🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #141, 7th December 2025

$24.3m raised across 6 rounds, Atlassian acquires Secoda, OpenAI launches startup program in partnership with Blackbird, Square Peg and AirTree, Immutable launches "Immutable Audiences"

News

M&A, IPOs & Exits

• Five V Capital acquires stake in solar, battery player Agile Energy (AFR)

• Atlassian acquires Secoda, an AI-powered data catalog and analytics assistant for enterprise teams (Direct)

• Cochlear-backed epilepsy medtech Epiminder’s shares on the slide after $125m public offer (BNA)

• EQT to acquire majority share of rental management prop-tech PropertyMe (BNA)

• Nuix acquires French AI decision platform Linkurious for $35m (Capital Brief)

• Rumin8 acquires Loam Bio cattle methane abatement spin-out ROAM Agricultural (BNA)

• Saluda Medical the latest Aussie-founded medtech set for an ASX debut after raising $231m (BNA)

Capital Markets

• ASX Tech November Winners: Horror month for the sector, but some stocks scraped through okay (The Australian)

Partnership & Deals

• NextDC confirms OpenAI partnership on $7.6b Sydney AI data centre build (Capital Brief)

• OpenAI launches “Open AI for Australia” including the a startup program in partnership with Blackbird, Square Peg and AirTree (Direct)

Product Launches, Milestones and Expansion

• Robbie Ferguson co-founder of Immutable announces the launch of ‘Immutable Audience’ an AI-powered game growth software to 10x multiply a game’s acquisition, engagement, and retention (LinkedIn)

• REA Group launches RealAssist, an OpenAI-powered tool on realestate.com.au to help homeowners understand property valuations (The Australian)

Venture Capital & Other Funding

• Forget AI, seaweed is the new hot destination for venture capital (AFR)

• NRF backs local smart meter technology with $100m loan (InnovationAus)

• Secondaries investor SecondQuarter Ventures launches new fund to tap $4 billion liquidity demand (BNA)

• Sharon AI poised to launch $100m pre-IPO round; eyes March IPO (AFR)

• Jeremy Liddle announces the launch of Third Hemisphere’s venture investment arm, with Fremantle Seaweed its first investment (LinkedIn)

People Moves & Spotlights

• Startmate CEO Michael Batko steps down after eight years, COO Phoebe Pincus takes top spot (SmartCompany)

• Robyn Denholm departs Tech Council prompting board refresh (InnovationAus)

Government, Policy & Regulation

• Labor’s National AI Plan has no standalone AI Act, asks businesses to police themselves (SmartCompany)

• NSW gives the nod to a $3 billion CDC data centre in Western Sydney (Startup Daily)

• LaunchVic and Breakthrough Victoria to merge into single entity (Capital Brief)

Reports & Data

• Netflix, Amazon and other streamers spent a record $414m on Australian content last year (Capital Brief)

• The annual Startup Muster survey reveals that AI is transforming how Australian founders build tech (Startup Daily)

Other News & Updates

• Airwallex CEO denies allegations that US user data is being sent to China (Capital Brief)

• Just days after Blackbird slashed its valuation by nearly a quarter, Culture Amp reveals it lost another $37 million last financial year (Startup Daily)

• Eucalyptus revenue surges on UK appetite for weight-loss drugs (AFR)

• Strongroom AI collapse: $70,000,000 valuation, alleged misreporting of revenue, and due-diligence lessons for Australian VCs (The Age)

Funding Rounds

• Detail Earth, a mapping platform that provides ultra HD aerial imagery with AI tools for governments and businesses to access timely high-detail maps, has raised $1.5m in a Seed round from FundWA and Angel Investors (Capital Brief)

• Fremantle Seaweed, an aquaculture firm growing Asparagopsis seaweed as a cattle feed supplement to cut methane, has raised $2.3m in a Seed round from Third Hemisphere and Hill Tribe Family Office (Capital Brief | BNA)

• Bodd, a 3D body scanning technology which captures ultra rich body data, enabling brands to deliver highly personalised consumer experiences, has raised $15000000 in a Undisclosed round from Blue Sky Capital, Ellerston Capital, Liangrove Group and Angel Investors (AFR | Startup Daily | BNA)

• Cor, an AI onboarding platform that provides a conversational agent for SaaS customers to boost adoption, has raised $2m in a Pre-Seed round from Rampersand, Archangel Ventures, Black Sheep Capital and Skalata Ventures (BNA | Capital Brief)

• Hachiko, an energy platform that optimises and trades distributed battery portfolios for developers and traders to maximise returns, has raised $2.5m in a Seed round from Archangel Ventures, Electrifi Ventures, Investible, Motion Capital, Twynam Investments and Wattle Hill Capital (Startup Daily | Capital Brief | Investible)

• Recovr, a FitnessTech platform that uses AI to predict at-risk members for gyms and studios to reduce cancellations, has raised $1m in a Seed round from JWW Capital (Australasian Leisure Management)