Funding announcement
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.
Startup · $1.4m raised
Aussie Angels
Former name of Ventari, angel investment platform
Sydney, NSW
Disclosed deals
Every published round Aussie Angels took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Role | Alongside | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophiie AI | Seed | 16 Aug 2026 | $5m | Participant | Startup Daily, Business News Australia, Dealroom | |
| Nitrosend | Seed | 4 Aug 2026 | $700k | Participant | Startup Daily (30 Sep 2026), Startup Daily (5 Aug 2026), Startup Daily (5 Jun 2026), SmartCompany, Startup Daily (4 Jun 2026), Eastend Ventures portfolio | |
| Nitrosend | Seed | 3 Jun 2026 | $500k | Participant | Dealroom, Eastend Ventures | |
| Parachute | Pre-seed | 19 Feb 2026 | $1.8m | Participant | Startup Daily, SmartCompany, Rampersand portfolio | |
| Tendl | Pre-seed | 24 Feb 2025 | $2m | Participant | SmartCompany (28 Feb 2025), SmartCompany (26 Feb 2025), Tidal Ventures, 77 Partners portfolio, Tidal Ventures portfolio |
Portfolio
Companies Aussie Angels has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrosend | AI-native email marketing platform for small and mid-sized businesses | 3 Jun 2026, Seed | 2 | 0 |
| Parachute | Rampersand portfolio company building AI for SME law firms | 19 Feb 2026, Pre-seed | 1 | 0 |
| Sophiie AI | AI-powered client management system for service-based businesses | 16 Aug 2026, Seed | 1 | 0 |
| Tendl | 24 Feb 2025, Pre-seed | 1 | 0 |
Funds
Fund closes reported for Aussie Angels, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Portfolio companies acquired
Companies Aussie Angels has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Aussie Angels did.
| Company | Bought by | Kind | Announced | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No portfolio company of Aussie Angels is recorded as having been acquired. | ||||
What Aussie Angels bought
Companies Aussie Angels acquired or merged with, per published coverage. Buying a company is not investing in one: nothing here counts in the deals column.
Funding history
-
Seed : $1,400,000
Investors
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round Aussie Angels raised.
| Investor | Rounds | Invested |
|---|---|---|
| AirTree Ventures | Seed | - |
| Black Nova Venture Capital | Seed | - |
| Euphemia | Seed | - |
| Rampersand | Seed | - |
On a portfolio page
Investors whose own portfolio pages list Aussie Angels, even though we haven't found any coverage of the round yet.
| Investor | Listed on |
|---|---|
| Co Ventures | its portfolio page ↗ |
People
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Cheryl Mack | Founder | Startup Daily (20 Feb 2026), SmartCompany, Startup Daily (31 May 2022) |
| Cheryl Mack | CEO | Startup Daily |
Coverage
Stories naming Aussie Angels. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Funding announcement
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.
Seed
$5m
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.
Funding announcement
🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #172, 2nd August 2026
Weekly roundup: $16.3 million across four early local rounds, Maincode launches the Matilda Code coding agent, Aussie Angels becomes Ventari, and Startmate names seventeen startups to its W26 intake.
2 deals
Creditors vote to put food waste startup Goterra in liquidation
Creditors have voted to wind up Canberra insect-protein startup Goterra after sale and recapitalisation efforts failed, with administrators reporting mounting losses and recoveries likely confined to their fees.
8 deals
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.
Seed
$700k
Adelaide AI martech startup Nitrosend nails $700,000 Seed round
Adelaide brothers Edward and George Hartley, who earlier sold SmartrMail to Relay Commerce, have raised US$500,000 in seed money for Nitrosend, their AI email marketing platform, with Eastend Ventures Fund 1 leading.
Seed
US$500k
Eastend leads US$500K seed round in Adelaide AI startup Nitrosend
Eastend Ventures led a half-million-dollar US seed round in Nitrosend with Archangel Ventures and Aussie Angels. Founders Edward and George Hartley earlier built SmartrMail, bought by Relay Commerce in 2022.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Dealroom
9 deals
24 Aussie startups that raised $91 million this week
Roundup of the week's Australian startup funding: fresh raises for five companies, Startmate's Summer '26 accelerator intake of 19 startups, and Affinda's acquisition of Pathfindr.
Also Startup Daily
13 deals
Cheque-in: 8 startups gobbled up $572.12 million in funding this week
Weekly roundup of eight raises totalling $572.12 million, led by Firmus's $500 million round; RAGE Biotech, SunDrive, Number 8 Bio, Fabra, Keeyu, MyGig and Drone-Hand also funded, plus two RAGE Biotech executive appointments.
Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Business News Australia
Funding announcement
MyGig raises $1M for casual payroll and compliance platform
SmartCompany reports MyGig's $1 million pre-seed round, led by Artesian with Hostplus funds, to grow an employer-of-record service handling payroll and workplace compliance for casual workforces.
News
💡 Backing People, Not Just Startups: 25 Years of Investing Wisdom with Tracie Clark
Ten13 profiles angel investor Tracie Clark, tracing her path from property and wealth management into early-stage investing, her founder-focused diligence, syndicate work championing women investors, and a new syndicate backing Plus Eight alumni.
2 deals
Shopfront raises $800,000 to make e-commerce easier
Melbourne startup Shopfront has secured $800,000 in a pre-seed round led by Antler, Co-Ventures, 5H Values Capital and Jam Pad Investments, with angel syndicates joining; its founders met through an Antler program.
Also Startup Daily·retailtechinnovationhub.com·startupwired.com
Grant
Work skills edtech HEX acquires Sydney tech training startup EntryLevel
Education startup HEX has bought Sydney-based learning platform EntryLevel for an undisclosed amount, while securing another year of Atlassian Foundation backing and partnering with Toyota's trust on a STEM program for regional students.
3 deals
Superseeder: psychedelic biotech Psylo plants $12 million in latest 'Seed' round
Psylo, a Sydney maker of psychedelic therapies, has landed a US$8 million seed round led by Tenmile while moving to the US; earlier raises in 2022 and 2021 are recalled.
News
Jonny Dawson
Dom Pym discusses his journey from engineering to founding Up Bank and now investing via Euphemia, focusing on social good and underrepresented founders.
Funding announcement
Two new WA investment syndicates announce first target deals
Two new Western Australian syndicates, West Tech Investor Network and VentureX Capital, have unveiled debut deals via the Aussie Angels platform, eyeing Procuracon and HeyLady; an earlier $100,000 outlay across three startups is recalled.
3 deals
Three Australian startups that have already raised millions this year
Early-2023 roundup of startup raises: a solar software company closed a Series B, an adventure-tech firm landed Series A money, and an angel investing platform raised seed capital.
Fund close
$10m
AfterWork Ventures co-founders named in Forbes 30 under 30
The co-founders of Sydney venture firm AfterWork Ventures have been recognised on the Forbes Asia young leaders list, alongside other regional founders and investors; the firm earlier reached a $10 million first close on its fund.
Funding announcement
MyGig Press & Media - News, Facts, Boilerplate
MyGig's press page records its A$1 million pre-seed funding round with Artesian, Hostplus, Co Ventures and Aussie Angels, alongside company facts, its founder, and media contacts.