Ledger. Australian venture funding, tracked

Venture capital fund · 3 deals

Sequoia

Coverage

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

3 deals

Sierra Raises $950M at $15B, Locking 40% of the Fortune 50 Into Its Agent Platform Before the Labs Go Direct

Analysis of Sierra's $950 million raise at a $15 billion valuation with Tiger Global and GV at the lead, weighing its revenue multiple, Fortune 50 customer lock-in, and competition from OpenAI and Anthropic's ventures.

Series D+ $950m

Bret Taylor's Sierra raises nearly $1 billion months after last capital push

Sierra, the enterprise AI agent firm started by Bret Taylor and Clay Bavor, has banked a $950 million Series E with Tiger Global and Google Ventures at the helm, plus Benchmark, Sequoia and Greenoaks.

Also TechCrunch Australia·aivy.com.au·cmswire.com·theaiworld.org·faq.com.tw·groundy.com

3 deals

Gabby and Hezi Leibovich-backed Fingertip acquired by rival Linktree – and will close

Linktree has bought Melbourne rival Fingertip and will shut it down in 2026, with its cofounders joining; the piece also recaps Linktree's earlier acquisitions and the Leibovich brothers' failed ventures.

Also Dealroom·Forbes Australia

3 deals

Puralink dredges up $2.3m seed round for autonomous pipe robot

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.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia

2 deals

Airtree Ventures closes $650M fund with international backing, fueling ANZ startup growth

Sydney venture firm Airtree has completed the close of its fifth fund at $650 million, drawing backing from US institutional investors and Australian superannuation funds, with allocations set for early and growth stages.

Unnamed stage $30m

The one that got away: After paying $230 million for Catch, Wesfarmers is shutting it down

Wesfarmers is closing Catch, the online retailer it bought for $230 million in 2019, citing local ecommerce competition; the story also recalls Catch's venture backers and Little Birdie's $30m stake, pause and rescue.

Also Startup Daily

7 deals

Antler just invested $1.575 million in pre-Seed funding in 7 startups, from edtech to deep tech. Here's who they are

Antler's Australian arm announced $225,000 pre-seed investments in seven startups at its Portfolio Spotlight event, alongside a new Google Cloud partnership, with residency applications open.

Also SmartCompany

8 deals

DOG'S BREAKFAST: Pet Circle's $75m raise from US VC a rare highlight for Australian startups amid a 42% fall in funding for September quarter

Cut Through Ventures' quarterly analysis shows Australian startup funding down 42% year-on-year at A$739 million over 77 deals, with Pet Circle's $75 million Series D from Prysm Capital the period's largest round.

Also SmartCompany·RenewEconomy·@AuManufacturing

3 deals

Ignition Lane's Great Big Annual Wrap

Ignition Lane's year-end review of 2022 tech news: shifting VC sentiment, record Australian fund raises, grocery delivery failures and shutdowns, local M&A, crypto fallout, awards, and global stories from Twitter to ChatGPT.

Also AgFunderNews

Series A $20m

Turnbull's AI robotics bet taps investors for blockbuster raising

Advanced Navigation, with Malcolm Turnbull on its board, is seeking $80-135 million; the piece recalls its 2019 $20 million Series A and Minderoo's strategic investment.

Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia

Series A $40m

Sydney startup Cascade raises $40 million Series A to rethink business strategy

Cascade, a Sydney strategy-execution software company, has closed a $40 million Series A led by Telescope Partners with Five V and Carthona Capital, to fund product development and expansion into North America and Europe.

Also SmartCompany·Techboard

43 deals

Ignition Lane's Weekly Wrap: The Great Reengagement, backing Web3, riding the markets & the big local raises

Ignition Lane's weekly tech roundup: AirTree raises $700m across three new funds, dozens of Australian startups announce rounds, a wave of acquisitions including Block completing its Afterpay buy, plus Web3 commentary and US market moves.

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

Something wrong? Tell us