🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #169, 12th July 2026
Weekly roundup: four raises totalling $20.5m, WiseTech's founder-chairman leaving his board role, Firmus nearing a large capital raise, and Aura's agreed ASX backdoor listing through Qoria.
Chief Innovation Officer · Founder, Wisetech Global · angel in 1 deal
Every published round Richard White 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 Richard White has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Songtradr | 2023, Series D+ | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for Richard White, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Richard White has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Richard White did.
Stories naming Richard White. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Weekly roundup: four raises totalling $20.5m, WiseTech's founder-chairman leaving his board role, Firmus nearing a large capital raise, and Aura's agreed ASX backdoor listing through Qoria.
WiseTech founder Richard White is leaving the chairman role after intense coverage of his private life, remaining chief innovation officer, with board member Raelene Murphy taking over; the story revisits his Kyckr purchase.
Josh Simons-led Vinyl Group raised $2.4 million and is adding Time Out Australia and Pedestrian Group to its media portfolio for little outlay, alongside earlier buys of Concrete Playground and Val Morgan Digital.
Vinyl Group is buying Nine's youth publisher Pedestrian Group for nominal consideration, ending Nine's costly ownership. The piece also recalls Nine's stake purchases, Linkby's Series B, and Vinyl's acquisitions and shutdowns.
Also Startup Daily·This Week in Australian Startups·Capital Brief
Shearwater Capital republishes a profile of Mike Gregg recounting his two-decade personal stake in WiseTech, his earlier healthcare software exit, and the firm's repeated investments in pet food business Lyka.
Vinyl Group is buying Val Morgan Digital, publisher of BuzzFeed and PopSugar, from Hoyts for $10.5 million, with funding via a shareholder facility and Hoyts CEO Damian Keogh joining the Vinyl board.
Logistics software firm WiseTech Global has appointed Zubin Appoo CEO, succeeding interim chief Andrew Cartledge, who retires at year's end. Appoo previously served under founder Richard White and receives a smaller pay package.
WiseTech, the Australian logistics software group, is acquiring NYSE-listed US supply-chain platform E2open for A$3.2 billion — its largest takeover — funded through a fresh US$3 billion debt facility.
Brag Media cofounder Luke Girgis is suing Vinyl Group for performance payments from their 2023 sale; the piece also recalls Vinyl's other acquisitions and Richard White's $11 million investment.
Employment Hero acquires Canada's Humi for $112m and, filings show, paid $43.4m for Ben Thompson's Employment Innovations; the story also recalls its 2023 Series F and investor clash.
Music and media company Vinyl Group has agreed to buy the city guides brand Concrete Playground for $5 million in cash and shares, with completion expected by late February 2025.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily
A year-end SmartCompany roundup counting down 2023's ten largest Australian startup raises, headed by Employment Hero's $263m Series F, with investor details and commentary on fewer mega-rounds and continued under-representation of women co-founders.
Logistics software firm WiseTech has bought MatchBox Exchange, a Melbourne marketplace for empty shipping containers, paying vendors partly in new shares valued near $27.6 million; the overall price was not revealed.
Techboard's new quarterly tally counted $1.01 billion in local VC deals, well above a rival firm's figure, with four megadeals by Loam, Till Payments, Songtradr and Xpansiv.
WiseTech is acquiring Blume Global, a US rail-logistics software provider, for US$414 million, following its Envase purchase; founder Richard White separately bought Kyckr for about A$43.5 million through his investment vehicle.
Also Startup Daily
Brisbane logistics software startup Explorate, started in 2016 by Conor Hagan and Alex Ewart, has raised $7.5 million as it aims to grow into a major freight technology player like WiseTech.
AFR's Media & Marketing section roundup: Joe Aston's Rampart has raised $2.3m from five backers and TEG has locked in roughly $100m of fresh bank debt, alongside media policy, court and personality stories.
Also Startup Daily·AFR Technology·Dealroom·SmartCompany·Mumbrella·This Week in Australian Startups·The Age Business·SMH Business·Mumbrella