Tech Funding News - Australia

Starcloud, the company putting NVIDIA H100s in orbit, becomes unicorn with $170M raise led by Benchmark and EQT Ventures

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Advanced Navigation bags AU $158M to build resilient nav tech beyond GPS

Deep-tech navigation firm Advanced Navigation has closed a Series C round led by Airtree to scale its GPS-independent positioning technology internationally, with prior backers and the National Reconstruction Fund also participating.

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NVIDIA-backed Firmus raises $327M to build Australia's biggest green AI data centers

Green data centre builder Firmus has banked $327m to expand AI facilities across Australia, lifting its value to roughly $600m; unnamed existing backers reinvested while Nvidia's earlier backing continues.

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Heidi raises $65M to scale its AI scribe across global health systems

Melbourne healthtech firm Heidi has raised $65 million in a Series B led by Point72 at a $465 million valuation, with existing backers participating, to expand its AI scribe across UK, US and Canada.

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Atlassian follows Browser Company buy with $1B DX acquisition

Atlassian is buying developer-productivity analytics firm DX for $1 billion — its biggest deal so far — weeks after announcing the purchase of The Browser Company; DX serves more than 350 enterprises.

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Canva hits $42B valuation in secondary sale, joining Figma in pre-IPO spotlight

Canva launched an employee share sale valuing the design software firm at $42 billion, led by Fidelity with JPMorgan's asset arm joining, ahead of a planned IPO; US rival Figma listed last month.

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Neara raises €28M to power AI-driven climate-proofing for energy networks across Europe

Neara has pulled in €28 million for its Series C, led by EQT with Partners Group and Square Peg joining, to grow its AI-driven infrastructure modelling work worldwide.

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Manchester gets a new unicorn: SafetyCulture raises £85M investment for global expansion

Workplace-safety software firm SafetyCulture has banked £85 million from a round headed by Airtree Ventures, with earlier backers Blackbird and Morpheus also in, money aimed at enterprise growth and AI development.

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Canva acquires Leonardo.AI to enhance Generative AI and challenge Adobe

Canva has bought Sydney AI startup Leonardo.AI on undisclosed terms, following its earlier purchase of UK company Affinity, to strengthen its generative AI and creative tools.

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Blockchain gaming studio Illuvium raises $12M to expand Ethereum gaming universe with NFT interoperability

Sydney web3 game studio Illuvium raised a $12 million Series A led by King River Capital to build interconnected blockchain titles, lifting total funding to $60 million ahead of upcoming game releases.

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Dutch VC invests in Kismet's $8.2M round to connect caregivers, health insurance and care providers

Kismet, an Australian startup linking caregivers, insurers and care providers, raised $8.2 million in seed funding led by Prosus Ventures with Airtree Ventures, lifting its total raised to $10.8 million.

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Payapps bags £10.5M from CIBC Innovation Banking to fund first UK acquisition

Australian construction software firm Payapps secured a £10.5m package from CIBC Innovation Banking to bankroll its purchase of UK-based WebContractor, adding subcontractor payment tools as it expands across Britain and Ireland.

Dutch VC invests in $24M funding round of this Australian AI startup for expansion in Europe and US

Sydney AI infrastructure-modelling firm Neara extended its Series B by $10M, with Prosus Ventures joining backers Skip Capital and Square Peg, lifting the round to $24M for expansion into Europe and the US.

Australian startup Plerion raises $10M to protect businesses and individuals from cyber threats

Sydney cloud security startup Plerion closed a $10 million seed round led by Prosus Ventures with Cercano and Atlassian Ventures participating, to fund product development, hiring and go-to-market plans.

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This AI-powered climate risk insurtech startup secures $4.6M seed round to predict global extreme weather

Unyoked snaps €18M to expand its sustainable wellness cabins across Europe

Australia-based off-grid cabin startup Unyoked has raised 18 million euros in a round led by SURPLUS Equity Partners and Realside Financial Group to grow its presence across Europe and other markets.

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Oil giant bp invests $20M AUD in Australian startup 5B to install solar farms quickly

Australian solar startup 5B secured $20 million from bp ventures within its $55 million Series B, funding technology development, a North American manufacturing hub, and international expansion.

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This brain-computer startup beats Elon Musk’s Neuralink for implanting first device in a patient

Australian neurotech firm Synchron has implanted its brain-computer device in a US patient, reportedly ahead of Neuralink, which has seen several founders, including Max Hodak and Paul Merolla, depart.

Fresho grabs £8M to make food supply chains more sustainable, eyes US launch

Food ordering software firm Fresho has secured an £8 million Series A from Capital Zed, Second Quarter Ventures and angel Andrew Sypkes, with plans to grow in the UK and enter the US market.

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Softbank and Salesforce back edtech unicorn Go1 in $100M round

Brisbane edtech firm Go1 raises $100 million at a $2 billion valuation from six investors, appoints four executives, and has earlier acquired Coorpacademy to expand into Europe.

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Australian fintech star Zepto scoops $25M for its account-to-account payment solutions

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Aussie's Linktree raises $110M, achieves $1.3B valuation and welcomes Mike Olson

Linktree banked a $110 million round led by Index Ventures and Coatue at a $1.3 billion valuation, with Greenoaks joining and earlier backers returning, and named industry veteran Mike Olson its first president.

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Australian e-bike startup Zoomo pedals off with $20M to disrupt urban delivery mile

Sydney electric bike subscription company Zoomo raised a $20 million Series B led by Collaborative Fund to develop technology and expand into new cities and countries.

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HRtech Employment Hero becomes a unicorn with £96M funding; acquires KeyPay

Employment Hero raised £96 million led by SEEK Investments, reaching unicorn valuation, and acquired payroll firm KeyPay, whose founders stay on as the combined business targets UK growth.

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Top 10 biggest unicorns of the world in 2021

A year-end roundup profiling the ten most valuable unicorns of 2021, recalling each company's major funding round, investors and valuation, from ByteDance and SpaceX to Canva and Chime.

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Australia’s VOLY that delivers groceries in less than 15 minutes secures $13M funding

Australian instant grocery delivery startup VOLY raised nearly AU$18 million in a seed round led by Sequoia Capital India, with Global Founders Capital and Artesian Capital participating, to scale operations and expand nationally.

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Melbourne-based Mr Yum that wants to become 'Shopify for restaurants' raises £49M funding

Mobile ordering platform Mr Yum raised a £49 million Series A led by Tiger Global, with several funds and celebrity backers participating, after a £6 million post-seed round earlier in 2021.

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Customer Engagement? This Australia based startup secures £37M to expand globally

Australian client engagement and commerce platform Practice Ignition has raised a Series C round led by JMI Equity, with Tiger Global and EVP participating, to fund expansion across Asia, North America and EMEA.

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How Canva became the most valuable female-founded startup in the world?

Profile of Canva tracing its growth since 2013, its $200 million round led by T. Rowe Price at a $40 billion valuation, and the co-founders' pledge of equity to the Canva Foundation.

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BNPL booms: US fintech giant Square acquires Australian Klarna rival Afterpay for $29B

Square has announced an all-stock $29 billion takeover of Australian buy-now-pay-later firm Afterpay, with Jack Dorsey praising the fit; completion of the deal is expected in early 2022.

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