This week, several top companies in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region raised big funding rounds to help grow their businesses and develop new technologies.
From Airwallex’s huge valuation to advances in cybersecurity, mental health, research, and electric vehicle tech, these investments show strong growth in important industries. Here’s a look at the latest funding news:
Fintech Airwallex raises $465 million in Series F funding round
Payments technology company Airwallex has successfully closed a $465 million (US$300 million) Series F funding round, bringing its valuation to approximately $9.6 billion (US$6.2 billion). Founded in Melbourne and now headquartered in Singapore, Airwallex has surpassed the significant milestone of $1 billion in annualised revenue.
The company plans to use the fresh capital to broaden its international footprint and enhance its product offerings. Leading investors in this round include well-known names such as Square Peg, DST Global, Lone Pine Capital, Airtree, Salesforce Ventures, Hostplus, NGS Super, alongside Blackbird Ventures, which contributed $60 million earlier this month. This latest funding underscores growing confidence in Airwallex’s potential to disrupt the global payments landscape.
AI-powered cybersecurity platform CloudSEK secures $19 million in funding
CloudSEK, a pioneering company in AI-driven cyber threat prediction and intelligence, has raised $19 million through a combination of Series A2 and B1 funding rounds. The investment attracted a mix of strategic and venture investors from India and the United States, including MassMutual Ventures, Inflexor Ventures, Prana Ventures, Tenacity Ventures, and Commvault among others. Early backers such as the Meeran Family (founders of Eastern Group), StartupXSeed, Neon Fund, and Exfinity Ventures continue to support CloudSEK’s growth.
Since its inception in 2015 by cybersecurity researcher-turned-entrepreneur Rahul Sasi, CloudSEK has evolved from a research initiative into a trusted intelligence platform serving over 250 enterprise clients across banking, healthcare, technology, and government sectors. The fresh capital will help expand its predictive cybersecurity capabilities and global reach.
Foremind raises $1.5 million to enhance mental health support tools
Foremind, an innovative platform dedicated to improving workplace mental health and psychosocial safety, has closed a $1.5 million funding round led by impact investor Giant Leap, with contributions from Skalata and Snow Foundation. The funds will be deployed to develop advanced features for its platform, designed to help employers comply with mental health regulations while supporting employee wellbeing.
Foremind also plans to use the capital to expand beyond Australia into new markets, specifically New Zealand and the UK, further cementing its role as a leader in workplace mental health solutions.
Uniseed secures additional $25 million from UniSuper
Australia’s longest-running university-focused venture fund, Uniseed, has raised an additional $25 million from UniSuper, increasing UniSuper’s total commitment to $100 million. UniSuper, one of the country’s largest superannuation funds, exclusively serves the retirement needs of its members.
Uniseed specializes in providing seed funding to early-stage technology startups that emerge from Australian research institutions, helping bridge the gap between academic innovation and commercial venture capital. The fund targets cutting-edge industries including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, quantum computing, and green energy, aiming to transform research breakthroughs into commercial success stories.
SQM Lithium Ventures invests $3.6 million into Kite Magnetics
SQM Lithium Ventures, the venture capital division of a global lithium producer, has invested $3.6 million in Kite Magnetics, a Melbourne startup focused on producing advanced components for electric motors and generators. The company’s flagship technology is Aeroperm, a patented nanocrystalline magnetic material designed to improve electric motor efficiency by reducing energy losses.
Founded as a spin-off from Monash University in 2021, Kite Magnetics has attracted early funding through programs like Breakthrough Victoria and was one of the first recipients of Sydney-based Investible’s Climate Tech Fund in 2022. This investment will accelerate Kite Magnetics’ product development and commercial scaling efforts, supporting the transition to cleaner, more efficient electric vehicles.
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