Morgan Stanley

🇦🇺 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.

Role call: new people at allt, SQC, RedBelly Network, Neara & Indebted

Weekly people-moves column: new executives at allt, SQC, Redbelly Network, InDebted and Neara, including Clive Dickens joining allt's board and Chris McNamara becoming InDebted's CEO.

InDebted appoint Chris McNamara as Chief Executive Officer and Brendan Lee as Chief Financial Officer

Collections technology firm InDebted has named Chris McNamara as chief executive and Brendan Lee as chief financial officer, filling a search opened when founder Josh Foreman shifted to a founder and executive director role.

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #179, 26th September 2026

Weekly roundup recording a dozen raises and acquisitions, Firmus's scheduled float, a new $50m venture fund, a founder share sale, grant winners, an accelerator intake, and an AI agent's government breach.

Also Dynamic Business·AFR Technology·AFR Technology·DealStreetAsia·This Week in Australian Startups·iTnews·Dealroom·ABC News Technology

Morgan Stanley says Firmus could be worth as much as $128b

Morgan Stanley research values AI chip rental firm Firmus at up to $128 billion ahead of its planned IPO next month; four banks will manage the float.

Home battery automation champion raises $78.5 million towards local growth, global expansion

Energy retailer Amber has closed an oversubscribed $78.5 million round led by Morgan Stanley's 1GT fund, with existing backers participating, to add vehicle-to-grid capability and expand into Europe.

Also Business News Australia·Forbes Australia

Firmus books in Australian fundie meetings, without Oliver Curtis

Neocloud Firmus Technologies is pitching its planned $7 billion IPO to local fund managers, with co-chief executive Tim Rosenfield presenting in Melbourne alongside Daniel Kearney and former Xero finance head Kirsty Godfrey-Billy.

Big US institutions back Blackbird’s new $1b venture fund

Morgan Stanley and Schroders have committed money to Blackbird Ventures' new $1b fund; the piece also recalls Airtree's $650m fifth fund drawing US institutional backing last year.

AgriFood Signals: Uber’s $14.8bn bid for Delivery Hero, Hippo Harvest banks $30m, agentic AI for ag

AgFunderNews roundup of agtech and foodtech items: several venture raises and EU grants, Uber's agreed takeover of Delivery Hero, Winnow's purchase of Lumitics, Norrsken Evolve's fund close, and Goterra's liquidation.

Opportunity Fund Launch Drives $2.9B Morgan Stanley Raise

Morgan Stanley's property arm has held an initial close on its latest North Haven real estate fund, gathering $2.9 billion toward a $4 billion goal for US and European deals.

Klarna to raise USD1.3b in New York IPO

Swedish BNPL firm Klarna is preparing a renewed New York float, seeking as much as USD1.27 billion at a valuation a source puts at USD12.5-14 billion, after earlier delays.

Morgan Stanley infrastructure strategy raises $4.1bn for fourth fund

Morgan Stanley's infrastructure arm has gathered $4.1bn in pledges for its fourth North Haven vehicle, and the piece also lists fresh closes by Copenhagen Infrastructure, Brookfield, Fengate, StepStone, Ridgewood, Novacap and Harrison Street.

Morgan Stanley raises $4.1 billion for new global infrastructure fund

Morgan Stanley's infrastructure investing arm has gathered $4.1 billion in commitments for its newest North Haven fund, backed by pension, sovereign wealth and insurance institutions and targeting transport, digital, energy-transition and utility assets.

Also alternativeswatch.com·buyoutsinsider.com·serrarigroup.com

Four Aussie startups that raised $28 million this week

Weekly roundup of four Australian startup raises: Kismet's $20m seed extension, Primary's $3.5m seed round, Willed's $3m from Seven West Media, and East Forged's $1.5m from a Vietnamese agribusiness's venture arm.

Sydney fintech Primary raises $3.5m seed round

Sydney cash-management startup Primary has completed a $3.5m seed round backed by Carthona Capital and five other funds, with Carthona partner Damian Fox set to join its board.

Also SmartCompany

H1 2024 in Review: $100m invested

TEN13's investor letter celebrates passing $100 million deployed, plus fresh backing for iion and Switchboard, team promotions, AutoGrab's overseas growth and NZ-arm sale, and the Mr Yum–Me&U merger.

Also Startup Daily·thetimes.com.au·SmartCompany

Sydney start-up Bridgit has raised $14.6m as it takes on the wealth transfer market

Bridging lender Bridgit has banked a $14.6m equity round through OIF Ventures plus a $125m debt facility, positioning the Surry Hills startup for Australia's looming intergenerational wealth handover.

Also OIF Ventures portfolio·Australian FinTech·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech

Guided nuclear missile for cancer: Telix prepares for Nasdaq IPO

Telix, an ASX-listed radiopharmaceutical maker headquartered in Melbourne, is preparing a dual US listing; the piece also covers revenue growth, cancer trial results and recalls its 2017 float.

Online investment platform OpenInvest secures major backing from Victorian family office, Tayside Group

Melbourne wealth platform OpenInvest has landed a backing deal with Tayside Group, the Smith family's family office. The piece also covers OpenInvest's partner pipeline, looming Australian advice reforms, and Kelly+Partners' use of the platform.

Shift appoints Stephanie Olliver as General Counsel

Credit and payments platform Shift has hired Stephanie Olliver into a newly created General Counsel role, bringing legal experience from PayPal, Nano Digital Home Loans, Macquarie Group and Morgan Stanley.

People Moves: Benson Hill CEO Matt Crisp out, new boss at McCormick, Clear Frontier expands team

AgFunderNews's monthly roundup of agrifood leadership changes: Benson Hill's CEO resigns, McCormick promotes Brendan Foley, Clear Frontier hires Charles Newton, plus other executive appointments, layoffs, and Karakuri's shutdown.

Airwallex expands global leadership team

Airwallex appoints Justin Yek as Head of Strategic Finance and Corporate Development and Jon Stona as Global Head of Marketing, both joining its global leadership team as the payments platform pursues 2023 expansion.

Ignition Lane's Great Big Wrap: VCs court cash, an M&A bash & Canva makes a splash

Ignition Lane's weekly tech roundup covering fresh Australian startup raises, new venture funds and closes, a wave of acquisitions, delistings and a liquidation, executive moves, and Canva's product launch.

Also Techboard·Startup Daily

What makes a great venture partner?

Main Sequence announces Gabrielle Munzer's promotion to its first Partner, tracing her journey from capital markets through Senior Associate and Principal roles and the signals the firm values in venture partners.

Main Sequence announces new Partner, Gabrielle Munzer, to build companies with biology

Australia's Main Sequence fund promotes Gabrielle Munzer to Partner to lead its biotech push; the article also covers her finance background, the firm's company-building model, a UNSW accelerator, and recent diverse hires.

NASDAQ giant swoops on Canberra start-up in $500m+ deal

OIF Ventures republishes an AFR report on NetApp buying Canberra data-technology firm Instaclustr for a reported $500 million-plus, covering founder paydays and the fund's returns, including a 20-times outcome on its early backing.

King River Capital launches Digital Asset Fund with early-stage investor commitments of $50million

Australian venture firm King River Capital has launched a digital asset fund holding over $50 million in commitments toward a $150 million target, and hired David Adams as partner to manage it.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Alternative Investment Platform Altive Co-leads Successful Series C Financing of US$ 120 Million for Swiss Digital Asset Bank SEBA

Swiss digital asset bank SEBA completed a CHF 110 million Series C in January 2022, co-led by Altive, Ordway Selections and Summer Capital, with DeFi Technologies, Alameda Research and existing investor Julius Baer participating.