This Month
Former Disney chairman’s VC firm backs Kiwi start-up
WndrCo, the $US2.8 billion venture capital fund founded by former Walt Disney Studios head Jeffrey Katzenberg, now owns 4.7 per cent of Partly.
Kiwi AI farming start-up worth $2.9b as Peter Thiel invests
A New Zealand start-up looking to eradicate farm fencing is now valued at $US2 billion after the Silicon Valley giant’s VC arm led a $315 million funding round.
He sold A Cloud Guru for $2b. Now his next start-up is worth $100m
Cuttable has an AI platform that makes digital ads in bulk. Founder Sam Kroonenburg says vibe coding means it is growing faster with fewer staff.
NRF tips $20m into Michelle Simmons’ Silicon Quantum Computing
A start-up racing to build a commercial-scale quantum computer, and led by a former Australian of the Year, has secured National Reconstruction Fund support.
Former Downer execs raise millions for robots that repair trains
Institutional investors, including Queensland Investment Corporation, back Brisbane start-up that has sold robots to Rio Tinto, Dubai Metro and Lufthansa.
Macquarie-backed Rela blitzes UK farmers with cash-for-lease deals
Rela pays out farmers an upfront lump sum for leasing their land for clean energy projects. Macquarie and Oaktree like what they see.
AI robotics firm is new Aussie tech unicorn after blockbuster raise
Airtree and Quadrant led a big capital injection into the Sydney robotics start-up, catapulting its founders up the Young Rich List.
Data centre start-up WinDC launches monster $176m Series A raise
Trident Debt Capital Advisors and Utiliti Group have been appointed as corporate advisers.
Australia’s next tech unicorn is a cryptocurrency player
Stablecoin payments platform KAST has raised $113 million in its Series A funding round from two US venture capital firms.
Silicon Valley heavyweight brings private credit to Australian start-ups
Partners for Growth has raised $250 million to write loans for established Australian tech companies that need capital to expand.
Big name investors back ‘SaaSpocalypse’ busting AI software start-up
TestBox, a Silicon Valley start-up founded by Australian Sam Senior, is worth more than $70 million after attracting high-profile Australian and US investors.
Eucalyptus millionaires target new start-up investments with $15m fund
A VC fund run by a former tech lawyer and a Eucalyptus co-founder has raised the bulk of a new $15 million fund to back early stage start-ups.
‘Eyes wide open’: Female founders swap safety for satisfaction
These women had their pick of traditional careers but chose to make something entirely of their own.
Why not me? Fighters on the AI frontline
Belinda Dennett and Liesl Yearsley both realise the power of AI to reshape the economy and society, and have flung themselves into the race to lead the change.
Turning trash into treasure for passion and profit
Australians jettison 540kg of rubbish a year. Kylie Wallace saw the opportunity to make a business out of saving junk from landfill.
GrainCorp, UniSuper back green fertiliser start-up; $30m raised
The start-up’s $30 million Series A round was led by the Gates Foundation, Investible and Yara Growth Ventures.
Firmus lands $600m-plus annual tech giant deal as it eyes ASX float
The artificial intelligence start-up has already announced a $70 billion plan to work with Nvidia and CDC Data Centres on facilities across the country.
Leigh Jasper’s Firmable finds backers to secure valuation near $100m
The venture capital heavyweight sold his last start-up, Aconex, to Oracle for $1.6 billion. Now he is developing software to help sales people assess leads.
February
Millionaires aplenty as Eucalyptus’ $1.6b sale spreads across staff
The acquisition of the seven-year-old business by NYSE-listed Hims & Hers will be one of the biggest employee share payout in Australian corporate history.
Celebrity chef-backed EatClub’s value soars past $200m after UK launch
The hospitality start-up backed by chef Marco Pierre White is worth more than $200 million, after raising capital from existing investors to accelerate growth.
