Monoova Names Bianca Bates as CEO Following Wigstrom's Exit
Payments firm Monoova has appointed Bianca Bates as chief executive from July 2026, replacing co-founder Christian Westerlind Wigstrom, with chair Robert Bell filling in until she starts.
Founder and ex-CEO, 86 400 · angel in 1 deal
Every published round Robert Bell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liveheats | Seed | Mar 2025 | $1.3m | Participant | Startup Daily, SmartCompany (Fri 23 May 2025), SmartCompany (Wed 21 May 2025) |
Companies Robert Bell has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liveheats | Mar 2025, Seed | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for Robert Bell, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Robert Bell has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Robert Bell did.
Stories naming Robert Bell. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Payments firm Monoova has appointed Bianca Bates as chief executive from July 2026, replacing co-founder Christian Westerlind Wigstrom, with chair Robert Bell filling in until she starts.
Weekly roundup of seven Australian startup raises, led by Airwallex's Series F, plus EatClub, Kite Magnetics, Termina, Preve, Foremind and Liveheats.
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Sports scoring software maker Liveheats has secured $1.3 million in seed backing from five individual backers to grow its product and sales teams and expand into the US and Europe.
Digital bank 86 400 has proposed combining with UBank under NAB, which would acquire remaining shares for up to about $220 million, pending shareholder, court and regulatory approvals.
Australian smartbank 86 400 completed a $34 million Series A in March, led by Morgan Stanley, lifting total capital to $90 million to fund product development and mortgage growth.
NAB is buying neobank 86 400 for roughly $220 million, folding it into UBank, shortly after rival Xinja said it would quit banking, leaving fewer independent Australian neobanks standing.
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Challenger banks Xinja and 86 400 reach APRA licensing milestones and launch app-based retail transaction and savings accounts, becoming the first neobanks to offer Australian retail deposit products.
Neobank 86400 aims to close a large capital raise later in 2019, while the piece recaps recent funding by Australian neobank rivals Judo, Xinja and Volt plus Airwallex and Deputy.
Digital bank 86 400, backed by Cuscal and awaiting APRA licensing, plans an Australian launch and seeks $250 million, with Morgan Stanley assisting the raise.
Neobank 86 400 has hired an investment bank to run a planned search for new shareholders later in the year, noting payments firm Cuscal has funded it so far while it pursues a banking licence.