Investor · 5 deals
Major Australian bank where Aigentsphere founders previously held senior roles.
Every published round CBA 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.
Companies CBA has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon Quantum Computing | startup founded by Michelle Simmons | May 2017, Seed | 3 | 0 |
| Klarna | Payments and buy-now-pay-later company | 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| Amber | 24 Oct 2022, Series B | 1 | 1 |
Fund closes reported for CBA, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies CBA has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal CBA did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Bob McKinnon | CIO (former) | Australian FinTech |
| Brendan Hopper | Chief Information Officer for Technology | SmartCompany |
| Kate Abrahams | Communications Boss (former) | SmartCompany, Startup Daily |
Stories naming CBA. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Apate.AI, which deploys conversational AI to disrupt phone fraud, has banked $11.4 million in seed backing from Lobby Capital and others, with proceeds earmarked for overseas growth and a US re-incorporation.
The National Reconstruction Fund has put another $40m into Sydney quantum chip maker Silicon Quantum Computing, following its $20m investment three months earlier, part of a larger round still underway.
Main Sequence's post sets out why the fund backed Aigentsphere, which builds governance tooling for enterprise AI agents, citing the founders' banking backgrounds and a $4 million seed raise.
Australia's National Reconstruction Fund has put $20 million into quantum chip maker Silicon Quantum Computing via a SAFE note, weeks after backing Diraq; a larger raise remains unannounced.
Startup Daily profiles Juxtabyte, a data governance startup founded by former CBA data governance lead Hugh Le, ahead of the Techstars Sydney 2025 cohort's Demo the Future event.
Linktree has bought Melbourne rival Fingertip and will shut it down in 2026, with its cofounders joining; the piece also recaps Linktree's earlier acquisitions and the Leibovich brothers' failed ventures.
Also Dealroom·Forbes Australia
ANZ is winding up its venture arm 1835i and has shut Cashrewards after selling its Airwallex stake; the piece also recalls Airwallex's later raises and CBA's Klarna investment, stake sale and New York listing.
ANZ is winding up 1835i, its externally managed venture arm, weeks after selling its Airwallex stake; the piece recalls Cashrewards' takeover and closure, Airwallex raises, and CBA's Klarna windfall.
Frollo, a NextGen subsidiary, launched a portal giving mortgage brokers Open Banking access to verified client financial data, already integrated with aggregators and major banks.
Energy retailer Amber has raised $45 million in a round led by ETF Partners to grow its home-battery and EV automation business overseas, having bought charging app Charge HQ earlier this year.
Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Business News Australia
Wesfarmers is closing Catch, the online retailer it bought for $230 million in 2019, citing local ecommerce competition; the story also recalls Catch's venture backers and Little Birdie's $30m stake, pause and rescue.
Also Startup Daily
Adelaide charity KIK Innovation has bought schools e-learning platform Grok Academy after backers including CBA withdrew following the founder's resignation over substantiated harassment allegations; the platform will continue under new ownership.
Profiles ten Australian women founders across prosthetics, sustainable materials, wellness, mental health and AI, including three recipients of a Xero award program and a Cartier fellowship.
Also SmartCompany
Interview with Constantinople co-founder Di Challenor on her banking career and the record $32 million seed round she and Mac Duncan raised from Square Peg, Airtree and Great Southern Bank.
Akaysha Energy has $650 million from 11 banks and an EnergyAustralia offtake to build its Orana battery in NSW, which it calls the world's largest single-battery investment; BlackRock bought the company in 2022.
Blackbird announces its investment in Atticus's $10.8 million raise and profiles the startup's founding team, product craft, and enterprise customers.
Larry Diamond, who started Zip, is stepping aside from its US top job as Joe Heck takes over and Kevin Moss joins the board; the piece also recounts the fintech's past raises and divestments.
Receivers of collapsed Australian EV charger maker Tritium say the business is stabilised and attracting buyer interest; creditor claims include CBA and shareholder Trevor St Baker.
SQC founder Michelle Simmons receives a $250,000 science prize from the prime minister, with the article recalling the quantum company's seed round, government stakes, and July valuation jump.
Traffyk.AI, an employee communications analytics startup founded by ex-CBA executive Kate Abrahams, has secured $1.8 million in seed funding led by backer Matt Williams to improve its product and grow the team.
Weekly roundup covering five Australian startups that announced a combined $58.5 million in new funding, spanning quantum computing, advertising software, mining safety technology and event rental software, alongside government grant programs.
Silicon Quantum Computing closed a $50.4 million Series A backed by CBA, UNSW, Telstra and the Australian Government, lifting its valuation to $195.3 million, below its original $130 million target.
Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing
Fintech Moroku appoints ex-Fidor executive Gé Drossaert as independent non-executive director, replacing Richard Wong, as the company expands into new markets.
Weekly roundup covering six Australian startup raises totalling over $54 million, including Sapia.ai's Series A, rounds for Abyss Solutions, HMC Group and eQ8, plus smaller raises for Oceanfarmr and Subpod.
Podcast interview with Slyp co-founder Paul Weingarth on digitising receipts and loyalty, with all four major Australian banks having invested in the company.
Gold Coast lender Funding.com.au, following a recent $37.5 million Series B raise, hires two business development managers, Nathan Armstrong and Jade Lee, to support broker and aggregator channels.
Receipts startup Slyp has raised a $25 million Series A, with new investors Sayers Group and the Leibovich brothers joining existing bank backers including NAB Ventures, Reinventure and ANZ.
Accounting software firm Karbon raised US$66 million led by Tidemark Capital, following earlier 2021 and 2018 raises. The piece also recalls Paycycle's sale to Xero and notes CBA's investment in Paypa Plane.
Satirical awards column recalling 2021 business failures and wins: Hosking's Redbubble share sale, Greensill's collapse, GetSwift's downfall, Better.com's layoffs and funding, Moviepass's sale, and Digital World's Trump SPAC deal.
Earlytrade, which speeds up invoice payments to suppliers, has landed a $6 million round, with Shearwater Growth Equity contributing $2.5 million and several business figures also taking part.