Startup · $20.1m raised
Byron Bay, NSW
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round Koala raised.
| Investor | Rounds | Invested |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Smith | Seed | $100,000 |
The transaction that ended Koala's run as a startup, per published coverage. It closes the funding history too, where it is the ladder's last rung.
| Bought by | Kind | Announced | Price | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | IPO | 2026 | $68m | AFR Technology, Startup Daily (Tue 31 Mar 2026), SmartCompany, Startup Daily (Mon 30 Mar 2026), Startup Daily (Fri 27 Mar 2026), Startup Daily (Thu 26 Mar 2026), Startup Daily (Sat 21 Mar 2026) |
Companies Koala acquired or merged with, per published coverage. Buying a company is not investing in one: nothing here counts in the deals column.
Stories naming Koala. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Fishburners, the Sydney not-for-profit co-working community, has gone into voluntary administration over a long-running rent debt to the NSW government. KPMG administrators will keep it trading while pursuing a sale and recapitalisation.
Furniture brand Koala has secured $20 million ahead of its ASX debut at a $305 million valuation, while early backers including cofounder Mitch Taylor sold down some of their stakes.
Koala heads to the Australian bourse with a float mixing fresh equity and shareholder sell-downs, while a Test cricketer's decade-old six-figure backing of the furniture startup draws the spotlight.
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Partners for Growth's PFG Income Fund has held a first close on private credit for later-stage technology borrowers, with commitments exceeding A$250 million, deploying structured growth debt in Australia and globally.
Also Australian FinTech
Tim Doyle, cofounder of health startup Eucalyptus, tells a Blackbird Sunrise audience that solving his warehouse of returned sex toys is the route to a job, and offers blunt views on local venture capital.
Cleaning products maker Zero Co, backed by Square Peg and crowdfunded via Birchal, is closing down solvent and will hand leftover funds to shareholders after failing to find a workable path forward.
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Lendi Group has appointed four senior leaders across content, marketing, creative and PR, rounding out its growth leadership as the Aussie Home Loans owner also flags further roles.
Blackbird interviews Eucalyptus co-founder Tim Doyle about the telehealth firm's evolving mission, patient safety practices, regulatory advocacy, and lessons from his earlier career, including his time at Koala.
Maker of whisky and gin tasting boxes plans an equity crowdfunding campaign on Birchal to fund Southeast Asian expansion, having earlier taken capital from Koala's co-founders; no money has been raised yet.
Opinion analysis arguing Woolworths' Metro60 one-hour grocery service threatens venture-backed rapid delivery startups, citing SEND's shutdown, VOLY's staff cuts and Milkrun's funding reliance as evidence the 15-minute model is unsustainable in Australia.
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Grocery delivery app SEND has entered voluntary administration with Worrells appointed; the article recalls its 2021 raise backed by Cherry Ventures and FJ Lab.
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Square Peg announces a $6 million Series A investment in Zero Co, a refillable home and personal care startup that this week set an Australian crowdfunding record, raising $5 million from 3,082 retail investors.
Boutique manager Perennial is gathering $200m toward a debut growth-stage fund, with cornerstone backing secured; its earlier private bets include Emesent, Lumi, Koala, Animoca Brands, Xpansiv and Songtradr.
OIF republishes AFR coverage of adtech startup Linkby raising $5 million in a seed round the fund led, profiling founder Chris Wirasinha, his Pedestrian TV sale, and Linkby's publisher advertising model.
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Koala co-founder Dany Milham's rapid grocery delivery venture Milkrun has launched with a $75 million Tiger Global-led Series A, following an earlier $11 million seed round; Tiger also backed wholesale marketplace TradeSquare.
Milkrun, Dany Milham's four-month-old rapid grocery delivery startup, has raised a $75 million Series A led by Tiger Global, with Airtree, Skip and Grok also investing; it had earlier raised A$11 million in mid-2021.
Zero Co's $5 million crowdfunding campaign on Birchal sold out in six hours, breaking Australia's record, after the startup revealed a $6 million Square Peg round and an earlier $2 million private raise.
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Waste-reducing household products maker Zero Co secured $6 million from Square Peg Capital, with its Birchal crowd-funding target lifted to a record $5 million before opening to the public.
Greener, whose app offsets carbon emissions from consumer purchases, has raised a $1 million seed round to fund development and a national launch, and has signed over 50 brands to its program.
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Roundup covering Zip's new chair, 6clicks' $5 million raise, a Koala data exposure, Andrew Forrest's criticism of Elon Musk, and Melvin Capital's bailout.
Reusable household packaging startup Zero Co raised a $2 million seed round led by Kim Jackson's Skip Capital, with returning backer Rob Chapman and Koala's co-founders joining, after earlier pre-seed funding and a Kickstarter campaign.
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Antler Australia streamed its first virtual Demo Day to over 2000 viewers, presenting twelve startups built through its five-month program, and unveiled two new initiatives supporting women founders and online company-building training.
Blackbird's February newsletter reports new investments in Roborigger and Dovetail plus Process Street's Series A, alongside portfolio updates, a founder spotlight and hiring notices.
Blackbird introduces seven new team members for 2020 across legal, operations and investment roles, while recalling a $100 million GP-led secondary, a raised New Zealand fund, and its earlier Startmate investment in Perx.
Tech roundup: Casper's NYSE debut valued it far below its private mark, Antler raised US$75 million, Uber reported a large quarterly loss, Samsung leaked Galaxy S20 details, and Australia's consumer data rules arrived.
A look back at cricketer Steve Smith's 2016 seed backing of mattress maker Koala, whose stake has grown sharply in value as the Sydney company's sales and headcount have expanded.
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