Tank Stream Labs

🇦🇺 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.

‘The next grid will be made of light’: Laser energy startup Aquila takes out Most Innovative Startup

Scalare backs AI scent startup Auric, which opens Sydney lab

Listed investor Scalare Partners has taken an undisclosed early-stage stake in Sydney AI scent startup Auric, which has opened a lab at Tank Stream Labs after earlier backing from Antler and Sputnik ATX.

Also This Week in Australian Startups

Scalare rescues Fishburners from administration

Scalare Partners has bought Fishburners out of administration, keeping the founder community operating within Scalare's ecosystem, with planned hub access, revived pitch nights and a future investment vehicle for startups.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·This Week in Australian Startups

Sydney Startup Hub rent bill owed to the NSW government pushes Fishburners into administration

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.

Wolverine star Hugh Jackman joins ticketing startup Humanitix as Head of Impact

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.

The Founders Union startup services hub launches

Scalare Partners has launched The Founders Union, an AI-driven hub connecting founders to education, community, services and investment providers; Westpac, MYOB, Atlassian and Zoho are among its partners.

Beaten Zone Ventures launches AUKUS Pillar II Pitch Fest to spotlight next-generation Defence innovation

Beaten Zone Venture Partners will host ten Australian defence startups pitching to a judging panel in Sydney this November, with prizes including a SHOT Show trip and Reveille tickets.

Scalare Partners Acquires Planet Startup

Scalare Partners has bought 100% of Planet Startup, a Brisbane vCFO firm serving early-stage tech founders — its fifth purchase since 2023 — with co-founder CEO Marc Orchard staying on to lead.

Also Startup Daily

Scalare Partners Acquires Tank Stream Labs

Scalare Partners has agreed to buy Tank Stream Labs, an Australian flexible workspace operator for tech companies, its fourth purchase since 2023, bringing TSL chief executive Bradley Delamare into the group.

Also Scalare Partners portfolio·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·This Week in Australian Startups

Tank Stream Labs sells to ASX-listed Scalare Partners in $5.5 million deal

ASX-listed Scalare Partners is acquiring coworking operator Tank Stream Labs in a deal of as much as $5.5 million, paid in cash, shares and earn-outs; three earlier Scalare acquisitions are also recalled.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany

The Techstars team – in their own words – on what to expect in Sydney

Q&A with Kirstin Hunter and Lauren Fong, who lead Techstars' new Sydney accelerator backed by the NSW Government, on their backgrounds and the first 12-company class starting in July.

Zero Co, Ofload and Mad Paws: The startup winners of the 2022 Smart50 awards

SmartCompany names its 2022 Smart50 winners: July tops the list, Ofload ranks second after a $60 million raise, and Mad Paws, Zero Co, Code Like a Girl and Hero Packaging take out category awards.

PropHero celebrates first birthday and key success milestones

PropHero marks one year since incorporation, listing milestones including a pre-seed raise, an award, overseas expansion and hiring, and sets goals for its second year.

Also Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech

The founder of Avertro reveals what the first year building his cybersecurity startup has been like

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.

MYOB and Malcolm Turnbull back $22 million series C in a workplace software startup

Accounting software company MYOB led a Series C investment in HR platform Flare, joined by existing backers and a former prime minister, who also takes an advisory role alongside a new commercial partnership.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Hudled is the solution to managing all the software subscriptions you have

Profile of Hudled, a SaaS management dashboard built by two co-founders, which has secured part of its target funding, signed early customers, and came through Antler Australia's Sydney accelerator program.

Also Startup Daily

5 things you should know about tech today

Yamaha's venture arm leads an $11m raise for agtech startup The Yield, while Sydney home-loan fintech Verteva lands a $33m Series A; plus Twitter's Covid warning labels and Sidewalk Labs dropping its Toronto project.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Women's Agenda·AgFunderNews

The Sydney Startup Hub just turned 2 – here’s what it’s achieved

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.

Flare advance financial wellness vision driven by recent $21m funding

Workplace benefits startup Flare says a recent $21 million round from four investors is funding new products, executive hires and a new Sydney headquarters as it expands its employee financial wellbeing offering.

Also Reinventure Group portfolio·Startup Daily