Side Stage Ventures

This Week in Australian Startups #174, 16th August 2026

Australian startups raised funds including Alloy Robotics, Farmbot and Atmo Biosciences. Firmus Technologies acquired Benmax while Tabcorp bought BetMakers. SafetyCulture rebranded to Mitti.

Australia’s ADHD system made him ‘snap’. Now he’s raised millions to build a new one

Zac Altman’s ADHD telehealth startup Kantoko has secured $3.5 million in a Side Stage Ventures-led seed round, with Andrew Forrest’s Tenmile and Go1’s founders investing; the article also recalls his earlier ventures’ sales.

Also Dealroom·Startup Daily·Business News Australia·SmartCompany

Eight ANZ startups that raised $102 million this fortnight

Roundup of eight Australian and New Zealand startups whose late-July funding totals $102 million across space capsules, medical devices, livestock breath analysis, sports analytics and AI crop forecasting.

Rocket Lab alum raises $10.5m to build 'anti-gravity chamber' for space manufacturing

A maker of satellites for in-orbit drugs and materials production has landed an outsized pre-seed round led by New Zealand's GD1, with Airtree and other venture firms taking part.

Investment Notes: Outlier Space

Investible's note explains its pre-seed backing of satellite startup Outlier Space alongside GD1 and others, arguing uncrewed return-capable platforms will make off-world manufacturing viable as the ISS retires.

Also Forbes Australia·SmartCompany

AI made founding a startup easier than ever – but VC data shows funding is getting harder

Cut Through Venture's Q2 2026 report shows early-stage deal numbers at historic lows, though quarterly capital reached $1.7 billion, driven by two large rounds by Firmus and Airwallex.

Also Startup Daily·Business News Australia·Cut Through Venture

Seven ANZ startups that raised $71.8 million this week

Weekly roundup covering seven raises across the Tasman: Phonely's Series A, Pay.com.au's private placement, and rounds for Atomic Tessellator, Caruso, Deteqt, Clean Slate Clinic and Earthletica, worth roughly $72 million combined.

Also crane.vc

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #159, 3rd May 2026

Weekly roundup: Hipages takes a majority stake in VIZ Insurance, Side Stage Ventures banks $40m for fund two, Airwallex unveils the Latitude 37 program, Anthropic appoints an ANZ general manager, Atlassian shares jump.

Leonardo AI, Airtasker, Canva and Linktree founders back Side Stage Ventures in $50 million Fund II

Side Stage Ventures has reached a $40 million initial close on its $50 million second fund, backed by founders of earlier wins, while principal Elli Hanson steps up to partner.

Also This Week in Australian Startups·Startup News (WA)

‘Devastating decision’: women founders backed by LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund on the merger and uncertainty

Founders backed by LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund fear the fund may not survive the Victorian government's confirmed merger of LaunchVic with Breakthrough Victoria; the piece recalls raises by Elita, MoreGoodDays and TalkiPlay.

Also Startup Daily

“Devastating decision”: Founders backed by Alice Anderson Fund criticise LaunchVic’s closure

Victorian women-led startup founders warn a government restructure merging LaunchVic with Breakthrough Victoria could end the Alice Anderson Fund's backing, recalling raises by Elita, MoreGoodDays and TalkiPlay.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Cheque-in: 8 startups gobbled up $572.12 million in funding this week

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

Fabra raises $2.8 million for browser-based product design tool

Australian startup Fabra has debuted a browser-based 3D design tool alongside pre-seed backing of $2.8 million from four funds, and intends to seek seed capital ahead of 2026 general availability.

Also @AuManufacturing·Startup Daily

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

This startup wants pet stem cell therapy to be as simple as Netflix or Spotify

Melbourne pet-health startup Elita Genetics stores animals' stem cells collected at desexing; the piece covers its new budget subscription tier and notes a seven-figure pre-seed raise backed by Startmate and others.

Eight Aussie startups that raised $104.4 million this week

Weekly roundup of eight Australian startup raises, led by Sonder's $40 million round, plus AMP's $20 million raise and acquisition of the Shopify app Back in Stock.

Also Startup Daily·Defence Connect·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Defence Connect·Forbes Australia

A Note from the Founders: Big News, Big Thanks!

Also SmartCompany

Nine Aussie startups that raised $38.3 million this week

Roundup of nine local startups that together banked a combined $38m-plus this week, spanning precision instruments, proptech, adtech, robotics, food, energy storage and AI, with several earlier raises recalled.

Also Australian FinTech·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·AgFunderNews

TrueState secures $1.5 million to deliver AI app development in days

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany

Generative AI startup Leonardo is being used to make deepfake celebrity porn

Startup Daily reports Leonardo Ai's text-to-image tool was misused to create nonconsensual celebrity images, and recalls the Sydney company's $47 million raise backed by Blackbird, Side Stage Ventures and other investors.

Eight Aussie startups that raised $81.5 million this week

Roundup of eight local raises totalling roughly $81.5 million: generative AI, sustainable packaging, VR medical training, optical radar, drinks, preventive health and wholesale retail software.

Also Ten13·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia

Venture capitalists in $47m backing for Leonardo.Ai startup

Sydney AI platform Leonardo.Ai has completed a Series A on top of its seed round, taking total backing past $47 million from Blackbird, Side Stage Ventures, Samsung Next, Smash Capital and TIRTA Ventures.

Sydney-based generative AI art platform Leonardo.Ai raises $31M

Leonardo.Ai, a Sydney-based AI art platform, has raised $31 million US from Blackbird, Samsung Next and other backers, money it will put toward its enterprise push and hiring.

Also mediaweek.com.au·inaitoday.com·Forbes Australia·ARN (ARNnet)·Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia

Ten Aussie startups that raised $39 million this week

Roundup of ten Australian startup raises totalling $38.8 million, topped by Heidi Health's Series A, also recording an Outstaffer executive appointment and the earlier sale of CarAdvice to Nine.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

HR and outsourcing startup Outstaffer lands $1.5 million in first raise

Outstaffer, a Victorian HR tech platform, has secured $1.5 million from outside investors in a round co-led by its chief operating officer, funding product development and a planned US expansion.

Also SmartCompany

Investment Announcement: Outstaffer Raises $1.5 Million From Leading Australian Venture Capital Investors

Outstaffer announced a $1.5 million strategic round to grow its global hiring platform, with Utiliti Ventures, 1in100 Ventures and Side Stage Ventures leading and several other Australian investors taking part.

The 3 Australian companies on Forbes Asia's 100 to Watch list

Three Australian companies — Fleet Space Technologies, MoreGoodDays and Syneta — feature on Forbes Asia's 100 to Watch list; the piece profiles each business, its backers and recent raises.

Linktree cofounders back new $15 million VC fund

Founder-backed syndicate Side Stage Ventures has become a $15 million seed fund, with LocalGlobe and several founders as limited partners, three startups already backed, and portfolio company Joyn acquiring event firm Arinex.

Side Stage Ventures secures $15 million for its launch fund with support from Linktree, Airtasker

SmartCompany reports Side Stage Ventures has completed a $15 million first close of its debut fund, backed by founders of Airtasker, Linktree and Go1 plus LocalGlobe, targeting $30 million and already backing early startups.

Also Startup Daily·Australian FinTech

FUNDED APRIL 2022

Techboard's monthly roundup cataloguing April 2022 Australian startup funding: megadeals, seed rounds, grants and crowdfunding, nine acquisitions, several ASX listings, and venture firms' fund news.

Linktree founders back creative startups with new venture fund

Linktree's co-founders have launched Side Stage Ventures, a collective investing in very young creative-tech companies; it has already backed several startups, and associate Ben Grabiner's music platform Platoon was bought by Apple.

Also Australian FinTech