This weekly feature from Dynamic Business runs down the week’s top funding rounds from Australia and the US. Check out last week’s biggest funding rounds here.
NZ-based Partly raises $34 million
Partly, the company, on a mission to connect the world’s car parts by building the tools to connect buyers and sellers, has raised AUD 34 million in funding from leading VC firms across Australia and Europe.
The round was led by Octopus Ventures, one of Europe’s largest and most active VC investors, with participation from Square Peg, Blackbird, Shasta Ventures, Ten13, Square Co-Founder Randy Redigg, Hillfarrance, Icehouse and I2BF. Partly will use the investment to continue its global growth by doubling its headcount over the next 12 months and growing its New Zealand, Australian and European presence.
Picaluna secures funding from VentureCrowd
Picaluna, a Sydney-based DeathTech, has recently completed an oversubscribed funding round on VentureCrowd, raising $386k. In FY22, they turned over $2.9M in revenue, a 60% growth from the previous year.
CSIRO’s ON accelerate program boosts deep-tech innovation with 10 startup picks
CSIRO, the national science agency, has selected ten deep-tech startups, including three of its own ideas, for its relaunched ON Accelerate programme.
The programme began in 2015 and was terminated in late 2019, after it had created 66 new companies, more than 500 jobs, and raised more than $110 million in investment capital. This is the seventh ON Accelerate.
Avarni raises $3 million
Carbon management startup Avarni has raised $3m to streamline the future of carbon management. The round is the second fundraising since its founding and was led by deep tech venture firm Main Sequence, along with existing investors Vulpes Ventures and Common Sense Ventures.
FairSupply announces $6.3m series A round led by AirTree
FairSupply has announced a $6.3m series A round led by AirTree, alongside Tidal, Minderoo Foundation and early adopter of the program, QIC. The funding, which will be used to launch new products and expand to international markets, comes as environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting regimes to gather momentum globally, with regulators in the UK, EU, Australia and Japan all cracking down on corporate greenwashing.
$10 million to drive aboriginal business growth
The NSW Government will invest $10 million to help Aboriginal businesses across the State diversify and grow.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Ben Franklin said the funding would support tangible actions to expand the Aboriginal business sector, including networking and mentoring, leadership and recognition, and working to address accountability and transparency.
Synchron raises $110 million Series C Led by ARCH Venture Partners
Synchron, which hopes to give paralysed people the power to control computers with their minds, has raised $110 million in a Series C.
Top-tier investor syndicate includes new investors ARCH Venture Partners, Gates Frontier, Bezos Expeditions, Reliance Digital Health Limited, Greenoaks, Alumni Ventures, Moore Strategic Ventures, and Project X, with follow-on participation from existing investors, including Khosla Ventures, NeuroTechnology Investors, METIS, Forepont Capital Partners, ID8 Investments, Shanda Group and the University of Melbourne.
Syenta lands $3.7 million seed round
Canberra-based manufacturing startup Syenta has raised $3.7 million in seed funding. The round was led by Blackbird, alongside Brindabella Capital and Jelix Ventures. The funds will accelerate technical development and deliver more printers to early customers.
Rest of the world
Sweep raises $28M in Funding
Sweep is a platform helping businesses customize and deploy GTM playbooks directly to their Salesforce. Bessemer Venture Partners and Insight Partners led the round. The company intends to use the funds to help more companies get the most out of their CRM.
MasterControl raises $150 m in Series A funding; Valued at $1.3B
MasterControl raised $150M in Series A funding, valued at $1.3 billion. The company provides cloud-based quality and manufacturing software for life sciences and other regulated industries. The company serves global life sciences customers, including Pfizer, Cochlear, Thermo Fisher Scientific and more than 1,100 others.
Zappi raises $170 m in growth funding
Zappi provides a consumer insights platform designed for creators. More than 350 progressive brands, including PepsiCo, McDonald’s, Heineken and Reckitt use the platform to understand consumers, accelerate innovation pipeline, and optimise ads and products before they go to market with pre-launch data.
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