Airtasker

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #179, 26th September 2026

Weekly roundup recording a dozen raises and acquisitions, Firmus's scheduled float, a new $50m venture fund, a founder share sale, grant winners, an accelerator intake, and an AI agent's government breach.

Also Dynamic Business·DealStreetAsia·This Week in Australian Startups·Dealroom·ABC News Technology

Expert360's $16 million sale leaves founder, early investors with no share payout

Workforce platform Expert360 is being bought by AI hiring firm Swipejobs at a reported $16 million value, while its founder and earliest backers are set to receive nothing for their stakes.

Also Startup Daily

Leonardo AI, Airtasker, Canva and Linktree founders back Side Stage Ventures in $50 million Fund II

Side Stage Ventures has reached a $40 million initial close on its $50 million second fund, backed by founders of earlier wins, while principal Elli Hanson steps up to partner.

Also This Week in Australian Startups·Startup News (WA)

Team Techstars Sydney: Meet Briefcase, the case-management platform speeding up legal decisions

Startup Daily profiles Briefcase, founded by former Canva legal head Kirk Simmons, which digitises dispute handling for courts and tribunals; it is one of twelve companies in Techstars Sydney's 2025 cohort.

ASX-listed Airtasker raises another $10 million

Airtasker closed a $10 million equity placement led by iHeartMedia alongside an expanded US media partnership, the latest of several advertising-for-equity deals with broadcasters in the US, UK and Australia.

Also Startup Daily

UK TV company Channel 4’s VC arm tips another $5 million into Airtasker

Airtasker has done a third £2.5 million media-for-equity raise with Channel 4’s venture arm for its UK subsidiary, with annualised marketplace volume now above $21 million.

Also Startup Daily

Home care services platform Mable is hoping a buyer will make it a unicorn

Startup Daily profiles care marketplace Mable, reportedly seeking a buyer, recalling its 2021 and 2019 raises, its purchases of two NDIS businesses, and a consumer regulator's action over unfair terms.

Six Aussie startups that raised $28.5 million this week

Weekly roundup detailing new capital for Australian startups Diraq, BrainFish, RecycleSmart, Cohabit and Five Faces, alongside Alumly's undisclosed multimillion-dollar backing from UK investor Mauve Group.

Also Startup Daily

Melbourne scaleup Book An Artist adds US marketplace Wescover to its palette

Wescover, an American marketplace for custom-made creations, has been bought by Melbourne-headquartered Book An Artist, which plans to merge the platforms; the piece also recalls Book An Artist's 2022 raise.

Business channel ausbiz launches 'intel' service for investors in equity deal with shares platform Marketech

Sydney business channel ausbiz has taken equity in Perth share-investing platform company Marketech, embedding its analyst video content in Marketech's Focus platform, and is seeking crowdfunding for its AI venture ausbiz LABS.

'Airbnb for boats' startup Floatspace acquired by billionaire Ian Malouf's luxury yacht charter business

Sydney boat-rental platform Floatspace has been bought by yacht charter operator Ahoy Club, with founder Hugh Treseder staying on as CEO; the story recalls its $600,000 raise and later failed funding attempts.

Nine Aussie startups that raised $233.5 million this week

Weekly roundup of nine Australian startups that together raised over $233 million, led by Hysata's $172 million Series B, with rounds also for V2 Digital, AgriWebb, Disco, Genero, Brainfish, Kite Therapy, Nucanon and Maslow.

Also Startup Daily·Business News Australia·Startup Daily

Brainfish nets $3.85 million to tackle customer support challenges

Sydney AI customer-support startup Brainfish has raised $3.85 million in a round led by Peak XV Partners' Surge, with Macdoch Ventures, Black Sheep Capital and angels taking part, bringing its total capital to $5 million.

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

Eleven Aussie startups that raised $61.5 million this week

Weekly roundup of funding rounds at eleven Australian startups, including a $28 million Series B, a $14 million raise paired with an acquisition, and a neural-implant company appointing a new chief executive.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Airtasker cofounder Jonathan Lui's proptech app, Soho, banks $750,000 to hit $20 million valuation

Soho, the property search app cofounded by Airtasker's Jonathan Lui, has secured $750,000 from Singapore VC Feedback Ventures in a pre-Series B round valuing it above $20 million.

Also SmartCompany

Aerologix raise takes Aussie drone company to new heights

Sydney drone startup Aerologix has secured A$2m from Nightingale Partners to expand internationally, buying Brazilian geospatial firm Mappa and rolling the software out worldwide as AerologixMaps.

Also @AuManufacturing

Linktree cofounders back new $15 million VC fund

Founder-backed syndicate Side Stage Ventures has become a $15 million seed fund, with LocalGlobe and several founders as limited partners, three startups already backed, and portfolio company Joyn acquiring event firm Arinex.

Side Stage Ventures secures $15 million for its launch fund with support from Linktree, Airtasker

SmartCompany reports Side Stage Ventures has completed a $15 million first close of its debut fund, backed by founders of Airtasker, Linktree and Go1 plus LocalGlobe, targeting $30 million and already backing early startups.

Also Startup Daily·Australian FinTech

UK TV station Channel Four takes 20% stake in Airtasker's British arm for $6.5 million

Airtasker's UK subsidiary gains Channel 4's investment arm 4 Ventures as a media-for-equity backer with a $6.5 million stake, while the ASX-listed parent appointed Cass O'Connor chair, replacing James Spenceley.

Also Startup Daily

Veteran tech director Cass O’Connor to chair Airtasker as investor James Spenceley steps down to focus on humanitarian work

Airtasker names Cass O’Connor as its next chair while James Spenceley departs the board after eight years to devote himself to Ukrainian relief efforts.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Tractor Ventures started here

Profile of revenue-based fund Tractor Ventures, co-founded by Jodie Imam, Matt and Aprill Allen with LaunchVic backing, covering its lending model, growth, and Imam's earlier ventures including Occasional Butler's sale to Airtasker.

How to Build a Successful Business: Insights from Tyler Tan, Executive Director of Airtasker

Wholesale Investor promotes a video in which Tyler Tan, an Airtasker executive and Skyfield Group investment director, discusses the investment landscape and offers guidance for founders seeking capital.

VC-backed crowdfunding platform Stride Equity is offering a new funding model for startups

Three ex-Investec executives launch Stride Equity, a crowdfunding platform where vetted startups get crowd raises plus co-investment from the Stride Lead fund; the founders previously backed firms including Vocus and Airtasker.

Amaysim's Rolf Hansen backs boat rental marketplace Floatspace in hunt for $3 million Series A

Boat rental marketplace Floatspace has added Amaysim co-founder Rolf Hansen as an investor and board member, and is now seeking a $3 million Series A to grow in Australia and the US.

Casual staffing marketplace Sidekicker pockets $20 million from SEEK

Sidekicker, an Australian and New Zealand casual staffing marketplace, has raised $20 million from SEEK Investments to expand across ANZ and upgrade its platform.

Also SmartCompany·Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Women's Agenda

Ignition Lane's Wrap: the state of Cloud, VC advice, Tiger stripes, cattle class crypto, M&A fires up

Weekly tech wrap: cloud-market trends, Tiger Global's cheques into Stake, Shippit and Carma, new VC funds, several acquisitions, grocery delivery startups Send and Quicko collapsing, and Elaine Stead joining M8 Ventures.

Also Startup Daily

This week on SUDS, the Startup Daily TV podcast: UK jail plan for tech execs, Sun Cable powers up, advice for founders, taxing NFTs

Startup Daily's weekly SUDS podcast wrap: UK laws threatening jail for tech executives, interviews with founders of SpaceDraft, Flowingly and Book An Artist, Sun Cable's solar export ambitions, and NFT tax guidance.

Startup stakeholder management platform Cake Equity raises $3 million seed round

Gold Coast stakeholder management startup Cake Equity has raised a $3 million seed round co-led by Jason Calacanis and Rampersand, with angels including Airtasker's Jonathan Lui, to support global expansion.

Also Australian FinTech

Airtasker's Tim Fung backs art marketplace Book An Artist in $1 million raise

Also SmartCompany

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.

Insurer VC Firemark Ventures launches $75 million second fund

IAG's venture arm Firemark Ventures has committed a $75 million second fund, already deployed into Texas 3D imaging startup Plnar; earlier backing included UpGuard, Myriota, Hyper Anna, Airtasker and Life360.

Also Startup Daily

The 10 most-read startup stories on SmartCompany in 2021

A year-end recap of SmartCompany's most-read startup stories of 2021, recalling raises by Carted, Octopus Deploy, Who Gives a Crap and Judo Bank, plus a bank acquisition, listings and a liquidation.

Nine startups that raised a combined $70 million this week

Roundup of nine startup raises totalling $70 million, including Q-CTRL's Series B, Foundry Lab's round led by Blackbird, and EnGeneIC's crowdfunded COVID-19 vaccine raise, plus a new Elenium Automation board member.

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