Menulog

Blobfish appoints former Coca-Cola executive to spearhead US expansion in $4b sampling market

Gabby and Hezi Leibovich-backed Fingertip acquired by rival Linktree – and will close

Linktree has bought Melbourne rival Fingertip and will shut it down in 2026, with its cofounders joining; the piece also recaps Linktree's earlier acquisitions and the Leibovich brothers' failed ventures.

Also Dealroom·Forbes Australia

Did nobody say Menulog? Pioneering Australia food delivery service shuts after 19 years

Menulog, the Sydney-founded food delivery pioneer, shuts down this month under owner Just Eat Takeaway, recently acquired by Prosus; the article recalls its 2015 merger and sale and a string of failed delivery rivals.

Also Startup Daily

Meet the Aussies on the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list

Catch: A business timeline, in their words

Retrospective timeline of Catch's journey from its 2006 launch through Tiger Global's investment, the Menulog and Luxury Escapes deals and Wesfarmers' $230 million acquisition, to Wesfarmers' announced wind-down.

The one that got away: After paying $230 million for Catch, Wesfarmers is shutting it down

Wesfarmers is closing Catch, the online retailer it bought for $230 million in 2019, citing local ecommerce competition; the story also recalls Catch's venture backers and Little Birdie's $30m stake, pause and rescue.

Also Startup Daily

Open banking payments fintech Waave lands $4.7 million Seed round

Payments startup Waave has raised a $4.7 million seed round from individual backers including Jack Gance, who also joins as advisor, ahead of an enterprise rollout of its Pay by Bank product.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Catering marketplace FoodByUs raises $12 million in Series B

A wholesale hospitality procurement marketplace has closed a Series B led by a South African venture firm, with a New York investor, a Melbourne group and its founding backer also participating, after a 2021 raise.

Also AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·AgFunderNews

Cafe ordering app merges with Sydney courier service

Sydney courier firm Drive Yello and cafe ordering app Hey You have combined as 4You Innovation, aiming to raise funds next year; the piece also recalls past raises and recent collapses among delivery startups.

Also Startup Daily

The Ignition Lane Wrap: Sunrise. Demise. No more pies.

Ignition Lane's weekly tech roundup covering record Australian VC fund raises, several green-tech startup funding rounds, Deliveroo's administration, the FTX collapse, and takeover offers for ELMO and Nitro.

Also Techboard

How FoodByUs grew its supplier network from 200 to 2200 in less than 12 months

Profile of FoodByUs covering its supplier network growth, customer-focused strategy, and its past $10 million Series A raise, with co-founder Ben Lipschitz sharing lessons on innovation.

Also Startup Daily·AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

At-home entertaining startup Gathar taps Curtis Stone's star power for US expansion

Gathar, an Australian private chef platform, expands into the US with Curtis Stone, following a post-seed raise; the piece also recalls FoodByUs' series A and notes other food-tech players.

Also Startup Daily·AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Techboard·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Bookwell to be acquired by global rival Fresha

Australian beauty booking marketplace Bookwell is being acquired by London-based rival Fresha, with Bookwell's high-profile investors receiving Fresha shares. The piece also recalls the founders' earlier EatNow merger and Fresha's Series C extension.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Full speed ahead at Drive Yello

Ten Aussie startups that raised a total of $267 million this week

Weekly roundup of Australian startup raises, including Airwallex's Series E extension, Fleet Space's Series B and Montu's record crowdfunding, plus Giant Leap raising $19.5 million toward a $50 million second fund.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Business News Australia·startupscaleup.com.au·SmartCompany

Restaurant supplier marketplace FoodByUs raises $10 million series A

Australian hospitality procurement marketplace FoodByUs has raised a $10 million Series A led by Macquarie Capital, with Base Capital and F J Labs participating, to fund sales, marketing and product development.

Also AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Proptech startup Rental Heroes raises $1 million seed round to go global

Melbourne proptech firm Rental Heroes secured a seven-figure seed round led by Investible to advance its AI tenant-request platform and expand into the US and UK markets.

Also Startup Daily

Electric bike maker Zoomo announces second round of funding

Australian e-bike firm Zoomo has announced a $16 million round led by AirTree, with the publisher investing a further $2.2 million, and has appointed four US industry figures to its advisory board.

Also Virescent Ventures·RenewEconomy·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

The Funding Round: Online grocer, world-changing startup and wallet-replacing watch bank $6.3 million

A funding roundup reporting raises by training marketplace GO1, online grocer YourGrocer and wearable payments startup Inamo, alongside government grant funding and accelerator programs backing Australian startups.