Reserve Bank of Australia

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #180, 4th October 2026

Weekly roundup reporting Australian startup funding rounds and government grants, a venture fund close, agreed acquisitions, an IPO pricing, a collapse, plus executive hires and AI policy developments.

Role call: new people at allt, SQC, RedBelly Network, Neara & Indebted

Weekly people-moves column: new executives at allt, SQC, Redbelly Network, InDebted and Neara, including Clive Dickens joining allt's board and Chris McNamara becoming InDebted's CEO.

From little things, big things grow

Profile of Skalata Ventures' Rohan Workman and Maxine Lee recounting the firm's founding, pandemic-era restructuring, $7 million raise, second fund deployment, and backing of Flux, Explorate and Preezie.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Introducing Australian FinTech’s newest Member – Canvas

Australian FinTech introduces Canvas as a new member. Canvas builds infrastructure for tokenised securities, stablecoins and CBDCs, and took part in the Reserve Bank of Australia's eAUD pilot.

RBA Governance Board Member Elana Rubin to Chair Airwallex Australia

Payments company Airwallex has brought in a new independent chair for its Australian board and added a former New Zealand prime minister as a director; he already leads its NZ board.

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #156, 5th April 2026

Weekly digest reporting Australia Post's purchase of delivery-software firm Rendr, an $83 million sharemarket raise by 4DMedical, Reserve Bank director Elana Rubin's move to Airwallex, and an Anthropic-government memorandum.

Also SmartCompany

Airwallex strengthens Australian leadership appointing Elana Rubin AM and Sir Bill English to its Australian board

Airwallex has appointed Elana Rubin AM to chair its Australian board and former New Zealand prime minister Sir Bill English as a director there, with both roles starting immediately; their other board roles are listed.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Roundup of manufacturing briefs: FBR's US venture option with CRH lapses, Li-S Energy appoints Rick Francis to its board as a director departs, plus sponsorship, TAFE funding, rate commentary and a hydrogen collaboration.

SISTER ACT: Nicola Forrest drops $100 million into an investment fund to back women

Future Generation launched Future Generation Women, a gender-lens fund seeded with $100 million from the Minderoo Foundation, with twelve women portfolio managers deciding investments pro bono; the trust is open to wholesale investors.

Investment Notes: Lorikeet US$5M Seed

Square Peg led Lorikeet's US$5 million seed round for its AI customer-support automation platform, joined by Skip Capital and US angel investors, supporting the team's US expansion.

Also Square Peg Capital portfolio·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Agtech VC Tenacious Ventures plants $18 million in first close for Fund II

Agtech investor Tenacious Ventures reached an $18 million first close on its second fund, which has a $50 million target; backers include Trawalla Group, Wollemi Capital Group and Macdoch Ventures.

Also Forbes Australia

Education fintech NexPay announces Board appointments including Chair and Chief Risk Governance Officer

Payments fintech NexPay has filled three senior board roles: David Johnstone becomes chair, Rajesh Yohannan joins as a director, and Clive Wilson takes the new chief risk and governance position.

CommBank plants funding in $220 Series A for climate change investor Wollemi Capital

Wollemi Capital, the Sydney climate investor, has closed a $220m raise, past its initial $100m goal, backed by CBA, Trawalla and others; the article recalls its bets on Loam Bio, Pluton Bio and Pachama.

Sydney fintech Hello Clever bags $4.5 million in seed funding, as it pits ‘buy to earn’ model against BNPL

Sydney payments startup Hello Clever closed a seed round led by Vectr Fintech Partners to grow its cashback spending platform and expand use of PayTo, which its system recently used for Australia's first such payment.

Also Australian FinTech·Startup Daily