Director, SafetyCulture · angel in 1 deal
Every published round Robyn Denholm 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 Robyn Denholm has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SunDrive | 13 Oct 2022, Series B | 1 | 0 |
This is a stake in the fund itself, money that the fund's manager invests, not a stake in the fund manager.
Companies Robyn Denholm has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Robyn Denholm did.
Stories naming Robyn Denholm. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
An analysis of what Australian long-horizon research commercialisation requires, citing Gilmour Space, Cochlear and BluGlass as illustrations of patient capital and ecosystem support needs.
Weekly roundup of eight raises totalling $572.12 million, led by Firmus's $500 million round; RAGE Biotech, SunDrive, Number 8 Bio, Fabra, Keeyu, MyGig and Drone-Hand also funded, plus two RAGE Biotech executive appointments.
Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Business News Australia
Sydney robotics startup Puralink has raised $2.3m in seed capital, with Peak XV leading and several local funds and angels joining, to commercialise its leak-detecting robot for pipes.
Funding roundup covering six Australian-linked startups: Superpower's US$30m Series A, WeMoney's $12m Series A plus debt facility, InsightWise's $1m pre-seed, and Bupa's first venture investments in three health startups.
Breakthrough Victoria's chief executive reflects on the sovereign fund's first four years, its university co-funding partnerships and OECD evidence that government venture capital works best alongside private investors.
Ovum, an app for tracking menstrual and women's health, has secured $1.7m to launch its AI assistant, in a round led by Giant Leap with Antler, Wollemi Capital and other backers.
Also Forbes Australia·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Women's Agenda·Women's Agenda·Dealroom·Forbes Australia·Women's Agenda
Harrison.ai has received $32 million from the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation toward its Series C, with the federal investor's December backing of Vault Cloud, Myriota and Quantum Brilliance also noted.
Also Women's Agenda
Tennis Australia's venture arm AO Ventures has reached a first close on its new sports, media and health tech fund with about $49 million committed by local and international backers.
Blackbird's annual review letter recaps a year of investing: sums deployed across dozens of rounds, distributions to its investors, four new investment-team members introduced, and foundation and community program highlights.
Weekly roundup of four Australian raises: HammerTech $105m led by Riverwood Capital, JigSpace $13m led by Breakthrough Victoria, ExoFlare's $5.3m seed, and Go Locum's $350,000 seed led by Paspalis.
ExoFlare, cofounded by ex-Data61 chief Adrian Turner, has banked $5.3 million in seed funding led by Salus Ventures to help food producers manage biosecurity risks.
Also SmartCompany
Agtech investor Tenacious Ventures reached an $18 million first close on its second fund, which has a $50 million target; backers include Trawalla Group, Wollemi Capital Group and Macdoch Ventures.
Also Forbes Australia
TCA chair Robyn Denholm praises departing Atlassian co-CEO Scott Farquhar, crediting his role building the software firm and his service on the council's board as an inspiration to Australian founders.
Melbourne biomaterials startup Alt. Leather closed a $1.1 million seed round, oversubscribed past its $750,000 target, with backing from Startmate, Wollemi Capital Group, the Alice Anderson Fund, The Austin Group and angels.
Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily
Profile of ALIAVIA, the venture fund Marisa Warren and Kate Vale started to back women founders across Australia and the US, its Australian backers, and its portfolio companies Eugene, Loupe, HowToo and Othelia AI.
Profile of ALIAVIA, the venture fund Marisa Warren and Kate Vale run from California to back women founders across Australian and US markets; also covers its backers, early investments, and Warren's ELEVACAO program.
Weekly roundup covering nine Australian startups' new capital totalling $40.5 million, across solar, quantum computing, marketing tech and crowdfunding, plus a look back at Aconex's $1.6 billion Oracle sale.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Wholesale Investor
Female-led VC ALIAVIA has closed a US$8.7 million fund, backed by Robyn Denholm, Carol Schwartz, Cynthia Scott, Tattarang and Dom Pym, to invest in female-founded startups across Australia and the US.
ALIAVIA Ventures has closed its debut fund at A$13.5 million. The US-based firm backs female founders bridging Australian and US markets; backers include Carol Schwartz, Tattarang, the Denholms, Euphemia, Dom Pym and Cynthia Scott.
Robyn Denholm has joined SafetyCulture's board as a director, adding to her Tesla chairmanship and Technology Council role, replacing long-serving director and Blackbird co-founder Rick Baker.
Blackbird welcomes Michael Tolo, Tom Humphrey and Phoebe Harrop into its investment partnership, citing their craft, founder relationships and contribution to its New Zealand expansion.
ARENA has awarded $2.78 million to a University of Sydney professor partnering with SunDrive on perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells. The piece also recalls SunDrive's $21 million Series B and names its backers.
Blackbird's team marks the firm's tenth birthday by unveiling a new A$1 billion fund to back ambitious Australian and New Zealand startups, sketching a 2032 vision of technology dominating the economy.
Also Blackbird Ventures portfolio·TechCrunch Australia·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·Dealroom·Startup Daily
Solar cell maker SunDrive has raised a $21 million Series B led by Main Sequence Ventures, with CEFC, Grok and Blackbird investing, and first-time backers including Turnbull, Denholm and Adams.
Also RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy
Ignition Lane's weekly roundup covers Linktree's unicorn raise, several Australian funding rounds, Tiger and Insight's new mega-funds, falling SaaS valuations, the ACCC's action against Meta, and new accelerator and product launches.