Looking Back to Look Forward
Blackbird partner Samantha Wong reflects on a decade of the firm's Sunrise conference and Australia's startup ecosystem, recalling Atlassian's Nasdaq listing and Aconex's float and sale to Oracle.
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Investor · 1 deal
Melbourne, VIC
Every published round MAP 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| StrongRoom AI | Accelerator | 2020 | - | Lead | Startup Daily (Tue 1 Apr 2025), SmartCompany, Startup Daily (Tue 16 Feb 2021), LaunchVic, ARN (ARNnet) |
Everyone MAP has named to a program in published coverage. A place in a program is not a raise: the cheque is the figure recorded with the place, which is the program's standard terms where we hold them, and a blank is one we don't.
Companies MAP has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StrongRoom AI | 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 1 |
Fund closes reported for MAP, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies MAP has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal MAP did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Kim Teo | Mentor | SmartCompany |
| Rohan Workman | Director (former) | Startup Daily |
Stories naming MAP. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Blackbird partner Samantha Wong reflects on a decade of the firm's Sunrise conference and Australia's startup ecosystem, recalling Atlassian's Nasdaq listing and Aconex's float and sale to Oracle.
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Tyson & Blake, which seeded StrongRoom AI, threatens legal action against EVP, which is suing to recover its $10.4 million after the Melbourne medtech entered administration.
Melbourne PR agency Character + Distinction has launched Protagonist, a seed fund backing early-stage Australian startups, with founder Kate Dinon emphasising storytelling support for pre-revenue and early-revenue founders.
Melbourne foodtech startup Mr Yum has raised $1.5 million in seed funding from angels, Australian Venue Co and industry backers, six months after founding, to build out its digital menu platform.
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Property developer Mirvac will install Allume Energy's shared solar system in a Victorian apartment project and is assessing the technology for its wider portfolio, a partnership the young Melbourne start-up calls a major win.
Melbourne app Can-i-park, which decodes parking signs using image recognition, won the 2019 Melbourne Knowledge Week Open Innovation Challenge, taking a $20,000 prize plus incubator and workshop placements.