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Welcome to another edition of 🔍 Startup Researcher - Oceania, your essential digest delivering the latest news and premium insights on startups and venture capital across the region 🌍
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📰 Important News
- SafetyCulture CEO Kelly Vohs stepped down after a year, with founder Luke Anear returning as interim CEO amid the AI shift.
- Melbourne-based FogTrail launched its Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) platform to help startups get discovered and cited in AI search engines.
- Earlytrade and BuildingPoint partnered to offer early payment and progress claims solutions to contractors across Australia and New Zealand.
- Zepto created the role of Chief Business Resilience Officer, appointing Mariana Paun to lead security, operations, and risk.
- Wallo Pay launched Wallo Pay Direct to enable direct bank-to-bank payments that reduce transaction fees for businesses and consumers.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- UpGuard raised A$105 million in a Series C round led by Springcoast Partners to accelerate its AI-powered platform and scale its global GTM efforts.
- Melbourne-based EatClub landed an A$27 million Series B led by Marbruck to accelerate its expansion in the UK and other global markets.
- Forever Harvest secured NZ$1.2 million in pre-seed funding led by Sprout Agritech to advance its cellular horticulture technology.
- SavvyWise closed an oversubscribed seed round of A$600,000 at A$10 million valuation, funding marketing and platform upgrades.
💰️ IPO and M&A Watch
- Bastion Security Group acquired Melbourne-based cybersecurity provider Astralas in its fourth Australian acquisition, adding 60 staff.
- Heidi acquired AutoMedica and launched Heidi Evidence and Heidi Comms, expanding from an AI scribe into a broader AI care partner for clinicians.
- Canva acquired AI marketing startup MangoAI and motion design platform Cavalry to expand its professional creative suite and deepen its intelligent marketing products for creators.
🏦 About Investors
- Archangel Ventures raised A$40 million Fund II for pre-seed and seed-stage Australian startups, adopting a boutique, hands-on approach to address a critical early-stage capital gap and support the next generation of innovators.
- Macquarie Group Foundation committed A$1 million to Good Return’s Impact Investment Fund II, bringing its total to A$2.15 million to support women-led businesses and climate resilience in Asia-Pacific.
🚀 Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
UpGuard
Founded in Sydney in 2012 by Mike Baukes and Alan Sharp-Paul, UpGuard has grown into a standout cyber risk platform, offering AI-powered cyber risk posture management across vendor risk, breach monitoring, user risk, trust exchange, and automation tools for security teams. It recently raised an A$105 million Series C led by Springcoast Partners, with backing from August Capital, Square Peg Capital, and Pelion Venture Partners. CEO and co-founder Baukes is steering the next phase, using the new capital to sharpen product innovation, expand its global go-to-market operations, and explore strategic acquisitions. In a crowded cybersecurity market, UpGuard’s role is clear: bridge risk and security so lean teams can move faster and stay resilient.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
Archangel Ventures
Founded in 2020 in Melbourne, Archangel Ventures has carved out a niche as a boutique venture capital firm built for the earliest innings of company creation. The firm writes first cheques into Australian startups, concentrating on pre-seed and seed rounds and backing founders with close, operator-led support rather than scale for scale’s sake. Its latest move is Fund II, an A$40 million vehicle that is already nearly halfway raised, extending a track record that now spans 50+ pre-seed investments and 20+ follow-ons. Led by managing partner Ben Armstrong alongside partners Rayn Ong and Andrew Cicutto, Archangel differentiates through speed and hands-on conviction—positioning itself as day-one capital for Australia’s next generation of ambitious founders.
🤑 Opportunities Expiring Soon
THRIVE Studio Sprint
- 📢 Organizer: SVG Ventures | THRIVE
- 🗂️ Category: Incubator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Ideation, Pre-seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Agriculture & Food
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 02, 2026
MassChallenge Switzerland 2026 Accelerator
- 📢 Organizer: MassChallenge Switzerland
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator, Award/Prize, Competition/Challenge
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 04, 2026
CSIRO ON Prime Program
- 📢 Organizer: CSIRO
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Stage Agnostic
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 04, 2026
Activator FounderHUB Program
- 📢 Organizer: RMIT Activator (RMIT University)
- 🗂️ Category: Incubator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Ideation, Pre-seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 08, 2026
Blackbird Giants Mentoring Program
- 📢 Organizer: Blackbird
- 🗂️ Category: Training & Learning
- 🪜 Target Stages: Ideation, Pre-seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: March 08, 2026
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