This week saw four startups raise $39.2 million across mining, quantum computing, dating and education technology.
Four startups raised a combined $39.2 million this week, with Australian companies claiming two significant deals.
CorePlan raises $5 million, led by EVP
Perth-based CorePlan has raised $5 million in a follow-on funding round led by existing investor EVP to expand its mining and drilling operations software globally. The capital will support global team expansion, product development into drilling and geology workflows, scaling regional support in the Americas, and expanding Australian operations.
Founded by Alex Goulios, CorePlan provides a cloud-based operating system for exploration and drilling operations, connecting contractors and geology teams into a single platform for planning, production, compliance and invoicing.
The startup raised $4 million in late 2023 from EVP as its first external capital raise. CorePlan currently serves over 600 companies and 9,000 users worldwide, adding approximately 300 new users monthly.
Diraq raises $20 million from National Reconstruction Fund
UNSW Sydney quantum computing spinout Diraq has secured $20 million from the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation as part of an ongoing $75 million Series A raise. The equity investment positions Diraq to deliver its first product by 2029, a quantum computer capable of genuine quantum advantage.
The NRF funding takes the total raised by Diraq past $150 million including government funding. Founded by Professor Andrew Dzurak in 2022, Diraq recently launched operations in Melbourne, in addition to two hubs in Sydney, alongside US operations in Palo Alto, Boston and Chicago.
Investors include Main Sequence, Uniseed, NewSouth Innovations, Quantonation, ICM Global Funds, Morgan Creek Digital, Hostplus, UniSuper, NGS Super and Taronga Ventures.
Ditto raises $9.2 million, led by Peak XV Partners
Berkeley-based Ditto has raised $9.2 million in seed funding to expand its iMessage-based dating service targeting university students. The round was led by Peak XV Partners with participation from Gradient, Scribble Ventures, Alumni Ventures and Llama Venture. Founded by Allen Wang and Eric Liu, two UC Berkeley undergraduates, Ditto operates entirely through iMessage without requiring a standalone application.
The funding will launch yacht parties across the United States throughout 2026 as part of the company’s expansion strategy.
Sparkli raises $5 million, led by Founderful
Zurich-based Sparkli has raised $5 million in pre-seed funding to develop a multimodal AI learning engine for children aged 5 to 12. The round was led by Founderful, with participation from Arc Investors and a grant from Innosuisse. Founded by CEO Lax Poojary and co-founders who are veterans of Google Area 120, Search and YouTube, Sparkli transforms children’s questions into interactive, multidisciplinary learning journeys.
The platform uses real-time multimodal AI to convert inquiries into learning experiences that foster skills including technology, design thinking, sustainability, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence and global awareness.
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