Unilever

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #180, 4th October 2026

Weekly roundup reporting Australian startup funding rounds and government grants, a venture fund close, agreed acquisitions, an IPO pricing, a collapse, plus executive hires and AI policy developments.

Customer data startup Paperbark signs Unilever brands to tackle ecommerce sales gaps

Paperbark, a Sydney startup helping ecommerce retailers recover lost revenue, was founded by Bryce Antoine and Eli Simic, took $120,000 from Josh Parsons, and has signed Onnit and Olly, two Unilever-owned brands.

5 Interesting Startup Deals You May Have Missed: AI For Everything From Recycling To Breathing To Winning Construction Bids

A monthly Crunchbase roundup of five lesser-known AI funding deals: Greyparrot's Series B, Emesent's equity-plus-debt package, SoundHealth's Series A, Forge Industries' round and Cascade's seed raise.

Veridooh appoints former IPG CEO David Bell to advisory council

Australian adtech firm Veridooh adds ex-Interpublic chief executive David Bell to its advisory council; the write-up also covers his career and Veridooh's 2022 Series A raise.

AgriFood Signals: Danone buys protein maker Huel, Miraterra Soil bags $16m, Grab buys Food Panda Taiwan

AgFunderNews roundup of agrifood deal news: eleven startup funding rounds, Generate Capital selling Equinox Growers, executive appointments including a new FFAR board member, and other industry items.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia

Yume Food collapses into liquidation after a decade of fighting food waste

The surplus-food marketplace has entered liquidation with its assets for sale; the piece recalls its 2024 seed raise led by Investible vehicles and its founder's next steps.

Also Startup Daily

AgriFood Signals: GoPuff nets $250m, Microsoft, Land O' Lakes partner on AI, M&A for carbon markets, COP30 protests

Weekly agtech and foodtech roundup: multiple venture raises, Carbon Direct's purchase of Pachama, two food-focused funds closing, board and C-suite appointments, and an Australian delivery firm shutting down.

Retail advertising startup Zitcha bags $15 million Series A for US push

Zitcha, an Australian retail-media advertising technology company, has secured $15 million in Series A funding, with US firm VMG Partners leading and OIF Ventures also involved, to support its American expansion.

Also OIF Ventures portfolio·SmartCompany

Electrification and geothermal heating: Arena backs new ways to cut industrial emissions

The Australian renewable energy agency awards federal grants for ten studies at food, wine and water businesses, seeking replicable ways to cut industrial emissions and save power.

Driving down industrial emissions

ARENA awards $1.98 million in feasibility-study grants to ten businesses, from meat processors to a water corporation, to investigate renewable energy and efficiency projects that cut industrial emissions.

Also RenewEconomy·Beef Central / Grain Central

The Week in AgriFoodTech: Hysata snags $111m for green hydrogen, Ocean 14 launches $200m+ fund

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup: Hysata's green-hydrogen Series B, Rize's Series A, other raises, Ocean 14 and Peakbridge fund closes, Uber buying Delivery Hero's Taiwan unit, executive hires, and an accelerator's cohort selection.

Niklas Adalberth, entrepreneur and founder of the Norrsken Foundation, winner of the Esade Award

Esade honours the Klarna co-founder at its alumni day; he describes Norrsken's mission to support companies with positive impact and reflects on entrepreneurship, networking and mentoring.

Startups Still See A Future In Familiar Foods Made With Weird Ingredients

Roundup of venture-funded startups reengineering everyday foods with unusual ingredients, detailing recent raises by Onego Bio, Planet A Foods, Savor, Perfect Day, Ripple Foods and Sydney-based Eden Brew.

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Publisher's manufacturing roundup: Anagenics completes a $1.3m placement, Harvest B hires an NPD lead, Great Wrap launches a compostable wrap product, AICRAFT and GoMicro partner on agtech, and Transmutation wins a Telstra business award.

Five Australian startups that raised at least $38.2 million this week

Roundup of five Australian startups that secured new capital this week: Amber Electric's $29m Series C, ProcurePro's $6.15m, Yume's $2m seed, Alt.Leather's $1.1m seed, plus an undisclosed Tenacious Ventures investment in Nbryo.

Yume's platform helps manufacturers turn potential food waste into money

Melbourne food-waste startup Yume announced a A$2 million seed round from Investible's Climate Tech Fund, Launch VIC, Goodrich Group, Veolia and angel Pitzy Folk, bringing its total funding to A$7 million.

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

The Week in AgriFoodTech: Paine Schwartz launches $1.7bn agrifood fund, Cricket One unveils new plant, Infarm ‘declared bankrupt’

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup: Paine Schwartz closes its $1.7bn food-and-ag fund; several seed and Series A rounds; Tangelo acquires Diet ID; Infarm declared bankrupt; layoffs and partnerships across the sector.

Who Gives A Crap brings on first investors with $41.5m raise

Toilet paper social enterprise Who Gives A Crap has taken its first outside capital, a $41.5 million round led by Verlinvest with Grok Ventures, Airtree, Giant Leap and prominent founders and athletes involved.

Also privateequitywire.co.uk·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·onimpact.com.au

Relevance AI Raises A$37m to Build the AI Workforce of The Future

Galileo Ventures reflects on backing Relevance AI from its VectorAI origins, recalling its seed and Series A rounds and celebrating the company's newly announced Series B.

Also Archangel Ventures portfolio·Galileo Ventures portfolio·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily