Antler Australia

🇦🇺 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·iTnews·Dealroom·ABC News Technology

AI debt recovery fintech OpenDebt bags $2 million in pre-Seed

Sydney fintech OpenDebt, which applies AI agents to debt recovery, has secured $2 million in pre-seed backing from Blackbird and Antler to grow its team and explore US partnerships.

Also Australian FinTech·Business News Australia·This Week in Australian Startups·Dynamic Business

Scalare backs AI scent startup Auric, which opens Sydney lab

Listed investor Scalare Partners has taken an undisclosed early-stage stake in Sydney AI scent startup Auric, which has opened a lab at Tank Stream Labs after earlier backing from Antler and Sputnik ATX.

Also This Week in Australian Startups

Airtree is offering $350,000 to ANZ founders to kick off in Silicon Valley

Startup Daily reports Airtree has extended its Frontier founder residency to San Francisco, dangling uncapped US$250,000 SAFE notes at expat Aussie and Kiwi founders; its Sydney edition hosts alumni of major local tech firms.

Pre-Seed funding in Australia dries up at the end of the year, here’s how to plan for it

Antler Australia urges founders planning a pre-seed raise to move early and close before the summer break, promoting its five-week Fast Track cheque and citing Refresh's later rounds as proof it works.

Also Startup Daily

Two ANZ startups that raised $21 million this week

Two raises reported: Superhero has banked $20m of a hoped $30m round led by Salter Brothers at a $176m valuation, while New Zealand crime-intelligence startup Azonic took NZ$1m in a Blackbird-led pre-seed.

The 8 Australian startups on Forbes Asia's 100 To Watch list

Eight Australian companies make Forbes Asia's annual 100 To Watch list; the piece profiles each and recaps recent raises across climate tech, health and software.

Seven ANZ startups that raised $111.5 million this week

Roundup of seven raises across the Tasman spanning fintech, marine tech, agtech, defence and AI, plus a first close for an ACT venture fund.

Behavioural intelligence firm Flowing Bee appoints Jonny Hanratty as head of applied research

Melbourne behavioural-intelligence startup Flowing Bee hires Jonny Hanratty from The Lab to lead applied research and strategy amid rapid growth; named backers include Archangel Ventures, Antler and LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund.

This Week in Australian Startups #174, 16th August 2026

Australian startups raised funds including Alloy Robotics, Farmbot and Atmo Biosciences. Firmus Technologies acquired Benmax while Tabcorp bought BetMakers. SafetyCulture rebranded to Mitti.

Sophiie AI raises A$5M seed to build an AI operating system for tradies

Australian trades-software startup Sophiie AI has secured A$5 million in seed capital, valuing it at A$30 million, with five backers on board as it relaunches its platform and eyes US expansion later in 2026.

Also Business News Australia·Startup Daily

Eight ANZ startups that raised $67.4 million this week

Eight Australian and New Zealand startups secured a combined $67.4 million in funding across various sectors including agtech, medtech, robotics, and fintech.

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #173, 9th August 2026

Weekly roundup: Firmus completes its $2.85b round; Procore acquires DroneDeploy; Atlassian rebounds while Canva cuts guidance; plus fresh raises for Zabidou, BioScout, Vexev, Enrola, Spacetalk and others.

Also Dealroom·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

Four Aussie startups that raised $2.86 billion this week (sort of)

Roundup of four Australian raises: Firmus Technologies' US$2 billion round at a $15 billion valuation, Eudaemon's $3.75 million, Zabidou's $3.5 million seed round, and Rampart's $2.3 million.

Also This Week in Australian Startups

Enrola raises $2.1M Seed after pivot from education to AI sales tech

Australian startup Enrola has banked seed funding to scale its AI sales agent after pivoting from an education marketplace, with a new growth head joining.

Also Startup Daily·This Week in Australian Startups·ontargetish.com·bushletter.com·SmartCompany

Women’s health data startup Ovum lands $4 million Seed round

Melbourne women's health app Ovum raised $4m Seed funding led by Admiralty Capital Group to expand AI-driven health data tools, valuing it at $18 million.

His self-driving car startup hit $300m before crashing. Now he's back for round two.

Deep tech founder Cibby Pulikkaseril has banked a $3.5m seed for Zabidou, whose lasers inspect factory output, with Black Nova, Main Sequence and Antler backing; his earlier LiDAR venture Baraja folded.

Also SmartCompany

Further, Faster: Antler's 16th Australian Cohort kicks off with 83 founders

Antler's blog post announces that 83 founders have begun its sixteenth Australian residency in Sydney, selected from over 2,300 applicants, with partners and staff describing what makes founders succeed.

Three AI startups raise $3.6M: BlueNexus $2M, Hyades $910K, ESGAgent undisclosed

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.

Three ANZ startups that raised $3.6 million this week

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.

Also ontargetish.com·aistartupsnews.com

Australian startup BlueNexus raises A$2.0 million to make AI agents something anyone can build, run and sell

Sydney firm BlueNexus announced seed funding of A$2 million, with M31 Capital leading and Antler, Eastend Ventures and inSilico One joining; proceeds go toward product rollout, connectors and compliance work.

Also apac.entrepreneur.com·Dealroom·SmartCompany·ontargetish.com·aistartupsnews.com

GoFIGR: Funding, Team & Investors | Startup Intros

Profile of GoFIGR, a Sydney HR-tech startup founded in 2020 by two former Randstad colleagues, recording its 2023 seed round of $1.9 million backed by Aliavia Ventures, Antler and Wollemi Capital.

Our Investment in Flyweel - Building the Financial Layer Beneath Ad Spend

Ten13's post explains why it led Flyweel's pre-seed round with QIC, Antler and angel investors, backing a platform bringing real-time financial visibility and funding to advertising spend.

Ovum raises AUD 4M seed to scale its women's health AI

Australian women's health AI startup Ovum AI has raised a 4 million dollar seed round led by Admiralty Capital Group, following an earlier pre-seed, with several impact and government backers participating.

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

Advertising fintech Flyweel nabs $2.41 million pre-Seed

Flyweel, a Queensland fintech for financing and managing ad spend, has banked $2.41 million in a pre-seed round Ten13 led, with Antler, QIC and several founder-angels aboard; a US launch comes first.

Flyweel raises $2.41M pre-seed to build the financial layer under ad spend

Queensland fintech Flyweel has closed a pre-seed round led by Ten13, with Antler, QIC and several fintech founders and executives backing, to help businesses fund advertising ahead of revenue.

Also Australian FinTech·Startup Daily

Seven ANZ startups that raised $17 million this week

Weekly roundup of seven Australian and New Zealand startup raises totalling $17 million, including two startups entering Y Combinator, plus a new QuantX Labs board director and SmartrMail's earlier sale to Relay Commerce.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Oscorp Energy raises A$1.3M pre-Seed to deploy AI vision for battery detection in waste streams

Sydney robotics startup Oscorp Energy raised A$1.3 million pre-seed, led by Atlas's AI fund with Antler and Antipodean Capital, to build AI vision systems that detect lithium-ion batteries in recycling waste streams.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

From competition to capital: Christie Jenkins’ journey into startups and VC

Interview with athlete-turned-investor Christie Jenkins on her path from elite sport to venture capital and her new accelerator venture, ahead of the Growth Summit.

Data centre water use startup swallows $2.8 million Seed round

Sydney climate tech startup Enaxiom has banked a seed round led by Epic Angels to commercialise its water-reusing cooling technology for data centres, funding deployment, hiring and a push into the US market.

Also Startup Daily

Mild panic and saying yes anyway: Why founders should start building before they are ready

Antler profiles two founders from its portfolio, Enaxiom's Tia and Enrola's Jo Thomas, on starting before feeling ready; both credit its residency, and Jo recalls raising without gendered friction.

Manifest raises $2 million to help ad agencies eliminate timesheets

Adtech startup Manifest has launched with a $2 million pre-seed round, led by Brand Fund with Antler, Icehouse Ventures, Techstars, family offices and industry angels taking part, aiming to replace agency timesheets.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Building an AI Company with Antler: Prefactor and the Infrastructure Behind AI Agents

Profile of Prefactor, whose co-founders Matt Doughty and Simon Russell twice pivoted from authentication into AI agent governance, recalling Antler's late-2024 backing and a September 2025 pre-seed raise.

Behind the Scenes: A Look Inside Antler's Residency in Australia

Antler Australia opens applications for its eight-week residency, profiling recent founders Matteo Calo of Flyweel and Jeff Quach of Indi and detailing its investment offer and ARC follow-on structure.

Eight ANZ startups that raised $373.3 million this week

Weekly roundup detailing eight trans-Tasman raises totalling A$373.3 million, headlined by Halter's Series E, spanning quantum computing, biomanufacturing, robotics, adtech and agtech, plus a recalled $2 billion founder exit.

Also Startup Daily

Support Fusion closes $1M funding for headcount growth

A software vendor has secured $1 million in pre-seed backing led by two venture firms, with an earlier backer and three channel executives also investing, to fund hiring in Australia and the US.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Chasing Revenue Is a Lie – Carla Penn-Kahn on Profitable DTC Brands | The Further, Faster Podcast

Podcast episode where ProfitPeak co-founder Carla Penn-Kahn tells Antler's Bede Moore why direct-to-consumer brands should prize profit over top-line growth, drawing on her history of buying and growing e-commerce brands.

Here comes the next gen of Australian startups, Antler kicks off residency #15

Antler's Australian arm begins its fifteenth founder residency, selecting 57 participants from roughly 2,000 applications; two past participants praise the programme, and applications for the next one open in April.

This 19-year-old CEO just raised $1.2m to automate one of farming's toughest jobs

GrazeMate, a cattle-mustering drone startup founded by 19-year-old Sam Rogers, has raised $1.2m in a pre-seed round led by Y Combinator, with NextGen Ventures, Antler and Meat & Livestock Australia also taking part.

Also AgFunderNews·AgFunderNews·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Indian gaming giant Zupee acquires Jason Calacanis-backed Sydney AI storytelling startup

Zupee, a major Indian gaming platform, has bought Sydney-based AI storytelling startup Nucanon for a reported $5 million; Nucanon earlier raised pre-seed money via Antler and a seed round led by Skalata Ventures.