Latest updates for ANZ sales professionals
Anthropic lost Pentagon contracts after refusing to remove safeguards on mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. As Australia pushes dual-use tech funding, local AI startups will face the same choice: accept military revenue or hold ethical boundaries. This is not theoretical anymore.
Construction logistics startup Veyor closed $10.5M at a $50-75M valuation. US now accounts for 30% of revenue, growing 150% year on year. The round funds expansion: expect sales hiring across ANZ and North America as they target becoming the system of record for site logistics globally.
Sydney construction logistics startup Veyor closed a US$7.5M ($10.6M AUD) Series A led by Marbruck Investments. The funding bankrolls US expansion, including senior go-to-market hires. CEO relocating to the US as North America now drives 30% of revenue, targeting 50% within two years.
Eucalyptus sold for $1.6B to US-listed Hims & Hers, but the fine print shows investors and employees won't see cash for years. Payouts hinge on hitting tough targets while the acquirer's stock tanks 64% in 12 months. Worth noting: the gap between headline price and actual returns.
AI sales data startup Firmable closed $14 million Series A led by Airtree. The round funds US market entry and hiring across sales and product. The Melbourne-based company now has 1,000 customers across ANZ and APAC, competing in the crowded sales intelligence space against Apollo, ZoomInfo, and other prospecting platforms.
Richard White-backed Vinyl Group acquired Val Morgan Digital from Hoyts for $10.5 million ($7m cash, $3.5m shares). The deal adds $10.7m in revenue and brands like BuzzFeed and PopSugar to Vinyl's portfolio. For sales teams: watch for integration of two digital ad platforms and potential territory reshuffles.
Divvy Homes sold for $1 billion. Founders and employees got nothing. The culprit: $735M in venture debt that sat above all equity in the waterfall. Here is what this means if your lender is pitching 'non-dilutive capital.'
Australian telehealth startup Eucalyptus sold to US-based Hims & Hers for up to $1.15 billion, with CEO Tim Doyle moving to SVP International. Meanwhile, WiseTech Global slashed 2000 coding roles, replacing them with AI. Worth noting: both moves signal major shifts in ANZ tech hiring.
Daniel Dines returned to UiPath CEO role just four months after stepping down, while Workday's Aneel Bhusri came back as AI agents threaten SaaS per-seat models. Both founder comebacks signal existential pivots: when AI disrupts your category, professional operators are not enough.
UpGuard closed a $105 million Series C led by New York PE firm Springcoast Partners. The 14-year-old Hobart startup is scaling go-to-market and eyeing acquisitions. Worth noting: cyber risk management platforms typically hire enterprise AEs in waves post-Series C.
Sydney logistics startup Sendle entered liquidation six weeks after abrupt shutdown. The company raised over $100 million, expanded to US in 2019, then collapsed when August 2025 merger partner ACI Logistix failed to pay. No public data on sales team size or revenue exists. SMB customers now hunting alternatives like Shippit.
Luke Anear is back as CEO of SafetyCulture after Kelly Vohs leaves following 14 months in charge. The shift comes as the $2.5 billion Sydney unicorn pivots to AI, with Anear citing the need for consistent leadership at HQ. Worth noting: SafetyCulture took a $200 million valuation cut in its last raise.