Forward Founder Story
Startmate profiles Forward, a startup founded by three 21-year-olds automating private credit origination, stating it is backed by Y Combinator and Australian funds, with early revenue and US fund adoption.
Accelerator · 123 deals
Early-stage investment and mentorship for founders
Sydney, NSW
Every published round Startmate 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, and a place in one of its own programs is under Cohorts.
Everyone Startmate 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 Startmate has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alloovium | 5 Jun 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 0 | |
| Alt. Leather | 29 Jan 2024, Seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Aquila | Jun 2023, Seed | 2 | 0 | |
| Arlula | 24 Mar 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Bring Me Home | 8 Dec 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 0 | |
| Build Club | 11 Oct 2024, Pre-seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Edrolo | 14 Mar 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 0 | |
| GGWP Academy | 28 Mar 2022, Accelerator | 1 | 0 | |
| Good Thnx | 16 Oct 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 0 | |
| Great Wrap | Sep 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| GridCognition | 17 Dec 2020, Pre-seed | 2 | 0 | |
| Inaam | Oct 2025, Pre-seed | 1 | 0 | |
| JustFund | Apr 2024, Seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Kara Technologies | 11 Nov 2022, Seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Matilda Migration | 27 Sep 2024, Pre-seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Mindset Health | 14 Mar 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 0 | |
| Muso | 8 Dec 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 0 | |
| MyGigsters | 7 Nov 2022, Pre-seed | 1 | 0 | |
| On The House | Jan 2026, Seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Preve | 22 May 2025, Seed | 2 | 0 | |
| ProductEngine | 26 May 2022, Seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Provvy | 4 Mar 2022, Accelerator | 2 | 0 | |
| Sicona Battery Technologies | 4 Apr 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 0 | |
| Switchboard | May 2024, Seed | 1 | 0 | |
| The Mintable | 8 Jun 2022, Seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Xylo Systems | 4 Oct 2022, Pre-seed | 2 | 0 | |
| ZeroJet | 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 0 | |
| 5B | 30 Jul 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| AI-NC | 20 Feb 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| AirRobe | Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Andromeda | Personalised robot companions for aged care and assisted living | 1 Aug 2022, Accelerator | 2 | 1 |
| Ascenda | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Baresop | 6 Oct 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| BioticsAI | 15 Sep 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Black.ai | 2017, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Body Guide | 15 Oct 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Brainwaves | AI platform for brand strategy and creative direction | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 |
| Bugcrowd | 2013, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| BugHerd | Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Buster | 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Butter Insurance | 1 Aug 2022, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Bygen | 4 Dec 2020, Accelerator | 2 | 1 | |
| Carbonaught Pty Ltd | 9 May 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Cascayd | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Cass Materials | 4 Dec 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| CheckGen | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Chirp | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Circular Sourcing | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| CodeLingo | 26 Apr 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Cropsy Technologies | 26 Apr 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| CrossCourtAI | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Database CI | 15 Oct 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Deeligence | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Dexta | 1 Aug 2022, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Digital Agriculture Services (DAS) | 4 Dec 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Duohub | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Edsemble | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Emmi | 19 Apr 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Evatto | 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Everbility | 9 May 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Evidentful | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Femmi Co | 1 Aug 2022, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Flow Payments | 1 Nov 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| FlowGo | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Fluency | Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Flux Robotics | 20 Feb 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Gloss Guide | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Graphics et al | 9 May 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| gridmo | 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Guin | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Heaps Normal | 16 Nov 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| IBnkVault | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| JigSpace | 2018, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| JobLoads | 26 Apr 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| June Health | 18 Aug 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Kapture | 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Keeyu | AI agent for proactive e-commerce post-purchase operations | 2024, Accelerator | 2 | 1 |
| Kelpy | 19 Apr 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Kite Therapy | 8 May 2024, Pre-seed | 2 | 1 | |
| KiwiFibre | 9 May 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Komodowellbeing | 26 Apr 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Landid | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Lasertrade | 15 Oct 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Law on Earth | 15 Oct 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Layer | Aug 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Leakster | Acoustic leak detection sensors for water utilities | 18 Aug 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 |
| Learna | 9 May 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Lockii | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Lumos | 15 Sep 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Luniate | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Lyrebird | 2023, Accelerator | 2 | 1 | |
| Mass Dynamics | 15 Oct 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Misti | 15 Sep 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Morse Micro | 2017, Accelerator | 2 | 1 | |
| Neuralindex | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| NOA The Brand | 9 May 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| NOD | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Nook | 20 Feb 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| O3 | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Opvia | 1 Nov 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Ovira | 2019, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| PentaCue AI | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Pitcrew AI | 20 Feb 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Polymath | 20 Feb 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Psylo | 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Puralink | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 2 | 1 | |
| Rainstick | 15 Sep 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Reactory Limited | 20 Feb 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Resonait | 20 Feb 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Ripe Robotics | 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Sitemate | 2017, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Slice | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| SoundSmith | 1 Aug 2022, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| SplootCode | 20 Feb 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Steppen | 2022, Accelerator | 2 | 1 | |
| Storipress | 18 Jul 2022, undisclosed | 2 | 1 | |
| Superstat | 2026, Accelerator | 2 | 1 | |
| Swoop Aero | 2018, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Syncio | 22 Jul 2019, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Talentsheet | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Telecare | 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Telemattica | 8 May 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Tendl | 2024, Accelerator | 2 | 1 | |
| Tendor | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Thermal Dawn | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Transactional.AI | 1 Nov 2021, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Trava Health | 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Try Turnto | 19 Apr 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Tutero | 1 Aug 2022, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Uluu | 27 Sep 2021, Accelerator | 2 | 1 | |
| UpGuard | 2012, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| VAPAR | AI software for assessing pipe condition from CCTV footage | 6 Jul 2020, Pre-seed | 1 | 1 |
| Venu | 9 May 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Vertus Energy | 2021, Accelerator | 2 | 1 | |
| Vexev | AI-powered robotic ultrasound for vascular imaging | 2019, Accelerator | 3 | 1 |
| Vixia | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Vulnetix | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Wiingman | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| WORK180 | Apr 2018, Seed | 2 | 1 | |
| Wriveted | 1 Aug 2022, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Zabidou | AI computer vision for automated industrial robotics QA | 19 Feb 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 1 |
| Zipline AI | 29 Apr 2025, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Amber Electric | 2017, Accelerator | 2 | 2 |
Fund closes reported for Startmate, as distinct from the investments it has made.
| Fund | Announced | Committed | Target | Close | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Bets fund | 4 Mar 2022 | $920k | - | - | Startup Daily, SmartCompany |
Investors that coverage says has money in a fund Startmate runs. This is a stake in the fund, not in any company the fund has backed.
Companies Startmate has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Startmate did.
Stories naming Startmate. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Startmate profiles Forward, a startup founded by three 21-year-olds automating private credit origination, stating it is backed by Y Combinator and Australian funds, with early revenue and US fund adoption.
Profile of EstiMate's two trades-turned-founder creators of construction estimating software, covering their early revenue traction, their Startmate program experience and backing from Startmate and NextGen.
Startup Daily reports Airtree has extended its Frontier founder residency to San Francisco, dangling uncapped US$250,000 SAFE notes at expat Aussie and Kiwi founders; its Sydney edition hosts alumni of major local tech firms.
Sydney event-tech startup Evatto has raised a pre-seed round led by Perth firm Purpose Ventures to build its platform and expand abroad, after going through Startmate's Summer 26 program under its earlier name Wiingman.
Also thesaasnews.com·app.fundz.net·trysignalbase.com·Dealroom
Eight Australian and New Zealand startups secured a combined $67.4 million in funding across various sectors including agtech, medtech, robotics, and fintech.
Also ontargetish.com
Weekly roundup: Firmus completes its $2.85b round; Procore acquires DroneDeploy; Atlassian rebounds while Canva cuts guidance; plus fresh raises for Zabidou, BioScout, Vexev, Enrola, Spacetalk and others.
Ten13's post explains why it joined the robotics company's latest raise alongside Blackbird, Neotribe, Startmate and Horizons, covering its autonomous scanning device, dialysis focus, founders, and US rollout plans.
Also Dealroom·vexev.com·datapile.co·evtoday.com·ontargetish.com
Australian medical robotics firm Vexev has raised A$8.6 million to pursue FDA clearance and US commercialisation of its VxWave robotic ultrasound platform, with backing from existing and new investors.
Also Startup Daily·This Week in Australian Startups·SmartCompany
Weekly roundup: $16.3 million across four early local rounds, Maincode launches the Matilda Code coding agent, Aussie Angels becomes Ventari, and Startmate names seventeen startups to its W26 intake.
Roundup of eight Australian and New Zealand startups whose late-July funding totals $102 million across space capsules, medical devices, livestock breath analysis, sports analytics and AI crop forecasting.
Startmate unveils its incoming Winter '26 accelerator intake, profiling AI, aerospace, legal tech, construction and healthcare startups founded across Australian cities, with others based in San Francisco and Christchurch.
Blackbird's post explains why it led Superstat's seed round alongside Startmate and angel backers, praising the founding trio's decade-long shared focus and rapid early growth in amateur basketball analytics.
A launch profile of Wingman Money, a personal finance app built by two University of Queensland graduates that rates financial wellbeing with a single score; its founders earlier took part in Startmate's 2025 pre-accelerator.
Gridcog, an Australian-founded energy modelling platform now headquartered in London, has landed a US$10 million ABB-led Series A, with Axpo, DNV Ventures, VERBUND X Ventures, AlbionVC and CEFC joining.
Also pv-magazine-australia.com·gridcog.com·Cut Through Venture
Doctor-led syndicate Medical Angels is turning its backing of 30-plus health startups into a $40 million fund, with $4 million banked, and has recruited former Startmate chief Michal Batko as venture partner.
Profile of Sally Wood, whose venture Kinrest is developing a screen-free device that helps children wind down for sleep, built on customer testing after she joined Startmate's Launch Club.
Interview with Minh Cung about Hyperlocalise, which builds AI agents that adapt marketing and product content for new language markets while keeping cultural context intact; a Launch Club alumnus seeking a co-founder and capital.
Weekly roundup of seven Australian and New Zealand startup raises totalling $17 million, including two startups entering Y Combinator, plus a new QuantX Labs board director and SmartrMail's earlier sale to Relay Commerce.
Startmate brought its 2026 intake to San Francisco for investor meetings and a Demo Day hosted by Stripe; Melbourne alumnus Fluency's Accel-led US$6 million seed round is recalled.
Startmate profiles Brainwaves, which builds strategy software for marketing teams, ahead of its Demo Day pitch, covering the founding team, early revenue and enterprise traction.
Profile of Zabidou, which builds laser-based AI vision systems for factory inspection without stopping production, led by a Baraja co-founder; invites readers to its upcoming Demo Day pitch night.
Founders Anthony See and Jason Hor built FlowGo, an AI agent embedding into WhatsApp and email to automate B2B order processing for suppliers, partnering with platforms like Food Market Hub and Pracbiz.
A Sydney defence and space technology company has completed an oversubscribed funding round led by Paspalis Capital to expand its satellite data coordination platform and grow its engineering team.
Startmate will resume taking founders to Silicon Valley this May and stage its first San Francisco Demo Day; the article also recalls Fluency's recent US seed round led by Accel.
Weekly roundup covering UpGuard's $105 million Series C and EatClub's $27 million Series B, plus earlier funding history for both Australian companies.
Hobart cybersecurity company UpGuard has landed US$75 million in Series C backing led by Springcoast Capital, with the article also recalling earlier Startmate and Firemark Ventures rounds.
Also Dealroom·Forbes Australia·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·ontargetish.com·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia
Roundup of the week's Australian startup funding: fresh raises for five companies, Startmate's Summer '26 accelerator intake of 19 startups, and Affinda's acquisition of Pathfindr.
Also Startup Daily
Nineteen early-stage companies join Startmate's Summer '26 accelerator intake, each receiving $120,000 for 7% equity — $2.28 million overall — spanning construction, healthcare, fintech, energy and manufacturing.
Weekly roundup of ten Australian and New Zealand startup raises totalling nearly $194 million, topped by Neara's $90 million round at a $1.1 billion valuation, with Splose, Operata, HAMR Energy and Adora also covered.
Melbourne work-documentation startup Fluency raised a US$6 million seed led by Accel at a $30 million valuation, with DST Global and others participating; its founders previously raised $1.5 million.
Roundup of six Australian funding deals: AutoGrab, Applied EV, Checkbox, Hometime, Factory and On the House, with amounts, investors, and Hometime's past acquisitions and raise history detailed.
Also Startup Daily
On the House, a Brisbane startup founded by a Startmate alumna, has secured $1.7 million in a Purpose Ventures-led seed round to expand its ad-funded dispensers offering free period products nationally.
Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Missing Perspectives·Women's Agenda
Startmate chief Michael Batko departs following an eight-year stint; COO Phoebe Pincus steps up. The piece credits his tenure for the accelerator's growth, returns and alumni, and notes his exits from two side ventures.
Long-serving Startmate chief Michael Batko departs the accelerator's top job, with operations lead Phoebe Pincus promoted to CEO; the piece also recalls two side ventures Batko previously exited.
Forbes Australia profile of Grace Toombs, founder of women's health startup June Health, recalling her Startmate accelerator acceptance and her plans for an endometriosis clinic.
Currents, a Gold Coast founder community group, has bought Michael Batko's running community Startup Striders for an undisclosed cash sum; Batko advises through December while remaining Startmate CEO.
Also SmartCompany
Weekly roundup of eight raises totalling $572.12 million, led by Firmus's $500 million round; RAGE Biotech, SunDrive, Number 8 Bio, Fabra, Keeyu, MyGig and Drone-Hand also funded, plus two RAGE Biotech executive appointments.
Also Tech Funding News - Australia·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily
Rampersand's newsletter announces it led Keeyu's $2.3 million pre-seed round, alongside portfolio updates from Quantum Brilliance, Cuttable, Hatch and Goterra, plus job listings and reflections on domain founders and Australian venture capital.
Also Rampersand·quantumwire.com·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·semiconductorindustrymonthly.com
Roundup of eight funding deals: Synchron's Series D, plus raises by Lumonus AI, Hullbot, Nbryo, Cytophenix, Giftbee, Understanding Zoe and Zeligate, spanning medtech, robotics, agtech and AI.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily
Weekly funding roundup covering eight raises totalling over $113 million across aerospace, biotech, materials, health and software, plus a pharmacy firm's acquisition out of administration.