Key hire
Company
The Iconic
Australian online fashion and lifestyle retailer
Sydney, NSW
Funding history
Investors
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round The Iconic raised.
What The Iconic bought
Companies The Iconic acquired or merged with, per published coverage. Buying a company is not investing in one: nothing here counts in the deals column.
People
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Poole | General Manager of Sports (former) | SmartCompany |
| Margot Balch | Founder | SmartCompany (17 Apr 2023), Women's Agenda, SmartCompany (17 Feb 2023), Startup Daily |
| Vonne Lombard | Director of Brand and Market Engagement | Mumbrella |
| Gary Zurnamer | Content & Partnerships Lead (former) | Our Innovation Fund |
| Adam Jacobs | co-founder/MD (former) | Rampersand (13 Apr 2026), Rampersand (3 Dec 2025), Forbes Australia (13 May 2024), Aura Group, Alberts Impact Ventures, SmartCompany (23 Feb 2024), Jelix Ventures, Aura Ventures, SmartCompany (20 Feb 2024), Startup Daily, Forbes Australia (19 Feb 2024), Australian FinTech |
| Joanna Robinson | Chief Marketing Officer | Mumbrella |
| Mareile Osthus | CCO (former) | Startup Daily (24 May 2024), Startup Daily (24 May 2024) |
Coverage
Stories naming The Iconic. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Unnamed stage
$505m
💫 Ramplify: April Architect
Rampersand's April newsletter: an essay on AI services startups, model releases from Anthropic and Meta, Firmus Technologies' $505 million raise, Dexibit's sale to accesso, plus portfolio jobs, events and market commentary.
Also Dealroom
Pre-seed
$2m
💫 Ramplify: December Details
Rampersand's December newsletter leads with its $2m pre-seed investment in Cor, maker of the Obi AI avatar coach, plus trend retrospectives, tech news, portfolio updates, community events and a job ad.
Funding announcement
Australian LegalTech Startup Plexus Raised $6M
A legal automation software company has raised more than six million dollars from existing shareholders and a Seattle-based non-dilutive lender, its first institutional backing, to fund international growth and AI product development.
Funding announcement
Plexus secures $6 million to accelerate AI-driven growth strategy
Legal AI platform Plexus has raised more than $6 million, led by existing shareholders alongside Seattle lender Lighter Capital, its first institutional backer, to speed international growth, AI product delivery and hiring.
4 deals
Over $1 million pledged to Australian women-led businesses at Sister Pitch 2024
Global Sisters' Sister Pitch event with Dentsu steered $1m-plus to a dozen Australian ventures led by women; GTAB Parfum, Soni Health and Chocolate On Purpose were standouts, and Google.org funded a 2023 pilot.
Funding announcement
Smart50 alumni Cashrewards acquires Little Birdie
Cashrewards has bought Little Birdie, the deals startup backed by Commonwealth Bank that went quiet in May; the piece also recalls Cashrewards' 2017 Smart50 nod, 2020 ASX float, and later takeover by 1835i Ventures.
Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily
12 deals
Runway May 24: The 7 startups revealing venture raises this week
Weekly roundup covering seven ANZ startup raises — Bare Funerals, Humii, WeMoney, CLT Toolbox, Clean Slate Clinic, SpatialGPT and Great Wrap — plus LaunchVic's $900,000 into Paul Little's Skalata fund.
Unnamed stage
$7m
Investment Notes: Hatch
Jelix Ventures explains why it joined Hatch's December 2023 funding round, citing the founders' track record, an AI job-matching product, strong customer feedback and a large addressable market.
Seed
$7m
Why We Invested in Hatch
Aura Ventures explains its seed investment in Hatch, an Australian jobs marketplace for young professionals co-founded by Adam Jacobs and Chaz Heitner, alongside Rampersand, Investible, Jelix Ventures and Alberts.
Also Alberts Impact Ventures portfolio·Aura Group portfolio·Startup Daily·Early VC·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia
9 deals
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
2 deals
Fashion deals startup Her Black Book rebrands as Wrapd after raising $1.8 million
Twin sisters Sali Sasi and Julie Stevanja have rebranded their bargain-finding app Her Black Book as Wrapd, rolled out a browser version, and raised $1.8 million from returning plus four fresh backers.
Also SmartCompany
Unnamed stage
$1m
Trash and treasure: RecycleSmart raises $1 million to bring doorstep recycling pick-up nationwide
Sydney doorstep recycling pickup service RecycleSmart closed an equity crowdfunding campaign on the Birchal platform, collecting just over a million dollars from 965 backers to fund a national rollout beginning with Melbourne.
News
Employment Hero creates ‘super app’ with AI recruitment tools and auto-generated job descriptions for SMEs
HR and payroll platform Employment Hero has launched Swag, an app adding an AI-powered jobs board, auto-generated job descriptions and employee benefits to its existing small-business tools.
News
‘Game-changer’: Aussie HR unicorn takes on Seek with latest AI play
Employment Hero has launched Swag, an AI-powered hiring superapp for small businesses offering job drafting, candidate matching and employee benefits, putting it in competition with its own backer SEEK.
Funding announcement
We invested in bra tech startup The OneTwo to build a virtuous cycle for women-led businesses
Guest post by Anna Mackenzie explaining why she and Caitlin, through lady-brains, backed bra tech startup The OneTwo, and urging more women to become angel investors.
Funding announcement
Meet the Aussie entrepreneurs putting an end to uncomfortable bras
Lingerie startup The OneTwo has launched an online bra-fitting platform, founded by Margot Balch and Maria Golushko, backed by Antler and angel investors, aiming to solve badly fitting bras for Australian women.
Funding announcement
Meet the Aussie entrepreneurs putting an end to uncomfortable bras
Profile of lingerie startup The OneTwo, which has launched an online bra-sizing platform. Co-founders Margot Balch and Maria Golushko describe the venture, a Kickstarter sales campaign, and backing from Antler Venture Capital and angel investors.
Funding announcement
Female-led startup The OneTwo launches its tech solution for bad bras
A launch profile of custom-bra fitting startup The OneTwo, covering its fitting algorithm, sustainability angle, and social mission, and noting earlier backing from Antler and industry angels.
Fund close
$32m+
Archangel Ventures - 2022: Year in Review
Archangel Ventures' annual review recounts closing its second fund above $32 million, passing $10 million invested in Australian startups, and portfolio raises by Aerotruth, Bare, Trendspek, Pearler and Vively during 2022.
Pre-seed
$1.3m
Unnamed stage
$28k+
The best way to achieve great scale according to Quad Lock co-founder Rob Ward? Step aside
Quad Lock co-founder Rob Ward hands the CEO role to former Nike executive Andrew Poole, becoming chief growth officer, as the Melbourne phone-mount maker marks ten years and passes $100 million in sales.
Also SmartCompany
Seed
$8m
Our investment in Vouch
OIF Ventures' note explains why the fund co-led an $8m seed round in video-testimonial software maker Vouch with US-based Stage 2 Capital, profiling the product, founders and go-to-market model.
2 deals
FinTech Archa closes $24 million funding round backed by high profile investors
Corporate-card fintech Archa closed a $24 million pre-Series A round of debt and equity led by Wisr's Anthony Nantes, and secured a new institutional debt facility from Roadnight Capital.
Also Techboard