Capital returns but discipline and liquidity remain key
A retrospective on 2025 Australian venture activity: large raises at Firmus, Heidi Health, Airwallex and others, deep tech momentum, and Folklore's own backing of Hullbot and Sphere.
Corporate / CVC · 2 deals
Every published round Lululemon 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.
Companies Lululemon has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsara Eco | 18 May 2023, undisclosed | 2 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for Lululemon, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Lululemon has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Lululemon did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Ted Dagnese | Chief Supply Chain Officer | Forbes Australia, @AuManufacturing |
| Alexie O'Brien | General Manager (former) | SmartCompany |
| Yogendra Dandapure | Raw Materials Innovation Vice President | @AuManufacturing, TechCrunch Australia |
Stories naming Lululemon. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
A retrospective on 2025 Australian venture activity: large raises at Firmus, Heidi Health, Airwallex and others, deep tech momentum, and Folklore's own backing of Hullbot and Sphere.
Weekly roundup detailing five Australian startups' raises: a PR platform's Series B, a biotech's post-stealth funding, a defence tech round, a pre-seed voice-AI raise, and a crowdfunding campaign.
Also Startup Daily
Sydney adtech firm Linkby secured US$15 million in a Volition Capital-led Series B to expand in the US; CEO Chris Wirasinha earlier founded Pedestrian.tv, later sold to Nine.
Samsara Eco has struck a decade-long supply deal with Lululemon for enzyme-recycled fabrics; the piece recalls its Temasek-led raise and flags a new NSW plant.
Samsara Eco and lululemon signed a ten-year offtake agreement for enzymatically recycled nylon and polyester, building on their 2023 partnership; Samsara plans a NSW plant and an international facility by 2028.
Also TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia
Year-end roundup ranking 2024's twelve largest startup raises, headed by PsiQuantum's $940 million government-backed quantum computing round, plus Guzman y Gomez's ASX listing and Betashares' Temasek investment.
Weekly roundup of eight Australian funding rounds, led by Samsara Eco's $100m Series A extension; Diraq, 1Breadcrumb, Aquila, NRN, Klean, Bearhug and Sindy Labs also secured capital, and Klean won a Queensland grant.
Also TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing
Weekly agrifoodtech roundup: Zepto and Getir raise big rounds, an Australian recycled-plastics startup lands $100 million backed by Lululemon, SoundHound acquires Allset, and several agrifood companies announce executive appointments.
Australian plastics recycler Samsara Eco secured a Temasek-led Series A+ of $100 million to scale enzyme-based infinite recycling, with Southeast Asian facilities planned, adding to its 2022 Series A.
Also TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing
Australian enzymatic plastics recycler Samsara Eco raised a large all-equity round led jointly by Temasek and Main Sequence, with Lululemon among other backers, funding new recycling facilities and team growth.
Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia
Main Sequence's essay argues science-born technology needs patient, long-horizon capital rather than quick software-style exits, citing portfolio company Samsara Eco's partnership with Lululemon as an example of deep tech's transformative payoff.
Australian job-simulation edtech Forage has been bought by US education company EAB on undisclosed terms; the story also recalls its accelerator days and earlier venture raises.
Also Startup Daily
Samsara Eco and lululemon launch a jacket made with enzyme-recycled polyester; the piece recalls Samsara's 2022 Series A and its investors.
Also TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing
Techboard's May 2023 roundup of Australian startup funding: 42 private raises topped by Fleet Space's $50m round, two $40m acquisitions, multiple grants, accelerator intakes, and fund news including GiantLeap's $50m fund raise.
Enzyme-based plastics recycler Samsara Eco announces a multi-year partnership with Lululemon, which makes an undisclosed minority investment, its first in a recycling company.
Also SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing
Canva has opened a converted Collingwood warehouse as its new Melbourne office and says it has no layoff plans, citing six consecutive profitable years while hiring continues despite widespread tech sector job cuts.
Giant Leap's impact newsletter rounds up CO2-eating microbes, precision fermentation, booming health tech funding, a women-in-work survey, its open Analyst role, Glow Capital's launch, Snow Entrepreneurs grants and Investible's climate tech fund.