Accelerator · 3 deals
Adelaide, SA
Every published round Stone & Chalk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragonfly Thinking | Grant | 25 Jun 2024 | $300k | Participant | The Mandarin, SmartCompany | |
| Kindship | Grant | 21 Jun 2024 | $100k | Participant | SmartCompany (Fri 28 Jun 2024), SmartCompany (Fri 21 Jun 2024) | |
| Empathetic AI | Grant | 21 Jun 2024 | $100k | Participant | SmartCompany (Fri 28 Jun 2024), SmartCompany (Tue 25 Jun 2024), SmartCompany (Fri 21 Jun 2024) |
Everyone Stone & Chalk 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 Stone & Chalk has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragonfly Thinking | 25 Jun 2024, Grant | 1 | 0 | |
| Empathetic AI | 21 Jun 2024, Grant | 1 | 0 | |
| Kindship | 21 Jun 2024, Grant | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for Stone & Chalk, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Stone & Chalk has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Stone & Chalk did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Alan Tsen | General Manager (former) | SmartCompany |
| Alex Scandurra | CEO | SmartCompany, Stone & Chalk |
| Andrea Gardner | Director (former) | Stone & Chalk |
| Anthony Eisen | Director (former) | Stone & Chalk |
| Aris Allegos | Director (former) | Stone & Chalk |
| Caroline Trotman | Director | Stone & Chalk |
| Chris Kirk | CEO (former) | SmartCompany |
| Craig Dunn | Chairman (former) | Stone & Chalk |
| Danny Gilligan | Director (former) | Stone & Chalk |
| Debra Taylor | Director (former) | Stone & Chalk |
| Ian Pollari | Director (former) | Stone & Chalk |
| Jacqui Duncan | General Manager NSW | Stone & Chalk (Sun 8 Mar 2026), Stone & Chalk (Wed 20 Aug 2025), Startup Daily |
| Kylie Rixon | Director | Stone & Chalk |
| Leona Murphy | Chairman | Stone & Chalk |
| Michael Bromley | Group CEO | @AuManufacturing, Startup Daily |
| Richard Kimber | Chairperson | Stone & Chalk |
| Ron Arnold | Director | Stone & Chalk |
| Stela Solar | Chief Executive Officer | Startup Daily, This Week in Australian Startups |
Stories naming Stone & Chalk. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Weekly roundup: Blackbird confirms a record fund close and Galileo reaches a first close, Genesis merges with Proudi, IREN secures massive debt, and several startups report raises, grants and program wins.
Fishburners operated as Stone & Chalk's subsidised sub-tenant at Tech Central before entering administration; KPMG is running a fast EOI process to find buyers or investors.
Fishburners, the Sydney not-for-profit co-working community, has gone into voluntary administration over a long-running rent debt to the NSW government. KPMG administrators will keep it trading while pursuing a sale and recapitalisation.
Actor Hugh Jackman has signed on as Humanitix's first Head of Impact, the Sydney not-for-profit ticketing social enterprise having donated almost $21 million to charity and targeting $100 million by 2031.
Stone & Chalk named Stela Solar its new CEO, replacing Chris Kirk. Solar, formerly of Accenture and the National AI Centre, aims to enhance AI support for Australian startups.
Breakthrough Victoria staff attended agrifood, climate finance, women's health and deep tech events, and joined the launch of agritech firm YieldX.
Stone & Chalk awarded its 2026 International Women's Day scholarships to twelve female founders across Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide hubs, doubling the intake after applications rose 60%; a past recipient's climate startup also appears.
Airtree Ventures and Stone & Chalk have opened Venture Suites, a Sydney workspace giving Airtree portfolio startups offices plus mentorship and investor access, with Reejig, CipherStash and Human Health as early tenants.
Oz2US Ventures is launching a Melbourne-based accelerator ending in a Silicon Valley residency, with named mentors and applications open for a September start.
Profile of InvestorHub, a Melbourne platform helping listed companies engage retail investors, tracing its founders' path through Stone & Chalk and LaunchVic's 30X30 scale-up program ahead of overseas expansion.
Stone & Chalk and KPMG Australia selected five startups for the fourth Future Technology Program cohort, providing residency and mentorship to enhance business productivity.
Profile of Dragonfly Thinking after its win in Australia's first AI Sprint, covering its $300,000 support prize, accelerator experience and product plans, plus brief AI news including raises by TrueState and Andromeda Robotics.
Build Club and AWS are launching a six-week Sydney accelerator for 15 technical founders in AI, offering credits, mentoring and a US tour, with two founders already chosen.
TEN13 newsletter reporting Chipper Cash's US$150m unicorn round, Mr Yum's Tiger Global-led Series A, and new investments in Payhippo, Preezie, Pushas and Heaps Normal, plus portfolio updates.
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Adelaide allied-health software firm Splose has $1.5 million committed toward a $3 million Series A, after a $1 million raise in 2022; several sports and media identities back the company.
KPMG Australia and Stone & Chalk announced the third cohort of their Future Technology Program, offering residency and mentorship to early-stage Australian startups focusing on workforce technology.
Stone & Chalk and KPMG Australia selected five space startups for their Future Technology Program, offering residency and mentorship to support growth in the sector.
KPMG Australia and Stone & Chalk are accepting applications for their Future Technology Program, offering residency and mentorship to early-stage space technology startups.
Stone & Chalk expands its scholarship program nationally to support women founders in technology, building on the success of previous recipients Fulle and Flamingo Tech.
KPMG Australia and Stone & Chalk announced their first Future Technology Program cohort of five supply chain startups, offering hub residency and support; Versed AI is among the recipients named.
KPMG Australia and Stone & Chalk launched their inaugural Future Technology Program, selecting five Australian startups focused on supply chain innovation for a twelve-month residency and support initiative.
Adelaide medtech Splose has raised $1 million for its allied health practice management software serving NDIS providers, having earlier received South Australian government funding, and now plans international expansion.
Splose secured one million Australian dollars to expand its practice management software for allied health providers, aiming to automate administrative tasks and improve NDIS service delivery efficiency.
Stone & Chalk announced the initial companies joining its NSW Government-backed Scaleup Hub in Sydney, aiming to support technology growth and innovation.
Profile of Adelaide climate-risk modelling startup Reask, whose co-founder presents in Singapore this week; key backer Tencent is funding its expansion as the team grows across three countries.
Stone & Chalk Group reinforces its support for Australian climate tech startups, highlighting partnerships with Trellis and Ping while listing portfolio companies focused on sustainability.
Leona Murphy retires as Stone & Chalk Group chair after six years, succeeded by board member Richard Kimber. Michael Bromley serves as the newly appointed CEO.
Bill-management app noobill raised $250,000 pre-seed via convertible notes and launched an equity crowdfunding campaign through Equitise that has already drawn $100,000 in pledges.
Also Cut Through Venture
Avertro's CEO recounts his cybersecurity startup's first year: forming the company after Antler's program, joining CyRise, early hires and customers, then closing an oversubscribed round led by Black Nova Group.
Non-profit incubator Stone & Chalk has bought CSIRO's internship matching platform Ribit for an undisclosed sum, planning to extend it beyond student internships as automation reshapes the jobs market.
Profile of David Rohrsheim, ex-Uber Australia chief, who manages the state government's established $50 million venture capital fund for early-stage companies and explains what he seeks in founders.
Interview with David Rohrsheim on managing South Australia's $50 million venture capital fund and chairing InDaily's 40 Under 40 judging panel, and what he looks for in founders.
A two-year retrospective on the Sydney Startup Hub profiles resident ventures, including Cheq's seed raise, OpenSparkz's funding totals and Antler's early-stage investments.
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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Profile of RegTech firm Arctic Intelligence and founder Anthony Quinn, covering its compliance platforms, Stone & Chalk membership, client growth, and an August 2018 raise of $2.8 million for expansion.
Afterpay, Airwallex and Up Bank took major prizes at the 2019 Finnie awards in Melbourne; Airwallex's $141 million raise won biggest raise and Liberty's purchase of MoneyPlace took deal of the year.
Stone & Chalk partners with not-for-profit Barayamal to host an Indigenous Accelerator program in Victoria, offering five unnamed startups grants, co-working and mentoring, plus a pre-accelerator at KPMG Melbourne.
Athena, a digital home-loan platform yet to fully launch, has banked a $25 million Series B led by Square Peg, with Hostplus and Airtree in, half a year after its $15 million Series A.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Techboard·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·TechCrunch Venture·Startup Daily
Stone & Chalk announces Leona Murphy as its incoming chairman and seven new board members drawn from fintechs and corporate partners, while two long-serving directors step down.