CEO, UpGuard
Stories naming Phoebe Pincus. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Startmate brought its 2026 intake to San Francisco for investor meetings and a Demo Day hosted by Stripe; Melbourne alumnus Fluency's Accel-led US$6 million seed round is recalled.
Startmate will resume taking founders to Silicon Valley this May and stage its first San Francisco Demo Day; the article also recalls Fluency's recent US seed round led by Accel.
Roundup of the week's Australian startup funding: fresh raises for five companies, Startmate's Summer '26 accelerator intake of 19 startups, and Affinda's acquisition of Pathfindr.
Also Startup Daily
Nineteen early-stage companies join Startmate's Summer '26 accelerator intake, each receiving $120,000 for 7% equity — $2.28 million overall — spanning construction, healthcare, fintech, energy and manufacturing.
Startmate chief Michael Batko departs following an eight-year stint; COO Phoebe Pincus steps up. The piece credits his tenure for the accelerator's growth, returns and alumni, and notes his exits from two side ventures.
Long-serving Startmate chief Michael Batko departs the accelerator's top job, with operations lead Phoebe Pincus promoted to CEO; the piece also recalls two side ventures Batko previously exited.