Co-founder and CEO, Employment Hero · angel in 2 deals
Every published round Ben Thompson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle In | Unnamed stage | Apr 2023 | $2m | Participant | Alberts Impact Ventures (19 Dec 2023), SmartCompany, Women's Agenda, Startup Daily, Alberts Impact Ventures (13 Apr 2023), Our Innovation Fund, Alberts portfolio | |
| Askable | Series A | 2023 | $22m | Participant | SmartCompany, Startup Daily, AirTree Ventures portfolio |
Companies Ben Thompson has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
Fund closes reported for Ben Thompson, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Ben Thompson has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Ben Thompson did.
Stories naming Ben Thompson. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Seek's venture arm has begun selling its remaining stake in Employment Hero, a year after a $95 million partial sale to KKR, following the recent resolution of their Federal Court dispute over API access.
SEEK's venture arm has begun a sale process for its remaining Employment Hero stake, following a $95 million partial sale to KKR and a resolved Federal Court dispute over API access.
Employment Hero has begun Federal Court action against backer Seek to halt its job-listing API shutdown; the piece recalls Seek's 2018 investment and KKR's $95 million stake purchase.
Seek is selling part of its Employment Hero holding to KKR for $95m, implying a $2.2bn valuation; the article also recalls the HR startup's Series F and its buyouts of Humi and Employment Innovations.
Employment Hero acquires Canada's Humi for $112m and, filings show, paid $43.4m for Ben Thompson's Employment Innovations; the story also recalls its 2023 Series F and investor clash.
Brisbane market-research software firm Askable, self-funded since 2017 by a father-son duo, has announced a $22m Series A led by AirTree at a $100m valuation, with Skip Capital and founder angels backing it.
Also SmartCompany
Roundup of the week's funding news: nine companies across Australia and New Zealand secured investment spanning clean energy, construction logistics, legal tech, coaching, research tools, creator media, medtech and marketing software.
Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·LaunchVic
Employment Hero has rolled out SmartMatch, an AI job-matching feature for small businesses; chief executive Ben Thompson defends its bias safeguards as the piece weighs fears the technology could entrench workplace sameness.
A year-end SmartCompany roundup counting down 2023's ten largest Australian startup raises, headed by Employment Hero's $263m Series F, with investor details and commentary on fewer mega-rounds and continued under-representation of women co-founders.
Roundup of eight Australian startup raises totalling $433m, topped by Employment Hero's $263m Series F and Skykraft's $120m round; Darwinium, Konvoy Kegs, The Martec and three Birchal crowdfunds complete the week.
Also AgFunderNews
Employment Hero raised a $263 million Series F led by TCV, reaching a $2 billion valuation, with existing backers reinvesting; Skykraft announced a $120 million raise.
Also employmenthero.com
Australian HR software firm Employment Hero has banked a large Series F led by US investor TCV, lifting its valuation towards $2 billion, with several existing backers also taking part.
Sydney HR-and-payroll firm Employment Hero announced a TCV-led Series F reaching unicorn valuation; the profile covers its products, remote workforce and global ambitions, citing rival raises.
HR platform Employment Hero announced a Series F of $263 million with TCV leading, valuing the company at $2 billion, pending foreign investment approval, to speed global expansion.
Also Forbes Australia·TechCrunch Australia·SmartCompany·proactiveinvestors.com·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·employmenthero.com·employmenthero.com·Forbes Australia·Crunchbase News
HR and payroll platform Employment Hero has launched Swag, an app adding an AI-powered jobs board, auto-generated job descriptions and employee benefits to its existing small-business tools.
Employment Hero has launched Swag, an AI-powered hiring superapp for small businesses offering job drafting, candidate matching and employee benefits, putting it in competition with its own backer SEEK.
Melbourne family-care benefits platform Circle In has closed a $2m round, adding Alberts Impact Ventures to existing private backers and LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund, while research highlights shrinking venture money for women-only founding teams.
Also Alberts Impact Ventures portfolio·Alberts Impact Ventures portfolio·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Women's Agenda
HR software firm Employment Hero announced a large funding round reaching unicorn status in Australian dollars, and separately bought payroll company KeyPay, whose founders will stay on in leadership roles.
Employment Hero raised £96 million led by SEEK Investments, reaching unicorn valuation, and acquired payroll firm KeyPay, whose founders stay on as the combined business targets UK growth.
Also TechCrunch Australia·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Techboard·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·employmenthero.com
Folklore investor Dan Fleming argues cohort-based learning platforms and the creator economy are transforming education, noting his firm's investment in Australian online learning platform ScholarSite.