billion-dollar buyout, describes building a licensed global payments network, and argues the Melbourne fintech can now challenge Stripe directly.

Airwallex is about to take on Stripe and the rest of the payments industry — in the physical world

TechCrunch profiles Airwallex's new point-of-sale offering letting businesses take payments in person across countries, pitting the Australian firm against Stripe, Square and Adyen, and recalls its rejection of Stripe's 2019 buyout bid.

Airwallex strengthens Australian leadership appointing Elana Rubin AM and Sir Bill English to its Australian board

Airwallex has appointed Elana Rubin AM to chair its Australian board and former New Zealand prime minister Sir Bill English as a director there, with both roles starting immediately; their other board roles are listed.

Airwallex raises a blockbuster $498 million Series G as its valuation soars to $12 billion

Fintech Airwallex raised a $498 million Series G led by Addition, lifting its valuation to $12 billion; Square Peg and Airtree joined, and Blackbird's $60 million May Series F backing is recalled.

Also SmartCompany·Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·Dealroom

Airwallex surpasses $1 billion in annual recurring revenue

Airwallex's co-founder and CEO recounts the company passing a billion dollars in annualised revenue, crediting multi-product customers and global expansion, and flags AI, new markets and brand as growth levers.

Australian-born fintech unicorn Airwallex acquires US billing platform OpenPay

Airwallex has bought OpenPay, a US billing software maker, to fold its subscription and revenue tools into Airwallex's global platform. Terms were not disclosed.

Also Forbes Australia

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

2025 state of raising: $1.8 billion in – as late-stage deals boom

Tracxn figures show Australian tech funding reached $1.8 billion by mid-2025, powered by large late-stage rounds at Protecht, Airwallex, Harrison AI and Advancell, while seed and early-stage raising fell away sharply.

Former Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin joins Airwallex board

Airwallex adds ex-Optus chief Kelly Bayer Rosmarin and four other directors to its subsidiary's board while it pursues an Australian banking licence; the article also recaps the fintech's US$300 million Series F.

Seven Aussie startups that raised $495.8 million this week

Weekly roundup of seven Australian startup raises, led by Airwallex's Series F, plus EatClub, Kite Magnetics, Termina, Preve, Foremind and Liveheats.

Also Startup Daily

Airwallex lands $465m series F and a decacorn title

Airwallex has wrapped a $465 million Series F at a $9.6 billion valuation; Blackbird joins for the first time and half the round is a secondary sale for early backers.

Also Australian FinTech·Women's Agenda·Crunchbase News

Airwallex: Building global, digital-first finance

Square Peg's post explains why it led a US$300 million Series F in cross-border payments company Airwallex, its seventh investment since first backing the founders in 2017, citing market scale and regulatory depth.

Also Folklore Ventures·Square Peg Capital portfolio·Forbes Australia·Australian FinTech·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Women's Agenda·SmartCompany·Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·Fintech News Australia·Women's Agenda·Fintech News Australia·Crunchbase News

Square Peg Investor Letter Half Year Report 31 December 2024

Square Peg's half-year letter to investors reviews 2024: $146m invested, $220m returned via five exits, fund value up to $3.25bn, plus portfolio raises at Rokt, Constantinople, Exodigo, Cuttable and Supabase.

Also rokt.com·AFR Technology·flux.finance

Square Peg Investor Letter Half Year Report 31 December 2024

Square Peg's half-year investor letter reviews 2024: portfolio growth, $220m returned across five exits, a Rokt secondary at a $3.5bn valuation, and recent raises at Constantinople, Exodigo, Cuttable and Supabase.

Also Square Peg Capital portfolio·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·Forbes Australia·Dealroom·Dealroom

Airwallex expands global leadership team

Airwallex appoints Justin Yek as Head of Strategic Finance and Corporate Development and Jon Stona as Global Head of Marketing, both joining its global leadership team as the payments platform pursues 2023 expansion.

Airwallex raises $100M to power cross-border business banking, valuation stays flat at $5.5B

Airwallex has secured a $100 million Series E-2 extension at an unchanged $5.5 billion valuation, joined by existing backers plus HostPlus, to fund growth, new products and acquisitions.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·SmartCompany·Techboard·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·Forbes Australia·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Forbes Australia

Investment notes: Airwallex US$6m Series A+

Square Peg looks back on putting US$6 million into Airwallex's Series A+ alongside Tencent, Sequoia China, Gobi Partners and MasterCard, explaining why cross-border payment infrastructure needs fixing.

Airwallex raises $276 million, bringing it to a $5.5 billion valuation

Airwallex has raised a US$200 million Series E at a US$4 billion valuation, led by Lone Pine Capital, with its founders also unveiling a $200 million fund amid a wave of big local raises.

The startup funding round: Data mining, recruitment boom and yet more cash for Airwallex

Weekly roundup reporting Airwallex adding US$100 million to its Series D, Alooba raising $1 million ahead of a Series A, and New York's Dataminr closing a $475 million round at a $4.1 billion valuation.

Cross-border fintech Airwallex raises $100M Series D extension at new valuation of $2.6B

Airwallex extended its Series D with a further $100 million led by Greenoaks, lifting its valuation to $2.6 billion, funding a US launch and expansion. Payoneer is acquiring optile; Remessa Online raised $20 million.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·Cut Through Venture·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·TechCrunch Venture

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.

Fintech app noobill turns to crowdfunding to change the way millennials pay household bills

Bill-management app noobill raised $250,000 pre-seed via convertible notes and launched an equity crowdfunding campaign through Equitise that has already drawn $100,000 in pledges.

Also Cut Through Venture

Seven startups celebrating million-dollar raises this week

Roundup of seven startup funding deals, led by Airwallex's $57 million Series D add-on, with new raises at Capify, Snappr, LivePreso, TradeSquare, WeMoney and Catalyst.

Airwallex adds another $57 million to its Series D, as COVID-19 drives 100% revenue boost

Fintech unicorn Airwallex has extended its Series D with a fresh US$40 million injection, drawing first-time backing from Skip Capital plus Square Peg, as the company reports strong pandemic-driven customer and revenue growth.

Also Startup Daily·Women's Agenda·Australian FinTech·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·TechCrunch Venture

Millions in the bank: Meet 10 Aussie fintechs that raised funds during COVID-19

Roundup of ten Australian fintechs that raised capital between March and July 2020, including Payright, Zeller, Judo Bank and Airwallex; PictureWealth raised $12 million and acquired NEO Financial Solutions.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany

THE FINNIES: Here are the best fintech businesses in Australia

Afterpay, Airwallex and Up Bank took major prizes at the 2019 Finnie awards in Melbourne; Airwallex's $141 million raise won biggest raise and Liberty's purchase of MoneyPlace took deal of the year.

Airwallex and Afterpay clean up again at Finnies 2019

FinTech Australia's 2019 Finnies awards recognised Airwallex with three trophies including Biggest Raise, Afterpay as FinTech Organisation of the Year, plus wins for Up, Zuper, Xinja, Athena and others.

Also Square Peg Capital portfolio·Square Peg Capital portfolio·TechCrunch Venture·Techboard·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Techboard·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·Startup News (WA)·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Forbes Australia·TechCrunch Venture·TechCrunch Venture

Melbourne fintech Airwallex hits unicorn status with US$100 million raise

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Techboard·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·TechCrunch Venture

Cross-border fintech startup Airwallex raises $100M at a valuation of over $1B

Payments startup Airwallex has joined Australia's unicorn ranks after closing a nine-figure growth round led by DST Global, with existing backers returning; it plans overseas expansion and acquisitions of payment companies.

Also SmartCompany