Ledger. Australian venture funding, tracked

Startup · $1.8b raised · AI

Baseten

AI inference infrastructure platform

Silicon Valley, OS

Coverage

Stories naming Baseten. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.

12 deals

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #180, 4th October 2026

Weekly roundup reporting Australian startup funding rounds and government grants, a venture fund close, agreed acquisitions, an IPO pricing, a collapse, plus executive hires and AI policy developments.

This Week in Australian Startups 4 Oct 2026 Avicena SystemsEastend VenturesFeBIHeidi HealthiQ SenseQ FactorialQuantX LabsR2CreteSilicon Quantum ComputingSkopos BioTrendspekAdobeAdvanced NavigationAirwallexAmpolAnthropicAtlassianAUDCBarrenjoeyBasetenBig Picture MedicalBlackbird VenturesDroneshieldEvie NetworksFirmus TechnologiesFusion Venture LabsGoldman SachsHarrison AIInDebtedLorikeetMegaportMetaMonoovaMorgan StanleyNearmapNexlOFXOpenAIOrbit2OrbitOrd MinnettPaperbarkPerennial Private InvestmentsPlanet StartupPotentia CapitalPsiQuantumQueenslandRBAREA GroupRedbelly NetworkRedEarth Energy Storage LtdREXRoyal Commission into AIScalare PartnersSiconaStanfordTank Stream LabsTech CouncilThoma BravoThorneyUnileverUniversity of MelbourneWatchfulWeMoneyBlockwall Digital Assets FundCritical Technologies Challenge ProgramFunds SAGenesis Pre-Seed FundOIF VenturesShape CapitalTenmileTin Alley VenturesUniseedYosemiteBrendan LeeChris LehaneChris McNamaraChristian Westerlind WigstromChristopher ManningDavid JanetzkiIain RossIan WangJosh ForemanJosh ParsonsKate PounderMatt ReddenPhilipp ThurnerSam AltmanTrevor St Baker
Fund close $1b

A billion reasons to invest right at the very beginning

Blackbird announces its new early-stage and growth funds have brought in A$1.05 billion, reflecting on early cheques, portfolio outcomes like Eucalyptus's sale, and new international backers.

Blackbird Ventures portfolio 25 Aug 2026 Blackbird VenturesAirwallexBasetenCanvaEucalyptusHalterHeidi HealthHims & HersMarlooAdams Street PartnersMorgan Stanley Investment ManagementSchrodersCliff ObrechtCraig PiggottHardy MichelMel PerkinsSamantha Wong

Also Dealroom·Dealroom·AFR Technology·Startup Daily·Business News Australia·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia

2 deals

Baseten: the whole game

Blackbird's post explaining its participation in Baseten's $1.5 billion Series F, its biggest investment yet, and why inference infrastructure will anchor the open-source AI era; notes rapid growth and senior engineering hires.

Blackbird Ventures portfolio 23 Jun 2026 BasetenAbridgeAnthropicClayCursorDatabricksDatadogDecagonHarveyLovableNotionOpenAIOpenEvidenceParsed01AAltimeter CapitalBlackbird VenturesConvictionDurableIVPSands CapitalSpark CapitalT. Rowe PriceWellington ManagementIan NowlandsSameer Paranjpye

Also Dealroom

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