CEO, Birchal · angel in 2 deals
Every published round Kirstin Hunter 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SeenCulture | Pre-seed | 20 Jul 2024 | $1m | Participant | SmartCompany (15 Aug 2024), SmartCompany (26 Jul 2024), Startup Daily | |
| Maslow | Unnamed stage | 17 May 2024 | $409.7k | Participant | Startup Daily, SmartCompany |
Companies Kirstin Hunter has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SeenCulture | 20 Jul 2024, Pre-seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Maslow | 17 May 2024 | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for Kirstin Hunter, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Kirstin Hunter has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Kirstin Hunter did.
Stories naming Kirstin Hunter. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Birchal launched a new CSF raise at a reduced $5 million pre-money valuation, with about $800,000 already committed, amid sector downturn; rival Equitise collapsed and Earthletica raised $1.1 million.
Birchal's CEO promotes four women-led companies raising now on its crowdfunding platform ahead of International Women's Day: a NSW brewery, a cardiac medtech, sustainable activewear and a cocktail foamer.
Techstars' Sydney accelerator will close after three years and 36 startups backed, its NSW government funding having ended; the program's chief and team are departing, while a state diversity pre-accelerator awaits a delivery partner.
The NSW government has ended funding for Techstars Sydney, which closes after three cohorts; its managing director, Christie Jenkins, and her team are departing, and the $4 million diversity pre-accelerator has no operator yet.
Sexual wellness company Normal is seeking outside capital for the first time via equity crowdfunding platform Birchal, having funded itself since 2021; its chief executive cites investor stigma as a barrier to venture capital.
Birchal lifts its charges and shrinks its team under a new chief executive; the piece also recalls past raises on the platform and the collapses of Zero Co and Equitise.
Also SmartCompany
Birchal appoints Future Super founder and former Techstars Sydney managing director Kirstin Hunter as CEO after co-founder Matt Vitale stepped down in January; the crowdfunding platform recently banked $2m from retail investors.
Ten of the twelve startups joining the NSW-backed Techstars Sydney accelerator for 2024 have a female founder; past participant SeenCulture earlier banked $1m in capital.
Weekly roundup of three Australian raises: adtech firm Cuttable's seed round, Fundabl's equity round and SeenCulture's funding, naming investors, plus new Cuttable co-CEOs and a board appointment.
SeenCulture, a workplace platform, has secured $1 million in a pre-seed round from Alice Anderson Fund, M8 Ventures, InterValley Ventures and Torus, having earlier joined Techstars' first Sydney cohort with Cut Through Angels backing.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany
Ethical fintech Maslow attracted 288 backers for a $409,676 equity crowdfunding round, largely founders from the impact sector, and hired two staff as it builds a subscription-based, at-cost financial services platform.
SeenCulture's founder marks IWD by profiling four women who backed her HR-tech startup's growth: a mentor, its first investor, its operations head and an adviser, recalling its first cheque and Techstars Sydney cohort.
Profile of Mantaray Climate, an SME carbon accounting tool founded by former lawyer Rujuta Natu, which tracked and offset emissions for Techstars' Sydney Demo Day after joining its NSW Government-backed accelerator.
Cut Through Angels launched a syndicate letting wholesale investors back the twelve startups in Techstars' Sydney accelerator class of 2023 ahead of Demo Day, with each cohort company and founder named.
Q&A with Kirstin Hunter and Lauren Fong, who lead Techstars' new Sydney accelerator backed by the NSW Government, on their backgrounds and the first 12-company class starting in July.