Investor · 3 deals
country’s largest industry fund
Every published round AustralianSuper 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rokt | Series D+ | 2022 | $458m | Participant | Startup Daily (19 Jan 2025), Startup Daily (6 Dec 2022), Forbes Australia, SmartCompany (1 Feb 2022), SmartCompany (24 Jan 2022), Startup Daily (24 Jan 2022), Techboard, Square Peg Capital, Startup Daily (17 Dec 2021), SmartCompany (17 Dec 2021) | |
| Siteminder | Unnamed stage | 14 Sep 2021 | $100m | Participant | Startup Daily, SmartCompany | |
| Athena | undisclosed | 21 Oct 2019 | $48m | Participant | StrictlyVC, NAB Ventures portfolio |
Companies AustralianSuper has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athena | Sydney, Australia-based online lending startup focused on home loans | 21 Oct 2019, undisclosed | 1 | 0 |
| Rokt | E-commerce marketing technology platform | 2022, Series D+ | 1 | 0 |
| Siteminder | Another Australian company backed by TCV | 14 Sep 2021 | 1 | 0 |
This is a stake in the fund itself, money that the fund's manager invests, not a stake in the fund manager.
Companies AustralianSuper has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal AustralianSuper did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Elana Rubin AM | Chair (former) | Australian FinTech |
Stories naming AustralianSuper. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Payments company Airwallex has brought in a new independent chair for its Australian board and added a former New Zealand prime minister as a director; he already leads its NZ board.
Airwallex has appointed Elana Rubin AM to chair its Australian board and former New Zealand prime minister Sir Bill English as a director there, with both roles starting immediately; their other board roles are listed.
Sydney venture firm Airtree has completed the close of its fifth fund at $650 million, drawing backing from US institutional investors and Australian superannuation funds, with allocations set for early and growth stages.
Analysis of ADNOC's proposed cash takeover of Australian gas producer Santos, arguing the deal may harm domestic gas supply and national interests, with government, regulators and shareholders able to block or condition it.
Investors bought existing Rokt shares in a tender at a higher valuation; the piece also reports the mParticle acquisition, a board addition, and past raises.
Fair Supply, which scores supply-chain ESG risks, announced a round of over $12 million led by Five V Capital with AirTree and QIC, funding growth in Canada and Europe.
Supply-chain ESG compliance software firm Fair Supply has a new investment round led by Five V Capital with AirTree and QIC taking part, as it prepares to expand into Canada and Europe.
Airtree Ventures has reached a first close on its fifth fund, drawing commitments from three US institutions plus returning local super funds, against a $650 million target.
Prospa, the small-business lender, has agreed to a $74 million buyout by Salter Brothers Tech Fund and will leave the ASX, five years after floating at a far higher valuation.
Sydney ESG supply-chain analytics firm FairSupply has raised a $6.3 million Series A led by AirTree, with Tidal Ventures, Minderoo Foundation and QIC investing, following Minderoo's earlier 2021 backing.
Square Peg and Wellington Management bought more shares of Rokt from employees and investors in a secondary sale, lifting its valuation, while its earlier funding rounds are recapped ahead of a planned IPO.
Also Forbes Australia
Square Peg Capital has closed its fifth fund at $550 million, bringing total funds raised to about $1.6 billion, with superannuation funds among its backers and investments across Australia, Southeast Asia and Israel.
Elmo Software confirmed takeover approaches including from Accel-KKR, sending its ASX shares up 28%, though no deal is agreed. The Sydney HR software firm listed in 2017; AustralianSuper and Cooper Investors hold major stakes.
Square Peg's retrospective of 2019: five new portfolio companies, several large rounds it led or co-led, two acquisitions, two IPOs, new team members, and its capital deployed across new and follow-on deals.
Also Startup Daily·Square Peg Capital·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany
Square Peg's post explains why it led mortgage platform Athena's $70 million Series C, with Hostplus and Airtree reinvesting and Australian Super, NAB Ventures and Salesforce Ventures joining as new backers.
Sydney venture firm AirTree has raised A$700 million across three vehicles — an early-stage fund, a web3 fund and a growth fund — with superannuation funds as backers. Its portfolio includes Canva, Linktree and Immutable.
Also Startup Daily·TechCrunch Australia·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily
Rokt raised a record A$458 million Series E led by Tiger Global, valuing it at $2.75 billion, while employees and investors sold down shares; the founder aims for a US listing in 2023.
GBS Ventures reports Novartis has agreed to acquire chronic-pain drug developer Spinifex Pharmaceuticals for US$200 million upfront plus milestones, recalling the company's 2005, 2008 and 2014 venture rounds and its Australian investors.
Also GBS Ventures·novartis.com·clinicalleader.com·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·anthillonline.com·@AuManufacturing·materresearch.org.au·Business News Australia
Hatchtech announced FDA sign-off on its DeOvo Phase 3 trials and two extra patents; its profile names GBS Venture Partners among the company's investors.
Melbourne drug developer Hatchtech raised A$12.6 million, with OneVentures Innovation Fund leading, to advance its head lice treatment toward Phase III trials; board changes brought in Richard Treagus and Hugh Alsop.
Australian pharmaceutical developer Hatchtech appoints Tim Waugh, a former Roche divisional vice president, as chief executive officer to lead development and commercialisation of its head lice treatment DeOvo and establish a United States presence.
Square Peg has closed two new funds, Fund 4 and Opportunities Fund 2, with Hostplus, AustralianSuper and Roc Partners backing again; investments already made include Kula and Supabase.