Section
Startups
SpaceX IPO jumps 19% as $US75bn debut tests tech
SpaceX IPO shares closed 19% above offer after a $US75bn raise, setting the public-market test for OpenAI and Anthropic.
Silicon Quantum Computing gets $40m NRF top-up
Silicon Quantum Computing has secured another $40m from the National Reconstruction Fund as Canberra backs local quantum-chip manufacturing.
Fishburners sale 2026: Scalare buys startup hub assets
Fishburners sale to Scalare shifts the 15-year-old founder hub from administration into a listed startup investor's ecosystem.
QuantX Labs raises $US5m for quantum atomic clocks
QuantX Labs has raised $US5 million to scale optical atomic clocks for defence, space and critical infrastructure from Adelaide.
South Australia $50m R&D fund gives startups a narrow win
South Australia $50m R&D fund targets startup commercialisation, but the 2026-27 budget offers a narrow form of relief.
SpaceX IPO price set at $US135 in record $US75bn float
SpaceX IPO price of $US135 puts Elon Musk's rocket company on track for a record $US75bn float and a $US1.75tn valuation.
DataMasque raises $5.6m for safer AI data privacy tools
DataMasque's $5.6 million raise puts AI data privacy in focus as enterprises look for safer ways to train and test models.
Pre-ChatGPT startups face AI's valuation reset in 2026
Pre-ChatGPT startups are being repriced as generative AI changes what investors will pay for older SaaS tools and leaner software teams.
Advanced Navigation revenue jumps 73% before Series C
Advanced Navigation revenue rose 73% before its $158 million Series C, giving investors a harder test of the Australian deep-tech unicorn.
Australia startup ranking 2026 faces AI and capital test
Australia startup ranking 2026 puts the country back at No. 9, but AI diffusion, capital depth and tax settings will decide if it lasts.
AUKUS drones open narrow path for AU defence startups
AUKUS drones give Australian defence-tech startups a clearer mission, but procurement power still sits with US and UK suppliers.
AUKUS underwater drones open lane for Australian start-ups
AUKUS plans to deliver underwater drones from 2027, and recent Defence contracts show where Australian companies in navigation, sensing and cable-protection tools could fit.
Birchal cuts valuation to $5m in new crowd-funding round
Birchal valuation cut resets the platform at $5 million as chief executive Kirstin Hunter argues Australia's crowd-funding market has tightened.
HEO $30m raise tests appetite for Australian space tech
HEO's mooted $30 million raise puts Australian space tech, Airtree backing and sovereign-capital questions into focus.
Startup CGT carve-outs: Labor moves to policy design
Startup CGT carve-outs are now Labor's consultation problem, with founders watching whether Canberra offers real relief or just narrows the backlash.
Canva AI pivot: 4 senior exits in a single month
Four senior leaders left Canva in May 2026 as the design giant races to become AI-native, testing its promise to redeploy staff rather than replace them.
Ordermentum's $55m raise backs AI push in hospitality software
Ordermentum's $55 million raise from Five V Capital backs new AI tools and underlines continued appetite for Australian vertical SaaS.
Startup CGT concessions: Labor weighs a narrow carve-out
Startup CGT concessions are now a live policy question as Labor weighs a narrow carve-out to protect founder equity, ESOPs and venture returns.
Digital health startups can build here. Scaling is harder
Australian digital health startups are seeking offshore capital as local investors favour faster revenue models and regulated scale-ups face trial costs.
US CHIPS Act quantum funding backs Diraq and PsiQuantum
US CHIPS Act quantum funding will send up to $US38 million to Diraq and $US100 million to PsiQuantum as Washington builds a domestic quantum stack.
WIRobotics raises $US68m in Series B for humanoid robots
WIRobotics raised KRW 95 billion ($US68 million) in Series B funding to commercialise its ALLEX humanoid platform and expand physical AI work.
PepsiCo APAC accelerator picks two Australian startups
PepsiCo's APAC accelerator has picked Adiona Tech and X-Centric Sciences, giving two Australian startups a corporate route to scale.
Industry Growth Program grants: women founders received just 8.6% of funding
Fresh FOI documents show women-owned businesses accounted for roughly 20 per cent of Industry Growth Program applicants but only 8.6 per cent of approved grants before the $392 million scheme was paused this month.
R&D tax incentive cuts: Gilmour Space, Myriota push for deep tech carve-out
Gilmour Space, Myriota and Quantum Brilliance are among the Australian deep tech companies calling on the federal government to carve out priority industries from a proposed 10-year age limit on the refundable R&D Tax Incentive, warning the budget measure could stall the country's most capital-intensive startup pipeline.
LaunchVic is dead. Innovation Victoria must prove the model
Innovation Victoria will combine LaunchVic and Breakthrough Victoria in late 2026, but founders still need proof that grants and capital keep distinct lanes.
