Company
his side hustle
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round Startup Striders raised.
The transaction that ended Startup Striders's run as a startup, per published coverage. It closes the funding history too, where it is the ladder's last rung.
| Bought by | Kind | Announced | Price | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Currents | Acquisition | 20 Nov 2025 | - | SmartCompany, Startup Daily |
Companies Startup Striders acquired or merged with, per published coverage. Buying a company is not investing in one: nothing here counts in the deals column.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Batko | Founder | Startup Daily (2 Dec 2025), SmartCompany, Startup Daily (20 Nov 2025) |
| Oliver Tweddel | Perth City Lead | Startup Daily |
Stories naming Startup Striders. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
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.
Currents, a Gold Coast founder community group, has bought Michael Batko's running community Startup Striders for an undisclosed cash sum; Batko advises through December while remaining Startmate CEO.
Also SmartCompany