3110 rounds · 1965 startups · 3617 investors
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Hello Clever has released Clever Connect, which gives software platforms and marketplaces dedicated accounts for instant merchant payments over Australian and Japanese rails, with a US launch planned later this year.
Sydney AI grain-forecasting startup Octopusbot has raised over $1 million from Folklore Ventures and No Brand to grow its platform and enter further commodity markets.
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A Sydney research foundation has put funding into miRecule's next-generation therapy for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, which targets two disease mechanisms; the biotech hopes to run early trials in Australia.
Australian vehicle-subscription firm Carbar and UAE counterpart Carasti have combined under a Singapore-headquartered parent, ownership split 55/45 between their shareholders; a capital raising is under way to bankroll the combined group's expansion.
A FlutterFlow employee recounts turning a 2D canvas experiment into Campus, a free macOS app putting terminals, browsers and apps on one shared canvas, with multiplayer rooms and mobile, web and 3D versions planned.
Agscent, a NSW agtech venture that reads cattle breath for pregnancy, illness and methane, has secured $5 million from Scale Investors and Tundra Capital, valuing it at $26.9 million.
Queensland medtech Laronix has built AI that recreates patients' own voices from brief recordings; the profile recalls its 2023 seed round, earlier federal grants and a 2025 non-dilutive award.
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Yanara, a renewables developer created from BrightNight's Asia-Pacific operations last year, has landed roughly A$245 million from asset manager Mirova to progress over 2 GW of Australian projects, including its Mortlake Energy Hub.
Also RenewEconomy
Heaps Normal has launched High Hopes, its first non-alcoholic prosecco, after years of development, choosing brand trust over a fast entry into the alcohol-free wine category.
Queensland's government has committed $7.5 million from its Sovereign Industry Development Fund to Black Sky Aerospace for a defence testing and evaluation launch site near Thargomindah, expected operational by mid-2028.
Salesforce specialist Davanti has been sold by Dentsu to US buyer Enduring Ventures and has reverted from the Merkle brand to its original name, with the deal completed at the end of June.
Also Dealroom
Insurance software firm Monvia has begun trading on the ASX under ticker MNV after completing a $17.5 million initial public offering, with proceeds set to redeem preference shares and fund growth.
Australian food-tech firm All G has launched a low-iron, fermentation-derived lactoferrin in the US, producing multiple tonnes yearly via a Chinese manufacturer, with European capacity and a human-equivalent version planned.
The Sendle delivery brand, liquidated earlier in 2026 after a troubled merger, has been bought by logistics executive Andrew McKenna, who expects a September relaunch with Quantium Solutions handling deliveries.
Cut Through Venture's Q2 2026 report shows early-stage deal numbers at historic lows, though quarterly capital reached $1.7 billion, driven by two large rounds by Firmus and Airwallex.
Also Startup Daily·Business News Australia·Cut Through Venture
Liverpool's owner Fenway Sports Group confirms talks with a consortium led by Amit Bhatia over a minority stake, while the piece recalls the 2010 takeover and a 2023 investment deal with Dynasty Equity.
Fourteen projects won grants under the federal government's Grid Enhancing Technologies program, including EV charging firms Jet Charge and Charge Hub Australia, to show how EVs and other tech can ease grid constraints.
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ARENA has conditionally awarded HAMR Energy $32 million toward engineering design for a plant turning forestry residues in Victoria and South Australia into methanol-based jet fuel and other low-carbon products.
Also Dealroom·Startup Daily
A Hyper reflection on how founders refine rough ideas through early customer feedback, citing Zuckerberg and its Accelerate process, and recalling that portfolio company Empiraa has raised $3 million.
Melbourne EV materials company Kite Magnetics has been awarded an Australian government grant to commercialise its motor-core material, with a larger Series A raise planned but not secured.
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Australian workforce software firm Wrkr has raised A$12 million in post-listing equity, pairing a completed placement with a shareholder purchase offer, to build enterprise payroll connections and chase cash-flow breakeven.
Cut Through Venture's Q2 2026 report counts $1.7 billion announced across 64 venture rounds, carried by two mega-deals, with record median deal sizes, AI concentration, and deal counts at their slowest since before 2020.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany
South Australian startups Lunio Energy and OptiGrid launch a 5 MW Strathalbyn battery into market trading; the piece recalls OptiGrid's seed round backed by CEFC, IP Group, Hostplus, universities and EnergyLab.
A 5 MW South Australian battery has started trading, the first project for developer Lunio Energy and the first four-hour site run on OptiGrid's optimisation platform, whose seed backers are recapped.
Australian eBike subscription service Lug+Carrie has lined up $18 million in debt financing from Catalytic Impact Capital to expand its fleet across Australia and the US, where it trades under the Wombi name.
Technology contractor HiTech Group has agreed to acquire recruiter Hudson's Australian operations for A$7 million upfront, with the deal revealed in an ASX statement after a management buyout was rejected.
Interview with NinjaOne's A/NZ chief Geoff Davies on MSP tool consolidation, recalling the company's US$252 million acquisition of Dropsuite and its US$400 million Series C funding round.
Xero's chief people officer Jeff Ryan left the ASX-listed software firm in early July, with its people function reporting interim to CFO Claire Bramley, as the company's shares slide on AI disruption fears.
Thermal storage company MGA Thermal hires a former Shell Energy Australia executive as its commercial chief, with the appointment underpinned by a $17 million raise made earlier in the year.
Also Startup Daily
Insurtech Cover Genius, previously ranked first on the Smart50 list, has secured $143 million from Vista Credit Partners at a valuation above $2 billion, with funds earmarked for AI development and acquisitions.
Australian insurtech Cover Genius raised $143 million led by Vista Credit Partners, pushing its valuation above $2 billion, with funds earmarked for platform development, AI claims capabilities and international expansion.
Square Peg's half-year investor letter reports two funds reaching final close, three exits including Talon.One's sale to Adyen, realisations past US$1bn, and a framework for judging AI disruption across its portfolio.
Blackbird's blog post announces portfolio company Tracksuit has bought Hall, an AI brand-visibility startup the firm backed at pre-seed in 2023; Hall founder Kai Forsyth and his team have joined Tracksuit.
Square Peg reports 30% portfolio growth, US$1bn+ cumulative realisations, US$138m returned this half, closes two new funds, and outlines an AI disruption framework.
Payments provider Zip Co will wind down its New Zealand operations following a strategic review, concentrating instead on its growing Australian and US businesses, with any financial impact described as immaterial.
A New Zealand consumer research company has bought an Australian artificial intelligence startup, folding its tools into the buyer's brand measurement offering amid consolidation among analytics firms.
Also SmartCompany
Roundup newsletter tallies seven funding rounds worth $606.5m for the week, plus Heidi's record-scale NHS clinician contract, Canva's Code 2.0 release, and a newly announced Office of AI.
Historical profile of the Fremantle craft brewery founded in 2000, covering its rise, its 2012 acquisition by Lion and 2023 sale to Asahi, and its lasting mark on Australian beer culture.
Victoria has folded LaunchVic and its Breakthrough Victoria investment fund into a new body, Innovation Victoria, naming its chair, deputy chair and leader, while recapping agrifood startups the fund has backed.
Perth family office Verona Capital has bought majority control of mining-robotics maker Dredge Robotics, giving early investor Acorn Capital a 3.4x return, while the founders retain significant stakes and stay in charge.
Roundup of three early-stage AI raises: BlueNexus's $2 million seed, Hyades's NZ$910,000 pre-seed plus a research grant, and ESGAgent's undisclosed round. All three companies are pre-revenue.
Roundup of three ANZ raises: BlueNexus' $2m seed led by M31 Capital, Hyades' NZ$1.1m pre-seed with Icehouse Ventures plus an R&D grant, and ESGAgent.ai's $725,000 seed led by DNX Ventures.
A launch profile of Wingman Money, a personal finance app built by two University of Queensland graduates that rates financial wellbeing with a single score; its founders earlier took part in Startmate's 2025 pre-accelerator.
Equity crowdfunding on Birchal saw the NSW pantry goods maker attract 179 backers, exceeding its minimum target, with proceeds earmarked for production capacity, wider retail reach and an export push.
Brisbane radiopharmaceutical developer AdvanCell has closed an oversubscribed Series D round, led by Ally Bridge Group and Alpha Wave with several institutional investors returning, to fund late-stage prostate cancer trials and US manufacturing.
AgFunderNews roundup of agtech and foodtech items: several venture raises and EU grants, Uber's agreed takeover of Delivery Hero, Winnow's purchase of Lumitics, Norrsken Evolve's fund close, and Goterra's liquidation.
Grants totalling slightly more than $1m went to 22 NSW startups in the latest MVP Ventures round, with individual awards between $24,225 and $75,000; a third round is being assessed.
Podcast interview with Plico's chief executive on why few Australian battery owners join virtual power plants, lessons since the company's 2017 Western Australia launch, and what mainstream VPP adoption would take.