Angel investor · Founder, Lance East Office
Every published round Laurence Escalante took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Role | Alongside | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeMoney | Series A | 22 Apr 2025 | $12m | Lead | Fintech News Australia (Mon 30 Mar 2026), Radium Capital, SmartCompany, Fintech News Australia (Wed 23 Apr 2025), Startup Daily, Australian FinTech | |
| WeMoney | Unnamed stage | 23 May 2024 | $3m | Participant | SmartCompany (Thu 24 Apr 2025), Startup Daily (Tue 22 Apr 2025), Startup News (WA), Startup Daily (Fri 24 May 2024), SmartCompany (Fri 24 May 2024), Australian FinTech | |
| Bae Juice | undisclosed | 5 Apr 2024 | $1m | Lead | Forbes Australia, Early VC (Fri 5 Apr 2024), Early VC (Mon 18 Mar 2024), SmartCompany (Fri 15 Mar 2024), SmartCompany (Wed 13 Mar 2024), Startup Daily | |
| WeMoney | undisclosed | Jul 2022 | $7m | Participant | SmartCompany (Thu 24 Apr 2025), SmartCompany (Fri 24 May 2024), Australian FinTech (Thu 23 May 2024), Cut Through Venture, Startup News (WA), Australian FinTech (Tue 12 Jul 2022) |
Companies Laurence Escalante has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
Fund closes reported for Laurence Escalante, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Laurence Escalante has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Laurence Escalante did.
| Role | Organisation | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| CEO and Executive Chairman (former) · Founder | VGW | Startup News (WA) (Fri 3 Jul 2026), Startup News (WA) (Sun 5 Nov 2023), Startup News (WA) (Tue 12 Jul 2022) |
| Founder | Lance East Office | SmartCompany (Thu 24 Apr 2025), Australian FinTech, Forbes Australia, SmartCompany (Fri 14 Jun 2024) |
Stories naming Laurence Escalante. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
VGW founder Laurence Escalante has quit as CEO and chairman with immediate effect after months of leave; acting chief Mats Johnson continues while the Perth gaming firm seeks a permanent leader.
Funding roundup covering six Australian-linked startups: Superpower's US$30m Series A, WeMoney's $12m Series A plus debt facility, InsightWise's $1m pre-seed, and Bupa's first venture investments in three health startups.
WeMoney banked $12 million in a Series A led via Laurence Escalante's family office, with Mastercard among backers, plus $1 million debt, at a reported $100 million valuation.
Also SmartCompany
Weekly roundup detailing new funding for eight local startups: home lending, document verification, farm water monitoring, alcoholic drinks, freight software, leaf protein, artist content sales and organic bedding, totalling over $36 million.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany
Weekly roundup covering seven ANZ startup raises — Bare Funerals, Humii, WeMoney, CLT Toolbox, Clean Slate Clinic, SpatialGPT and Great Wrap — plus LaunchVic's $900,000 into Paul Little's Skalata fund.
Also Startup Daily
Weekly roundup listing seven Australian startups and their raises, totalling $17.7 million across AI, packaging materials, fintech, digital health, music licensing, construction software and swimwear.
Also Startup Daily
Fremantle Seaweed, Vanable, FLK it over, Bae Juice, Nullify, Recce Pharmaceuticals, Broad Radio, VaultEscrow, Esper, Anni, CSF Enterprises, and Jupiter Ionics secured funding through various rounds including crowdfunding, seed, and grants.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany
Newsletter highlights Australian startup funding including Jet Zero, Kismet, VaultEscrow, Jupiter Ionics, ChronoForge, FLK it over, Anni, and Bae Juice, alongside M&A activity.
Also Early VC
Roundup of seven Australian startups whose raises total $11.8 million, spanning cybersecurity, proptech, seaweed, drinks, antiques, campervan housing and outdoor advertising, plus a government grant to Fremantle Seaweed and the shutdown of Voly.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Early VC·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Early VC
Bae Juice, a Melbourne maker of Korean pear hangover drinks, banked $1 million from gaming billionaire Laurence Escalante's family office and returning backer Honan Capital, funding local growth and a US push.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Early VC·Early VC·Forbes Australia
Perth-listed video analytics company icetana has secured $2.3 million, with VGW founder Laurence Escalante lifting his holding substantially; CEO Kevin Brown calls the raise a vote of confidence from major shareholders.
Roundup of ten Australian startup raises totalling $38.8 million, topped by Heidi Health's Series A, also recording an Outstaffer executive appointment and the earlier sale of CarAdvice to Nine.
The article reports WeMoney achieved its first profitability in late 2022, with strong revenue and user growth, and notes it may fundraise in 2023 after raising $9m to date from several backers.
WeMoney closed a $7 million round in March 2022, led by Full Circle VC and Betterlabs with new backers, following its 2020 seed raise, to fund product development.
Also Startup News (WA)·Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech