Startup · $2m raised · AI
Sydney, NSW
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round Magic Brief raised.
| Investor | Rounds | Invested |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Badran | Pre-seed | - |
| Archangel Ventures | Pre-seed | - |
| Blackbird Ventures | Pre-seed | - |
| Craig Piggot | Pre-seed | - |
| Dan Nolan | Pre-seed | - |
| George Howes | Pre-seed | - |
| Matt Miller | Pre-seed | - |
| Tim Doyle | Pre-seed | - |
| Zach Klein | Pre-seed | - |
The transaction that ended Magic Brief's run as a startup, per published coverage. It closes the funding history too, where it is the ladder's last rung.
Companies Magic Brief acquired or merged with, per published coverage. Buying a company is not investing in one: nothing here counts in the deals column.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| George Howes | Co-founder and CEO (former) | SmartCompany (Tue 24 Feb 2026), Startup Daily (Wed 18 Jun 2025), Forbes Australia, SmartCompany (Wed 18 Jun 2025), SmartCompany (Fri 7 Jul 2023), Startup Daily (Thu 6 Jul 2023) |
| Dan Nolan | Co-founder and CTO | Startup Daily (Wed 18 Jun 2025), SmartCompany, Startup Daily (Thu 6 Jul 2023) |
| Alisa Wu | Founding Engineer (former) | Women's Agenda, Startup Daily (Fri 10 Oct 2025), Startup Daily (Fri 10 Oct 2025), SmartCompany |
Stories naming Magic Brief. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Side Stage Ventures has reached a $40 million initial close on its $50 million second fund, backed by founders of earlier wins, while principal Elli Hanson steps up to partner.
Canva has bought AI agent platform Simtheory and marketing software Ortto from the Sharkey brothers, who also founded Stayz — its fourth and fifth purchases this year, prices undisclosed.
Canva has bought Sydney AI startup Simtheory and marketing automation firm Ortto, its fifth and sixth acquisitions in ten months, as it repositions from design tool to AI workplace platform; no prices disclosed.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·This Week in Australian Startups
Roundup of six Australian and New Zealand funding rounds, headlined by Heidi Health and Octopus Deploy, also covering Nexl, OpenSolar, Lucent and PAM, with past acquisitions of Stella AI, MagicBrief and Codefresh noted.
Blackbird's investment note announces it led Alloy Technologies' $4.5 million pre-seed round, profiling founder Joe Harris and describing the startup's software for robotics companies deploying artificial intelligence.
Also TechCrunch Venture·Forbes Australia·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily
Weekly roundup detailing nine Australian startup funding rounds totalling $107.35 million, spanning pet e-commerce, quantum sensors, proptech, agtech, EV charging, sailing apparel, marketing tools, consumer goods and pregnancy wearables.
Also Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·SmartCompany·AgFunderNews
Blackbird led a $2 million pre-seed raise for MagicBrief, a Sydney martech startup building an advertising creative workflow platform, with Archangel Ventures and several founder-angels also taking part.
Design software company Canva has acquired Melbourne adtech firm Doohly for $30 million, a deal that hands windfalls to the startup's founders and shareholders Skalata Ventures and Archangel Ventures.
Also Blackbird Ventures portfolio·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·quadrantpe.com.au·Tech Funding News - Australia·Forbes Australia·Crikey·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·Women's Agenda·This Week in Australian Startups·techtimes.com·TechCrunch Venture·TechCrunch Venture·TechCrunch Venture