Ledger. Australian venture funding, tracked

Founder, SEEK

Paul Bassat

Coverage

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

Unnamed stage

Macquarie's Future Secure AI nears pre-IPO raise at $1.8b valuation

Future Secure AI's pre-listing round, led by Robin Khuda, Square Peg, Yarra Capital, Firetrail and Macquarie Asset Management, is nearing completion, with notes converting at a US$1.3 billion ceiling before an ASX float.

5 deals

Two Aussie startups that raised $8.2 million this week

Roundup of a quiet funding week: Melbourne workforce-platform maker 2cloudnine banked over $7.5m, algae-ingredient maker SeaStock $740,000 from government accelerator FaBA, while San Francisco's Sumble emerged with $59m.

Also Startup Daily

2 deals

Cuttable tops up seed round with $4.5 million for AI ad platform

Melbourne adtech firm Cuttable has added $4.5 million to its seed round with Square Peg leading, taking total backing to $10 million and valuing the business at $44.5 million ahead of its US push.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

2 deals

Amber Electric secures $45m raise as Australia's home battery market surges

Amber has banked a $45 million Series D, headed by ETF Partners, to push its household energy platform into Europe, while a new federal battery rebate promises to widen its market.

9 deals

Airwallex nears $10 billion valuation after historic $466 million Series F raise

Payments firm Airwallex closed a large Series F at a $9.6 billion valuation, led by Square Peg with several local and global backers, while the piece recalls its earlier raises back to 2016.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

2 deals

Airwallex lands $465m series F and a decacorn title

Airwallex has wrapped a $465 million Series F at a $9.6 billion valuation; Blackbird joins for the first time and half the round is a secondary sale for early backers.

Also Australian FinTech·SmartCompany·Women's Agenda·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·Women's Agenda·Crunchbase News

Fund close $25m

Athletes' venture firm raises first fund | Private Equity Media

Athletic Ventures, started by former athletes, has closed its debut fund at $25 million, with about 100 sports stars and several veteran venture figures backing it as limited partners.

3 deals

Three Aussie startups that raised $9.7 million this week

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.

2 deals

An AI guru? Startup luminary Sam Kroonenburg raises $5.5 million for new startup Cuttable

AI ad startup Cuttable, co-founded by Sam Kroonenburg, Jack White and Ed Ring, raised $5.5m in a seed round led by Square Peg with Rampersand aboard; Kroonenburg earlier sold A Cloud Guru to Pluralsight.

6 deals

Five ANZ startups that raised $79 million in the past two weeks

Roundup of five raises across Australia and New Zealand: Constantinople's $50m Series A, Illuvium's US$12m, Forever Network's $6m, Starboard's NZ$5m seed and Medibis's $736,000 crowdfunding.

Funding announcement

Bringing our venture DNA to the public markets: Square Peg's Global Tech Fund

Square Peg profiles its Global Tech Fund, a listed-markets strategy applying its venture investing approach to early-stage public tech companies, and outlines its team, edge, and focus on fintech, software and AI.

Also Square Peg Capital

3 deals

‘More than just a venture capital firm’: $2 billion sovereign fund Breakthrough Victoria hits back at critics who want it abolished

Breakthrough Victoria defends its spending and investment record against critics urging its abolition, pointing to portfolio companies, university partnerships and recent backing of startups including Aravax.

3 deals

CommBank plants funding in $220 Series A for climate change investor Wollemi Capital

Wollemi Capital, the Sydney climate investor, has closed a $220m raise, past its initial $100m goal, backed by CBA, Trawalla and others; the article recalls its bets on Loam Bio, Pluton Bio and Pachama.

5 deals

Square Peg buys into Rokt again on $750 million valuation jump as IPO looms

Square Peg and Wellington Management bought more shares of Rokt from employees and investors in a secondary sale, lifting its valuation, while its earlier funding rounds are recapped ahead of a planned IPO.

Also Forbes Australia

3 deals

Airwallex raises $100M to power cross-border business banking, valuation stays flat at $5.5B

Airwallex has secured a $100 million Series E-2 extension at an unchanged $5.5 billion valuation, joined by existing backers plus HostPlus, to fund growth, new products and acquisitions.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·SmartCompany·Techboard·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Forbes Australia

3 deals

Clinical trials startup HealthMatch lands $10 million Series C

Sydney clinical trials platform HealthMatch raised a $10 million Series C led by Folklore Ventures with Square Peg participating, after laying off half its staff in June; funds will support rehiring and US expansion.

Also SmartCompany·Techboard

12 deals

2019 Year in Review

Square Peg's retrospective of 2019: five new portfolio companies, several large rounds it led or co-led, two acquisitions, two IPOs, new team members, and its capital deployed across new and follow-on deals.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Funding announcement

AirTree joins leading VCs Square Peg and Blackbird in cutting Canva's valuation by a third

Australian venture firms Airtree, Square Peg and Blackbird have written down their Canva stakes, valuing the design company well below its last raise, amid wider market corrections hitting Klarna and other late-stage startups.

4 deals

Turnbull-backed medtech startup HealthMatch makes half its staff redundant

Clinical trials matching startup HealthMatch halves its team, shedding 18 jobs, 18 months after a Square Peg-led raise. The piece also recalls funding for Volt and Milkrun and reports the closures of Volt and Send.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

19 deals

2021 wrapped: a record-breaking year for fundraising and growth

Square Peg Capital's year-in-review recaps its 2021 portfolio: raises it led or joined, SPAC listing decisions, Vend's acquisition, new investment-team hires, and its newsletter and podcast output.

Also Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Techboard·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·myzeller.com·Australian FinTech·Forbes Australia·Dealroom·rswebsols.com

9 deals

Rokt raises $458 million, as Aussie startups continue to cash in

Rokt's Series E tops a week of Australian raises including Dovetail, Inventia, DiviPay, Atomi, 6clicks, Replica Studios and ProForm Foods, with SimPro's recent raise noted.

Also Techboard·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

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