Steve Baxter's defence tech VC firm Beaten Zone closes debut fund at $26 million
Steve Baxter's Brisbane defence-tech venture firm Beaten Zone has wrapped its first fund at $26 million, with Baxter the largest backer at $6 million of his own money.
Venture capital fund · 2 deals
Brisbane, QLD
Every published round River City Labs 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapiche | Unnamed stage | 4 Sep 2019 | $1.8m | Participant | Startup Daily (Fri 4 Oct 2019), Startup Daily (Fri 13 Sep 2019), SmartCompany, Main Sequence Ventures portfolio | |
| Monarc Global | Seed | 10 Jul 2019 | $500k | Participant | Startup Daily, SmartCompany |
Companies River City Labs has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapiche | 4 Sep 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| Monarc Global | 10 Jul 2019, Seed | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for River City Labs, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies River City Labs has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal River City Labs did.
Stories naming River City Labs. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Steve Baxter's Brisbane defence-tech venture firm Beaten Zone has wrapped its first fund at $26 million, with Baxter the largest backer at $6 million of his own money.
Beaten Zone Venture Partners announces Fund 1 joined Activate Capital and UNSW in a seed round for Seitec, a Canberra defence startup whose seismic sensors find unexploded ordnance and hidden drones.
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Steve Baxter's Brisbane defence-tech fund announces it now holds unconditional early-stage venture capital registration, giving investors tax breaks; it has put A$4.45m into four companies so far.
Brisbane defence-tech fund manager BZV says Fund I has drawn over A$10 million in commitments, meeting its ESVCLP condition, with A$60 million targeted and a final close expected inside 18 months.
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Defence-focused VC firm Beaten Zone Venture Partners adds two people: ex-Army general Mick Ryan as advisor, and Peta Ellis rejoining Steve Baxter's team alongside existing staff.
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Brisbane data analysis startup Kapiche has raised $1.75 million led by Main Sequence Ventures to refine product-market fit and grow its team, with US expansion and a future capital raise planned.
Brisbane aviation booking startup Monarc Global closed a $500,000 seed round led by Brisbane Angels and Angel Loop, with River City Labs and Muru-D contributing, after strong US demand.
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Video editing company Clipchamp has received a million-dollar investment from Steve Baxter, who also joins its board, with funds earmarked for growing its Create product.
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