Stone & Chalk unveils first residents for new Scaleup Hub at Tech Central

Stone & Chalk announced the initial companies joining its NSW Government-backed Scaleup Hub in Sydney, aiming to support technology growth and innovation.

The Business Growth Fund’s $12 million Hubbed investment is the kind of “sexy” deal VCs might miss

Reports that a fund backed by government and major banks has taken a minority stake in a parcel pick-up network, profiling its patient investment model and recalling an earlier cheque to a clean-energy maker.

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Mining giant Rio Tinto invests in Canadian battery innovator Nano One

Rio Tinto has invested about fifteen million Australian dollars in Canadian battery materials developer Nano One, alongside a partnership covering metal supply, feasibility work and cathode production collaboration.

$650,000 grant to commercialise methane-busting livestock feed supplements

Climate tech firm Rumin8 has been awarded a government grant to advance animal trials of feed additives that cut livestock methane emissions, with research partners assisting.

Amaroq Therapeutics hits early milestones and makes key appointments to Scientific Advisory Board

Cancer biotech Amaroq Therapeutics appointed four experts to its advisory board as it moves toward clinical trials; the New Zealand company's backers include Brandon Capital, which reports $14m invested to date.

Amaroq Therapeutics hits early milestones and makes key appointments to Scientific Advisory Board

New Zealand biotech Amaroq Therapeutics reported early progress toward clinical trials and appointed four leading scientists to its scientific advisory board, strengthening its lncRNA cancer therapy programme.

Ocean Impact Organisations chooses two Australian startups for its first accelerator

Ocean Impact Organisation picked six global startups, including Sydney's Nuvoe and Brisbane's Uuvipak, for its inaugural ocean-health accelerator, each receiving about $100k; it earlier raised over $1 million for Australia's first ocean angel fund.

Padua appoints Head of Technical Advice & Head of Marketing

Padua Solutions has hired Rudy Haddad to lead technical advice and Kun Singh as marketing head, while recalling a $10.5 million raise in late 2021 that fueled its rapid expansion.

Proven Fintech Kicks Off Its “$5m Series A” Funding Round

Right Choice Capital Group, a Singapore- and Philippines-based fintech, has begun a Series A round with $500,000 in early commitments, announced by Ventures International Group and pitched to private investors and family offices.

Superhero and Swyftx merge to create $1.5bn financial powerhouse

Crypto broker Swyftx and trading platform Superhero have announced a merger forming a $1.5 billion Australian financial group spanning digital assets, equities and superannuation, to be led by co-CEOs.

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VAPAR, the pipeline inspection startup founded by two female engineers, just raised a $2.5 million Seed round

Pipeline inspection software maker VAPAR has secured a seven-figure seed round from four venture backers to grow its team and expand into the United Kingdom and United States markets.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Women's Agenda

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Roundup of Australian manufacturing briefs: ZoneRV wins a Queensland grant, CLS and ARM Hub build a laundry robot prototype, Traffic Technologies lands a street-light order, Conflux launches a cooler, and UNSW unveils a solar car.

This female-founded startup wants to build better managers – and raised $6.8 million in Seed funding to do it

Manager-training platform The Mintable, founded by Lauren Humphrey and Melissa Miller, has raised a $6.8 million seed round led by Blackbird, after previously securing $1.3 million in pre-seed backing.

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Investment Notes: Edrolo

Blackbird's investment note announcing it led Edrolo's Series B, recalling Startmate's first cheque and Blackbird's seed leadership in 2013, and profiling the education company's growth since.

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Superhero and Swyftx merge to create a new fintech unicorn

Trading and superannuation platform Superhero is merging with crypto exchange Swyftx, forming a combined fintech valued at $1.5 billion serving investors across Australia and New Zealand.

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Pure Battery Technologies gains European backer

Drone delivery startup Swoop Aero raises $16 million Series B

Drone logistics company Swoop Aero has raised a Series B led by Main Sequence, with Giant Leap and In-Q-Tel participating, to enter new markets and expand manufacturing.

Also @AuManufacturing·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·TechCrunch Australia

Eliiza expands ML skills through otso.ai buy

Mantel Group's Eliiza brand has bought machine learning service provider Otso.ai for an undisclosed sum, with its staff and co-founders joining the consultancy; Mantel also bought app developer Itty Bitty Apps in March.

Edtech unicorn Go1 raises US$100 million as valuation reaches US$2 billion

A Brisbane learning-platform company has banked fresh backing exceeding US$100 million, lifting its worth to US$2 billion, with several venture investors named, alongside two recent acquisitions and a new president.

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How FoodByUs grew its supplier network from 200 to 2200 in less than 12 months

Profile of FoodByUs covering its supplier network growth, customer-focused strategy, and its past $10 million Series A raise, with co-founder Ben Lipschitz sharing lessons on innovation.

$10M Female-Founders Fund to be Launched by NSW Govt, in Honour of Carla Zampatti

NSW Government announces plans to seed a $10 million venture fund backing female founders, named for the late Carla Zampatti, modelled on Victoria's Alice Anderson Fund.

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.

News briefs – stories you might have missed

Roundup covering Victorian zero-emission bus trials, Frew Foods' planned plant expansion, 5B's layoffs and completed capital raise, Wellnex Life's convertible note raising, SafetyCulture investing in Inauro, plus wind farm and university research news.

Also @AuManufacturing·Techboard

Over $15m invested in world-leading cancer immunotherapy

Auckland University spinout TamoRx has secured NZ$15.25 million to develop a new cancer immunotherapy, in a round led by Brandon Capital alongside the university's Inventors' Fund, with a Callaghan Innovation grant included.

‘Being an entrepreneur is like being a parent’: Humanforce founder Bruce Mackenzie on when it’s time to exit

Interview with Humanforce founder Bruce Mackenzie on leaving the workforce-management firm he built after its sale, reflecting on bootstrapping, early funding, and how founders know when to exit.

Aussie deep science startup Reask is calculating climate catastrophe on a global scale

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.

Adtech startup raises $5 million

Out-of-home ad verification firm Veridooh has secured a $5 million Series A led by EVP, with Jelix Ventures, Saniel and Gravel Road participating, its first outside capital, to fund international growth from its Sydney base.

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Meet Treiner - Sports and EventTech Program 2022 Cohort

Startupbootcamp introduces Treiner, a coaching recruitment platform, as the first startup in its 2022 Sports and EventTech accelerator cohort, profiling founder James Muir and the company's goals.

Go1 nabs $100M at a $2B+ valuation to upgrade its curated enterprise learning platform

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Solar tech 5B raises $30m, but slashes staff to ride out global supply crunch

Australian solar firm 5B completed a Series B round and is cutting staff while refocusing on its Maverick deployment technology amid supply chain pressures.

Line Hydrogen crowdsources cash for green hydrogen

A Queensland green hydrogen startup has opened a retail crowdfunding campaign on Birchal, seeking public backing for its planned Tasmanian production plant, alongside a government funding pledge and a solar farm terms sheet.

Linktree’s head of growth Jessica Box shares her journey from growth to impact

A profile of Linktree's head of growth Jessica Box, covering the company's user growth, team structure, and its capital raise that valued the Australian startup at $1.7 billion.

The Week in Agrifoodtech: Synthesis Capital closes $300m foodtech fund, e-grocer Astro bags $60m

Weekly roundup reporting numerous agrifoodtech raises worldwide, Synthesis Capital closing its first $300 million foodtech fund, plus news on renewable energy, drone delivery partnerships and gene-edited tomatoes.

Calix and Pilbara Minerals progress lithium chemicals plant

Pilbara Minerals and Calix have settled terms for a joint venture to demo a low-carbon lithium salt refining process, backed by a $20 million government grant; Calix separately holds an $11 million capture grant.

Spriggy raises an additional $10 million, following $35 million series B raise

Pocket money app Spriggy has raised $10 million in follow-up funding from unnamed investors, after a $35 million Series B in July 2021, and plans to grow its team to around 100.

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Savant Wealth Management invests $3M in advice engagement platform Lumiant

Sydney-founded advice platform Lumiant has received a $3 million investment from US wealth manager Savant Wealth Management, its first US customer, to fund American expansion; Savant's CEO joins Lumiant's board.

Dental health app Pearlii raises $1.5 million to improve oral health for Indigenous Australians

Melbourne dental app Pearlii has raised $1.5 million from BRC Capital, following a $1.25 million raise in 2020, to expand free AI-based dental check-ups and dental trucks for underserved communities.

2022 Plus Eight Accelerator Cohort Announced

Ten startups have been chosen for the 2022 Plus Eight Accelerator in Perth, with corporate partners including Capricorn Society, Woodside Energy and RAC BetterLabs supporting the founders as the program begins.

Spotlight On: Dr. Julio Ribeiro, co-founder & CEO of Inventia Life Sciences

Blackbird's founder profile interviews Inventia Life Sciences' CEO about his career, co-founders and the RASTRUM 3D bioprinting platform, recalling the firm's early investment in the Sydney biotech company.

Lumir Ventures Partners With Gloat In $90 million Series D

Israeli workforce software company Gloat raised a $90 million Series D led by Generation Investment Management, with Lumir Ventures joining to help the company expand across the Asia-Pacific region.

Our investment in Vouch

OIF Ventures' note explains why the fund co-led an $8m seed round in video-testimonial software maker Vouch with US-based Stage 2 Capital, profiling the product, founders and go-to-market model.

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AfterWork Ventures co-founders named in Forbes 30 under 30

The co-founders of Sydney venture firm AfterWork Ventures have been recognised on the Forbes Asia young leaders list, alongside other regional founders and investors; the firm earlier reached a $10 million first close on its fund.

How revenue-based funding is helping innovative startups like PhycoHealth flourish

Promotional piece explains revenue-based financing through Clearco, featuring a NSW seaweed-products founder who chose it to avoid giving up equity while expanding into the UK market.

Valiant Space to ready for market entry

Valiant Space receives a government grant under the Moon to Mars Initiative to scale and flight-test its non-toxic thruster, with orbital demonstrations planned aboard SpaceX missions ahead of a 2023 market entry.

Kiwi 'what's for dinner?' tech solution MenuAid raises NZ$1 million

New Zealand meal-planning startup MenuAid has raised a million in seed funding led by Sprout, following its accelerator program, to build AI personalisation and grow towards Australian expansion.

Alt-milk CSIRO spinout raises $US 5 million

Fermentation startup Eden Brew announces US$5 million towards an ongoing raise, with follow-on backing from Main Sequence and new investment from Digitalis Ventures, funding dairy-free milk development and a planned ice cream launch.

Also AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing

Marketech to address the cost of share-trading advice

A Perth market-data platform developer has raised funds to expand its product range, launch a free app, and integrate human advice into its trading platform.

Strong Compute raises $7.8M seed round to speed up ML training pipelines

Sydney machine learning optimisation startup Strong Compute announces a $7.8 million seed round backed by about 30 funds and angels, and describes its Y Combinator background, customers and hiring plans.

REA backs proptech app Managed in $5.3 million raise

Property management payments startup Managed App has raised $5.3 million in a round led by REA Group and Momentum Markets, with funds earmarked for sales, marketing and development growth.

Also Australian FinTech

Ground-Breaking Food and AgriTech startups coming to Tasmania