W23

Six ANZ startups that raised $568.1 million this week

Funding roundup led by Airwallex's US$330 million Series G at a $12 billion valuation, with raises from Kasada, Hnry, All G, Bless Payments and Emanda, plus earlier rounds recalled.

Also Startup Daily

Breast milk substitution biotech raises $10 million amid French deal for global push

Sydney biotech All G raised $10 million via convertible note from Agronomics, Doehler's venture arm and ID Capital, alongside a joint venture with France's Armor Protéines to push its fermented lactoferrin products globally.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Breakthrough Victoria lures Sydney proteins startup Harvest B south in $3.5million pre-Series A

Harvest B, a Sydney-based protein maker, raised a $3.5 million pre-Series A with Mandalay Venture Partners leading and Breakthrough Victoria contributing $2 million, alongside a $2.2 million federal grant and a 2021 seed round.

Investment Update: Harvest B

Breakthrough Victoria is putting $2 million into protein technology company Harvest B, joining a $5.6 million pre-Series A round with Mandalay VC leading and several other backers.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Lululemon signs 10-year deal with Aussie recycling start-Up Samsara Eco

Samsara Eco has struck a decade-long supply deal with Lululemon for enzyme-recycled fabrics; the piece recalls its Temasek-led raise and flags a new NSW plant.

Tim Doyle has a dildo problem and needs a hand

Tim Doyle, cofounder of health startup Eucalyptus, tells a Blackbird Sunrise audience that solving his warehouse of returned sex toys is the route to a job, and offers blunt views on local venture capital.

Four Aussie startups that raised $123.6 million this week

Weekly roundup of four Australian raises: HammerTech $105m led by Riverwood Capital, JigSpace $13m led by Breakthrough Victoria, ExoFlare's $5.3m seed, and Go Locum's $350,000 seed led by Paspalis.

Biosecurity threats software startup plants $5.3 million Seed round

ExoFlare, cofounded by ex-Data61 chief Adrian Turner, has banked $5.3 million in seed funding led by Salus Ventures to help food producers manage biosecurity risks.

Also SmartCompany

‘Game changer’: Samsara Eco raises $100 million for infinite recycling of plastics

Australian plastics recycler Samsara Eco secured a Temasek-led Series A+ of $100 million to scale enzyme-based infinite recycling, with Southeast Asian facilities planned, adding to its 2022 Series A.

Also TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing

Plant-based meats venture ProForm Foods in voluntary administration

KPMG administrators took control of ProForm Foods, the company behind the Meet brand, and the piece recalls earlier raises at v2food and All G Foods as the plant-based sector cools.

Red seaweed was billed as a gamechanger for livestock methane reduction… so when will it deliver?

Q&A with FutureFeed's chief executive on Asparagopsis seaweed as a livestock methane-cutting feed additive: its licensing business, backers, licensees' progress, regulation, research and scaling hurdles.

Homebrand ventures: Woolies goes global with its VC fund in partnership with international grocers

Woolworths and four international grocers are behind global venture fund W23 Global, each putting in US$25 million, with Ingrid Maes as CEO. The original Australian W23 fund backed Eucalyptus, All G Foods and Longtail UX.

lululemon, Samsara say new recycled polyester jacket is a world first

Samsara Eco and lululemon launch a jacket made with enzyme-recycled polyester; the piece recalls Samsara's 2022 Series A and its investors.

Also TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing

Burgers and acquisitions: All G Foods spins out plant-based meats in merger with Fenn Foods

All G Foods spins its Love Buds plant-based range into a merger with Fenn Foods' vEEF, forming a new entity; All G pivots to fermented dairy, with both companies' earlier raises recapped.

Online health brands startup Eucalyptus picks the online meat off the bones of Jenny Craig collapse

Eucalyptus buys Jenny Craig's online assets out of administration while stores shut; the health startup's recent raise and earlier rounds are recapped, alongside other distressed-brand acquisitions.

Woolies in sheep’s clothing: Why the new Milkrun is just startup cosplay

Woolworths has relaunched the collapsed Milkrun brand atop its Metro60 delivery service after buying the name and assets; the piece reflects on the quick-grocery startup's rapid rise, big venture raise and February demise.

Eucalyptus lands $50 million amidst online prescription model concerns

Digital health company Eucalyptus has raised $50 million from existing backers, reportedly valuing it at $560 million, even as doctors and regulators question the prescription practices of its weight-loss brand Juniper.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia

Six Aussie startups that raised more than $54 million this week

Weekly roundup covering six Australian startup raises totalling over $54 million, including Sapia.ai's Series A, rounds for Abyss Solutions, HMC Group and eQ8, plus smaller raises for Oceanfarmr and Subpod.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany

AI-based recruitment startup Sapia raises $17 million in Series A

Recruitment AI startup Sapia.ai has raised a $17 million Series A led by Macquarie Capital and Woolworths' venture arm W23, to fund overseas expansion; Woolworths has used the platform for a year.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Samsara Eco banks $54m Series A funding to scale infinite recycling

Enzyme-based plastic recycler Samsara Eco has raised a $54 million Series A to build a commercial recycling facility in Melbourne, with investors including the CEFC Innovation Fund, W23, Main Sequence, Breakthrough Victoria and Temasek.

Also TechCrunch Venture·Breakthrough Victoria·@AuManufacturing·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Techboard·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing·TechCrunch Venture·TechCrunch Venture

Compostable stretch wrap startup raises $11 million Series A

Victorian compostable stretch wrap maker Great Wrap has secured an $11 million Series A from impact backers plus $13 million in asset financing, supporting a new Tullamarine plant and coming overseas expansion.

Also AgFunderNews·Startup Daily·AgFunderNews

Bioplastics company wraps up $24 million Series A

Sustainable packaging firm Great Wrap has closed a $24 million Series A, combining equity from Darren Thomas and Woolworths' W23 with asset finance, to build a potato-waste bioplastics facility in Victoria.

Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany

A win for women as female-founded VCs team up

Three female-led venture firms launch WinVC, a community and education initiative supporting women in venture capital through mentoring, networking and profile-raising, led by executives from W23, OneVentures and Jelix Ventures.

Recycling start-up scores $6m for enzyme that eats plastic

Recycling startup Samsara Eco picked up $6 million from the CEFC, managed by Virescent Ventures, plus Woolworths' W23 and CSIRO's Main Sequence, to commercialise its enzyme-based plastic recycling.

Also @AuManufacturing·TechCrunch Venture·Techboard·SmartCompany·TechCrunch Venture

Aussie envirotech Samsara raises $6 million to tackle 'infinite recycling'

Envirotech startup Samsara has raised $6 million from Main Sequence, W23 and the CEFC to build a recycling plant and grow its enzyme-based plastics technology team.

Ignition Lane's Weekly Wrap: Super-fast unicorn, VC funding boom, put another founder on a Barbie

Ignition Lane's weekly roundup: Zip's deal for Sezzle, Zeller's unicorn raise, several Australian funding rounds, Startmate backing Provvy, a space manufacturing grant, NZVC's first close, and tech's response to Russia.

Fake meat startup All G scores bigger Woolies backing

Woolworths' corporate venture arm W23 has added an undisclosed multi-million-dollar investment to its backing of Sydney alt-protein maker All G Foods, which had earlier raised a $16 million seed round in late 2021.

Also Startup Daily·AgFunderNews·@AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Mosh raises $25 million to break down taboos in men's healthcare

Australian men's health startup Mosh has secured $25 million in fresh capital from Hims co-founder Joe Spector, Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Regal Funds Management, with existing backers Parc Capital and Thorney also participating.

Also Startup Daily

Pets, cars and cybersecurity: 10 Aussie startups that raised a combined $372 million this week

A weekly roundup reporting ten Australian startups that together raised about $372 million, spanning pet e-commerce, marketplace software, fintech, used cars, cybersecurity, freight, data tools, genetic testing and payments anti-fraud.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Techboard

Why We Invested In Harvest B

Aura Ventures' thesis post explains its plant-based protein outlook and announces co-leading Harvest B's pre-seed round alongside Woolworths' venture arm W23.

Also Aura Group portfolio·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing

Queensland, Woolworths invest in manufacturing

Queensland's government backed Gilmour Space's $61 million Series C, while Woolworths put $4 million into Seedlab Australia and its W23 arm joined Harvest B's $3.5 million raise, which also drew a $1 million grant.

Meet Harvest B, the new kid on the plant-based meat block that just raised $4.5 million

Plant-based ingredient maker Harvest B has raised $4.5 million in venture capital and grant funding, led by Aura Ventures and Woolworths' W23, to scale production of its animal-free ingredients.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing

NewView Capital leads $22.3M Series B in Australian telehealth platform Eucalyptus

Sydney telehealth firm Eucalyptus closed a Series B led by NewView Capital, with Blackbird, W23 and AirTree taking part. NewView's founder joins the board as the company expands its digital health brands.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Marketplacer secures millions in funding from Woolies, topping off 12 months of growth and the dawn of “e-commerce 2.0”

Melbourne marketplace platform Marketplacer has taken an undisclosed multimillion-dollar investment from Woolworths' venture arm W23, following recent raises from Salesforce Ventures and a November funding boost.

Also Startup Daily

SEO startup Longtail UX bags $2.25 million from Woolworths and Lew family as e-commerce surges

SmartCompany reports SEO startup Longtail UX raised $2.25 million from Woolworths' W23 and Global Retail Brands, recalling earlier raises led by Investec and backed by Andrew Bassat and Sean Larcombe amid surging e-commerce demand.

Also Startup Daily

Investment Notes: Eucalyptus

Blackbird's investment notes recount its participation in Eucalyptus's Series A, led by Woolworths' venture arm W23, having earlier led the telehealth company's pre-seed and seed rounds.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany