Latest updates for ANZ sales professionals
The SaaStr.ai Index tracking 25 leading B2B software companies hit a 50.5% decline from October 2025 to April 2026. This is not a correction. The market has structurally re-rated software as an asset class, now trading below S&P 500 multiples for the first time ever. Two forces: AI capex displacing traditional software budgets, and substitution fear that agents will replace seat-based revenue models.
Jason Lemkin's SaaStr replaced a 20-person GTM team with AI agents managed by 3 humans, driving revenue from -19% to +47% YoY. Most implementations fail because teams treat AI like set-and-forget software, not sales reps that need daily coaching. Here is what actually breaks.
Haast closed $17m Series A led by Peak XV Partners to automate marketing compliance reviews. The Sydney startup reports 4.5x revenue growth and zero churn among Fortune 500 clients, but no public details on sales team expansion despite funding for global scaling.
Western Australia awarded $2.56M to 14 organisations through the Innovation Pathways Program on April 9, 2026. Grants up to $300k for accelerators, $200k for education programs. Focus on energy, defence, health, tourism. 43% supports regional WA. Next round opens November 2026.
Brisbane crypto exchange Swyftx replaced CEO Jason Titman with cofounders as acting co-CEOs and cut 15% of headcount after acquiring Easy Crypto and Caleb & Brown. The cuts follow a year of rapid M&A that grew the team to 300 people across Australia, New Zealand, and the US.
MYOB locked in a five-year Microsoft partnership to build AI agents for its 3.2 million ANZ customers, days after Xero announced its Anthropic deal. The collaboration funds joint development of agentic AI tools using Copilot Studio and Agent 365, targeting cashflow forecasting and compliance automation for SMEs.
Canva acquired Simtheory and Ortto, both founded by Chris and Mike Sharkey (Stayz founders). Fifth acquisition in 2026. Limited public data on Canva's sales org, but enterprise push suggests growing team. No disclosed comp or headcount.
HubSpot is moving Breeze AI agents to outcome-based pricing from April 14: $0.50 per resolved conversation, $1 per qualified lead. The play follows Sierra's $150M ARR outcome model and Intercom's $100M+ Fin growth. For sales teams, this means paying only when AI actually ships leads or closes tickets, not for attempts.
Five Australian startups closed $30.1 million this week, led by Sydney compliance startup Haast's $17 million Series A. The round signals investor appetite for enterprise AI infrastructure and vertical SaaS, though none disclosed sales team expansion plans or comp details.
Zapier now evaluates every candidate on AI capability using a four-tier rubric. The automation company went from 10% to 97% internal AI adoption after CEO Wade Foster called a week-long code red following GPT-4's launch. They now run 800+ AI agents, more than their employee count.
Xero data shows 92% of Australian small businesses are running negative cashflow 4.2 months per year, with a 90-day crunch building from payday super reforms and 55-day collection periods. If you are selling to SMEs, your deals just got harder to close.
Sydney unicorn Canva acquired two local startups, Simtheory (AI collaboration) and Ortto (marketing automation), marking its sixth acquisition in 10 months. The $4 billion revenue company is repositioning from graphic design into enterprise workflows, customer data, and agentic AI. For sales teams, this means Canva is now building tools that compete with traditional sales enablement and marketing automation platforms.