Property investment advisory Dashdot collapsed into voluntary liquidation last week, cutting more than 40 jobs. CEO cites federal budget tax reforms and Meta ad changes as contributing factors. Clients who paid thousands in upfront fees are waiting for answers.
Utah proptech Entrata filed for NYSE listing with $575M run-rate revenue growing 23%, profitable, carrying $270M debt from pre-IPO dividend. First of a PE-backed SaaS wave trying to exit into a market that now wants acceleration, not just efficiency. Most names behind it are not accelerating.
Australia is back in the top 10 global startup ecosystems for the first time in three years, ranking 9th with a US$195B valuation. Sydney pulled 65% of national funding in 2024 and sits 30th globally for startup cities. Melbourne grew faster (37.8% vs Sydney's 11.7%) but remains smaller at US$18B ecosystem value.
Treasury is consulting on how the federal government's capital gains tax overhaul would hit founders who built companies from nothing. The reform replaces the 50% CGT discount with an inflation-linked model from July 2027, potentially creating massive tax bills when founders exit businesses with low or zero initial cost base.
Blackbird panel says AI tools reduce traditional Silicon Valley advantages, but Australian startups still hit the same funding and hiring walls. Three AI founders broke down what has changed and what has not.
Sydney energy startup Cable closed $4m pre-seed from Systemiq Capital and Black Nova VC. The company installs batteries at SMB premises at no upfront cost, then bills based on usage. Claims 40% savings versus standard electricity plans. Public beta now open for Sydney metro businesses.
Australia's largest equity crowdfunding platform just marked itself down from $26m to $5m. For anyone evaluating startup equity packages, this is what valuation volatility looks like in practice. The platform helped 45+ companies raise $29m since 2018, but the CSF market has cooled hard.
Matt Wright sold his Brisbane used-car marketplace to Toyota Tsusho for $120 million after six years. Now he is writing three $1 million cheques to founders in Australia, UK, and US through his Founder Finds Future initiative. The company hit $500 million in revenue before the exit.
Oli closed a $6.5 million Series A3 to commercialise wearable birth-monitoring tech. The Sydney startup has now raised $13 million private capital plus $9.5 million in grants since 2018. Worth watching: they are moving from development into hospital sales, which means clinical sales hires are likely coming.
Sydney hospitality wholesale platform Ordermentum closed $55 million from Five V Capital at a $150m valuation. The round funds AI development and acquisitions. The company connects 50,000 venues with suppliers through digital ordering and payments.
Three ANZ startups pulled in $81 million this week. Sydney hospitality platform Ordermentum led with $55M from Five V Capital, serving 45,000 venues. Melbourne defence tech Arkeus closed a Series A, while NZ music platform Lume secured backing from Lorde ahead of launch.
PepsiCo's 2026 APAC Greenhouse Program selected five startups, including Sydney's Adiona and X-Centric. Worth noting: both have been working with PepsiCo since 2023 and 2024 respectively. The program is grant-based and non-dilutive, which matters if you are selling climate or supply chain tech and want an enterprise reference customer without giving up equity.