3211 rounds · 2034 startups · 3748 investors
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Lendi Group has overhauled its leadership, hiring Leo Bautista as CFO plus several general managers, while long-serving finance chief Jason King departs in May; 59 new roles are planned.
Founders Factory is launching its first Australian accelerator in Perth, a nature and biodiversity program backed by a $7.2 million WA government grant, with Rio Tinto funding a separate decarbonisation stream.
A Wollongong university accelerator's impact report tallies its startups' 2023 sales and jobs, and recalls welding-software maker Verbotics attracting seed backing and a six-figure federal grant.
Profile of Airtree Ventures' use of secondary sales for early liquidity; selling part of its Canva stake paid back its debut fund while the firm kept most of its holding.
Also Dealroom
Profile of Melbourne robotics maker Andromeda Robotics, whose Abi companion robot for healthcare settings is nearing break-even on modest backing, challenging claims that hardware startups are too costly to build locally.
Precious metals investing platform Rush has launched Switch, letting users swap holdings between two metals instantly in-app, with fees charged only on the first sale.
Blackbird's investor relations lead reflects on its limited partners, recalls the A$29 million first fund and A$1 billion returned to early backers, and flags her move to part-time as the firm seeks a replacement.
University spinout Kotai Energy is developing a powdered hydrogen carrier for cheaper exports, and has secured an ARENA grant plus funding from Velox Energy Materials and Curtin University.
Startup Daily reports Leonardo Ai's text-to-image tool was misused to create nonconsensual celebrity images, and recalls the Sydney company's $47 million raise backed by Blackbird, Side Stage Ventures and other investors.
An explainer on angel investors, covering how angel networks pool capital, LaunchVic's support for ten of them, and Archangel's growth into a venture fund holding over $20m.
Australia's renewable energy agency handed out $59.1 million in grants across two rounds, backing 21 university, CRC and startup projects in green hydrogen and cleaner iron and steel production.
Also RenewEconomy
Roundup of venture-funded startups reengineering everyday foods with unusual ingredients, detailing recent raises by Onego Bio, Planet A Foods, Savor, Perfect Day, Ripple Foods and Sydney-based Eden Brew.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has expanded its hydrogen and green metals research funding to $59.1 million across 21 projects, with recipients including Hysata, Curtin University and Fortescue subsidiary MIH2.
Startup Daily says it cannot verify reports that Indian rideshare firm Ola will stop running in Australia this week, finding no official notice, dormant social accounts, and an app still quoting fares.
Australian job-simulation edtech Forage has been bought by US education company EAB on undisclosed terms; the story also recalls its accelerator days and earlier venture raises.
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.
Sydney biotech Skin2Neuron raised $4 million from SYNthesis BioVentures to develop a hair-follicle cell therapy for Alzheimer's, while the investor reached the first $20 million close of its $75 million bioscience fund.
Also SmartCompany
Hellman & Friedman has wrapped up its flagship fundraise above $22bn and separately completed a secondary transaction raising roughly $2.1bn, which the firm counts toward combined fundraising exceeding $24bn.
Coterie Capital says it has cashed out its Huskee stake after the cup maker's sale to Five V-backed BioPak, with bosses at all three companies calling the deal a sustainability win.
Home insurer Honey Insurance has raised a $108 million Series A led by US firm Gallatin Point Capital, following a seed round backed by RACQ, AGL, Metricon, Mirvac and PEXA.
Mackay pipe-welding firm Key Solutions Group receives a $500,000 Queensland Government manufacturing grant to buy robotic welding equipment, expanding capacity and creating as many as eight jobs.
WA's Purpose Ventures has put more money into Plancare, a self-managed healthcare platform, lifting its cumulative backing to $2.5 million; the article also profiles the fund's founders, portfolio and history.
Also Startup Daily
Fremantle Seaweed, Vanable, FLK it over, Bae Juice, Nullify, Recce Pharmaceuticals, Broad Radio, VaultEscrow, Esper, Anni, CSF Enterprises, and Jupiter Ionics secured funding through various rounds including crowdfunding, seed, and grants.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany
Roundup of five raises across Australia and New Zealand: Constantinople's $50m Series A, Illuvium's US$12m, Forever Network's $6m, Starboard's NZ$5m seed and Medibis's $736,000 crowdfunding.
An interview with Sun Cable's co-founder about his advisory firm's new report urging Australian investment in solar recycling, aviation fuel, and clean export industries.
Antler investor memo profiling Unseen, an AI platform for real estate data intelligence built by Joanna Marsh and William Cosby, which took Antler pre-seed backing and is now seeking seed capital.
Hypersonix has named former US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos as its board chair, with co-founder David Waterhouse shifting to deputy chair as the hypersonic aerospace firm prepares its DART flyer flights for the US Defense Innovation Unit.
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 Australia·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing
Online small-business lender Capify has brought in Ash Yazdani as marketing director, tasking him with its marketing and customer experience in Australia and the UK; he previously held senior marketing roles at Hoist Finance.
Hypersonix has appointed Arthur Sinodinos, a former Australian ambassador to the United States, as its board chair. Co-founder David Waterhouse becomes deputy chair. The company won its first US defence contract last year.
Plutora's Australian arm entered administration over an ATO grant dispute, owing about $38 million. Ex-backer Macquarie Bank sold its 45 per cent stake for $1, while Enov8 and Innovo offer affected customers free migration.
A data review of 2023's ten largest Australian agrifoodtech raises, topped by Loam Bio's US$73.2 million Series B, showing funding down 33% as capital concentrated in upstream climate-mitigation startups.
Vow launches a quail-derived cultivated meat product through Singapore's upscale restaurants; its CEO explains the premium-first strategy, unit economics and its $56m backing, with Australian regulatory approval expected late 2024.
Chinese state-owned BJEI is set to acquire CovaU and its ASX-listed owner TPC Consolidated in a deal worth roughly $100 million, adding an energy retailer to its Australian renewables push.
Student-run fund NextGen Ventures launches to back university-founded startups, training student investors with partner VC firms and seeking its own capital; its report counts over $1.2 billion raised by student-founded startups since 2012.
The Northern Territory government and Darwin firm Paspalis have launched a $20m co-investment fund, each committing $10m, to back businesses expanding into the Territory; applications are open.
QBE Foundation grants First Australians Capital $500,000 to seed Indigenous startups; the piece also recalls the $15 million catalytic impact fund close and Block's $3 million backing.
Podcast interview in which Avertro founder and CEO Ian Yip discusses his two decades in cybersecurity, leading the Sydney-based startup, and the realities of scaling a global business.
SiBox thermal storage developer 1414 Degrees has completed its technology demonstration, proving it can deliver process heat at industrial scale, and will move to Adelaide's Tonsley district to test mass-production versions.
Interview with Stoic Venture Capital's Guy Hedley, Craig Swanger and Geoff Waring on backing university science startups, their Uniseed partnership, a planned 2024 All Stars Fund II, and new analyst Safaa Nasrallah.
Investible reflects on five takeaways from the evokeAG 2024 conference in Perth, covering tighter capital, carbon credit debates, regenerative farming, and AI's growing role in agriculture.
Square Peg profiles its Global Tech Fund, a listed-markets strategy applying its venture investing approach to early-stage public tech companies, and outlines its team, edge, and focus on fintech, software and AI.
Also Square Peg Capital
Defender's quarterly investor letter reports its global fund's Q1 2024 performance and public-market moves, and revisits its Series A backing of Lyka Pet Food, an Australian fresh pet food maker building a Victorian facility.
Also Defender AM portfolio·Shearwater Capital portfolio·Business News Australia
Defender's fund letter reports a 2% quarterly return, discusses listed trades including a semiconductor ETF position, and revisits its Series A investment in Australian pet-food maker Lyka Pet Food.
Dragonfly Enviro Capital has put a further $4 million into Jet Zero as part of the company's recently announced $30 million raise, with Qantas and Airbus also taking part.
Also Early VC
WA's government has granted 26 early-stage companies amounts reaching $40,000 each through the Innovation Booster Grant, listing every recipient and project; the program now accepts applications year-round.
Also Startup News (WA)
DigitalX's outlook on real-world asset tokenisation: market growth since 2022, institutional pilots by major banks and asset managers, regulatory frameworks, and its DxART Fund's expansion plans for 2024.
AuManufacturing's briefs roundup records Electro Optic Systems' completed $35 million placement and Environmental Clean Technologies' completed $1.5 million placement, alongside Incat's best-managed-company award, Osteopore's approvals in two Asian markets, and GLAM applications opening.
Brisbane battery developer Graphene Manufacturing Group has signed an agreement with the Queensland government for a grant worth as much as $2 million toward a planned pilot plant expected to create twelve jobs.
Also @AuManufacturing