Athletic Ventures

🇦🇺 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·AFR Technology·AFR Technology·DealStreetAsia·This Week in Australian Startups·iTnews·Dealroom·ABC News Technology

Cheque-in: 10 ANZ startups raised nearly $193 million this week

Weekly roundup of ten Australian and New Zealand startup raises totalling nearly $194 million, topped by Neara's $90 million round at a $1.1 billion valuation, with Splose, Operata, HAMR Energy and Adora also covered.

AI allied health platform Splose raises $46 million Series A

Splose, an Adelaide maker of practice software for allied-health clinicians, has landed a $46 million Series A from Spectrum Equity and Athletic Ventures to speed product development and push into the UK.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia

AI customer support startup Lorikeet has now raised $75 million in just 10 months

Sydney AI customer-support startup Lorikeet has closed US$35 million in a Series A led by QED Investors, its third round in under a year, lifting total funding beyond $75 million.

Also SmartCompany·Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Applications open for Techstars Sydney, as a champion takes charge

Christie Jenkins, an elite athlete and Blackbird investor, is the new managing director of Techstars Sydney, which has opened applications for its 13-week accelerator program running September to December.

Athletes' venture firm raises first fund | Private Equity Media

Athletic Ventures, started by former athletes, has closed its debut fund at $25 million, with about 100 sports stars and several veteran venture figures backing it as limited partners.

Runway May 24: The 7 startups revealing venture raises this week

Weekly roundup covering seven ANZ startup raises — Bare Funerals, Humii, WeMoney, CLT Toolbox, Clean Slate Clinic, SpatialGPT and Great Wrap — plus LaunchVic's $900,000 into Paul Little's Skalata fund.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Hawke's Brewing and Bare Funerals toast $1 million media-for-equity deals

Scaleup Mediafund's $15 million third fund has made its first two investments, backing Hawke's Brewing and Bare with roughly $1 million in advertising apiece; oOh!media joined as an investor.

Chipper Cash Becomes A Unicorn & Mr Yum raises US$65m Series A led by Tiger Global

TEN13 newsletter reporting Chipper Cash's US$150m unicorn round, Mr Yum's Tiger Global-led Series A, and new investments in Payhippo, Preezie, Pushas and Heaps Normal, plus portfolio updates.

Also Skalata Ventures·Skalata Ventures·Archangel Ventures portfolio·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·TechCrunch Australia·Tech Funding News - Australia·Australian FinTech·AgFunderNews·Women's Agenda·Beef Central / Grain Central·Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·LaunchVic

Six Australian startups that secured $94 million in capital this week

Roundup of six Australian startup raises totalling $94 million: Q-CTRL, Hnry, FoodByUs, F4S, STRAAND and Lenexa Medical, backed by investors including Salesforce Ventures, AirTree, Base Capital, Investible, Unilever Ventures and Stoic VC.

Also stoicam.com.au

US$6bn year for Australian VC investment in 2022

KPMG data shows Australian startup funding hit a record in 2022 despite a global downturn, while accountancy fintech Hnry closed a $35 million Series B led by AirTree to double headcount and expand overseas.

Self-employed bookkeeping platform Hnry books $35 million Series B

Accounting fintech Hnry raised a Series B led by AirTree, with Left Lane, Akshay Kothari and Athletic Ventures participating, to fund hiring, international expansion and product development.

Also Australian FinTech·Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Funeral disruptor defies deadly market conditions to bank $10m

Republished AFR report on funeral startup Bare banking a ten-million-dollar round from Perennial and Ord Minnett, plus rival Willed's June raise from Thorney, Ellerston and a Bell Potter investor.

Also OIF Ventures portfolio·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Techboard·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

The Super Seven: Meet Blackbird's Seven New Associates

Blackbird presents its seven new investment associates, profiling their varied backgrounds across elite sport, science, banking, consulting and startups, plus prior roles at firms including Sprint Ventures, NZ Growth Capital Partners and AustralianSuper.

Non-alcoholic beer brand Heaps Normal bags $8.5 million to accelerate its mission to change Aussie drinking culture

Non-alcoholic beer maker Heaps Normal has secured Series A backing to fund a new brewhouse, onboarding strategic individual investors a year after graduating from Startmate with a smaller cash injection.

Who Gives A Crap brings on first investors with $41.5m raise

Toilet paper social enterprise Who Gives A Crap has taken its first outside capital, a $41.5 million round led by Verlinvest with Grok Ventures, Airtree, Giant Leap and prominent founders and athletes involved.

Also privateequitywire.co.uk·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·onimpact.com.au