🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #131, 28th September 2025
$129.95 raised across 10 rounds, Linktree rolls out new AI features, Canva paid $22.5m for AI startup MagicBrief, Bailador Technology partially sells SiteMinder stake for $25m
Top News
Bailador Technology rebalances portfolio by selling a chunk of its SiteMinder stake for $25m (BNA)
Edtech OpenLearning tackles Brazil, secures Learnbase partnership (BNA)
Linktree rolls out new AI features amid deeper Canva integration (SmartCompany)
NextDC appoints AirAsia chair Jamaludin Ibrahim as director (Capital Brief)
Qld biomanufacturing gets an $18m boost (InnovationAus)
Relevance AI, Press Play Ventures, _Southstart, Mick Liubinskas and Paz Pisarski win at the Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards 2025 (Startup Daily)
‘Off to the races’: Diraq proves chips can be manufactured at scale (InnovationAus)
Atlassian to Seek: Here’s how much Australia’s top R&D spenders claim in tax incentives (SmartCompany)
Digital asset exchange Coinbase partners with AUDC to list AUDD – Australia’s premier digital dollar stablecoin (Australian FinTech)
Draft legislation gets Australia a step closer to crypto regulation (SmartCompany)
Nine, Seven seek path to Big Tech damages under new digital regime (Capital Brief)
Samsara Eco appoints Lars Kissau as first Asia general manager (Capital Brief)
‘Profitiness’: Why Canva’s ‘profitable’ right up until it has to file accounts with the government (Startup Daily)
Animal-free fats biotech Nourish Ingredients to set up global commercial hub in Europe (BNA)
Audit of the federal government’s $466 million PsiQuantum deal declares it ‘appropriate’ (Startup Daily)
Australia working on data centre strategy, but risks being left behind (AFR)
EVP-backed Deckard favors venture debt over equity with $6m Mighty Partners raise (Capital Brief)
NSW govt tips $22m into renewables manufacturing hub (InnovationAus)
What the new $150,000 H-1B US visa fee means for Australian startups and talent (Startup Daily)
NSW rolls out EduChat AI tool to all public school students (InnovationAus)
Mortar Group merges with Firehouse Technology to create Mortar Tech as global ambitions fast-tracked (BNA)
Rare glimpse into Canva accounts raises questions about profit story (AFR)
StrongRoom AI founder admits ‘discrepancies’ but blames EVP’s losses on its due dilligence (Capital Brief)
Canva paid $22.5m for AI startup MagicBrief and is getting its house in order before an IPO (Capital Brief)
Funding Rounds
ETO Group, an international online trading platform, has raised an undisclosed amount (Direct)
SwitchDin, which makes smart software solutions for solar and battery energy management, has raised $10m in a Series A round from Ellerston Capital (Direct)
BioScout, which automates agricultural disease detection, has raised an undisclosed amount from Hort Innovation Fund and Artesian (Hort Innovation | BNA)
VeriQuantix, which is developing a Quantum Link Verification technology to inspect and alert the presence of of an intrusion in optical communication, has raised $500k from Powerhouse Ventures (ASX)
Decidr, an agentic AI platform for businesses to run autonomous workflows across their systems, data and teams, has raised $20m on the ASX (Capital Brief)
ActivePort, a multi-vendor network orchestration and automation software that lets telcos, MSPs and enterprises provision cloud and network services on demand, has raised $5m on the ASX (AFR)
Morse Micro, a fabless semiconductor company developing Wi-Fi HaLow solutions for the IoT market, has raised $88m in a Series C round from MegaChips, National Reconstruction Fund, Blackbird, Main Sequence Ventures, HostPlus, NGS Super, Unisuper and Angel Investors (AFR | SmartCompany | Capital Brief)
Fleetyr, a fleet and safety analytics platform, has raised $750k in a Seed round from 77 Partners and QIC (SmartCompany)
Alloy, a robotics data analytics platform, has raised $4.5m in a Pre-Seed round from Blackbird, Airtree, Xtal Ventures, Skip Capital and Angel Investors (Capital Brief | SmartCompany)
Nevam, a real time marketing journey platform, has raised $1.2m from Brand Fund, Huljich Family Office, Icehouse Ventures, and Angel Investors (SmartCompany | BNA)