Scale Investors and VentureCrowd introduce new female board members
Female-focused angel investor network, Scale Investors today announced a strategic partnership with alternative assets crowdfunding platform VentureCrowd, as well as the appointment of three new members to the Scale Investors board – Catherine Robson, Judith Smith and Lynda Coker who have joined the board, effective from 1 March. The Scale Investors and VentureCrowd collaboration has two main components. VentureCrowd will ease syndication of an investment for Scale Investors by handling the administration, such as collecting investment funds, setting up a unit trust and all required documentation. It also includes facilitating on long-term relationships between startups and a syndicate by managing investor updates and communications. Secondly, companies that Scale Investors invest […]
NAB Ventures invests in BRICKX
2018 has kicked off with a bang! NAB Ventures, National Australia Bank’s corporate venture capital arm, has invested in BRICKX. BRICKX is a revolutionary new and affordable way for Australians to invest in residential property by buying ‘Bricks’ in a BRICKX property. This unique approach, called fractional property investment, means people can invest in quality residential properties for as little as a few hundred dollars. Learn more about how BRICKX works. NAB Ventures and BRICKX alignment NAB Ventures – which supports businesses and entrepreneurs in their quest to build leading technology companies – saw the investment potential in democratising property ownership in the Australian market. Housing affordability continues to be […]
Matt Heine and Steve Tucker back fintech start-up
Artificial intelligence-enabled fintech start-up Nod has received a private capital injection from industry luminaries including Netwealth joint MD Matt Heine and Koda Capital chair Steve Tucker. In a statement, Nod announced it has raised $750,000 in capital as part of a funding round to support the its plans for expansion. The start-up, which “generates documents in real-time for finance professionals” using artificial intelligence, said it received the backing of a number of “key investors” including Mr Heine, Mr Tucker, Padua Financial Group executive chair Matt Esler, and venture capital firm H2 Ventures. Mr Heine said compliance-driven document generation had the potential to “save advice firms significant time, effort and expense” […]
Lendi taps investors in fresh capital raising call
Online mortgage broker Lendi, which is backed by investors including Macquarie Group, has completed its latest round of capital raising. Street Talk understands Lendi last month ruled off a $25 million capital raise which was oversubscribed and supported by some existing shareholders, sophisticated investors and a number of blue-chip Australian institutions. The company is seeking to take a bigger slice of the local mortgage market after accounting for about 1 per cent last year. Lendi is 40 per cent owned by founders and employees and its big name minority shareholders include Bailador, Macquarie Group and several sophisticated investors. Early investors included CrownBet boss Matthew Tripp. Although it is unclear if […]
Australian startups share tips on how to raise early stage funding
The early stage funding could be challenging for several startups, including those from Australia. Some Australian startups admitted they did not have the expertise or knowledge of how to raise funds, a new survey has found. The new Startup Muster, a poll of the Australian startup ecosystem, showed that 12.9 percent said they did not possess the expertise to raise funds. SafetyCulture CEO and founder Luke Anear offered an advice, saying startups must not go to an investor meeting and ask for cash. Anear said the approach should be like in dating. A startup needs to know the investor first before accepting an investment. “You don’t get married on your […]
Credible founder Stephen Dash comes home for biggest ASX tech IPO of 2017
A 33-year-old Australian tech entrepreneur, who left Australia five years ago for Silicon Valley, will return home to ring the bell at the Australian Securities Exchange on Friday as his fintech company Credible becomes the biggest local tech float of the year. Stephen Dash, a former investment director at Mark Carnegie’s private equity, venture capital and advisory firm M.H. Carnegie, already raised over $US20 million ($26.5 million) in external funding for the US-focused online student loan marketplace before raising $68 million through an initial public offering, which valued the company at $306.6 million. Credible has carved out a potentially lucrative niche in the US market, where students have typically paid […]
Aura Venture Fund backs fintech Integrated Portfolio Solutions as it targets SMSF and investors
Integrated Portfolio Solutions, a start-up that has built a platform to help investors keep control of self-managed super and investments, has raised $3 million to fuel ambitious growth plans, which it says will lead to it having $5 billion in funds under administration within the next five years. Aura Group’s $30 million venture fund led a syndicate of investors in the $3 million raise, which will support IPS’ development of an integrated customer resource management, self-managed superannuation fund reporting and investment platform. IPS deals directly with all third parties (banks, fund managers and stockbrokers) on a client’s behalf and enables advisers and investors to minimise the cost of portfolio administration, […]
VCs target Australian blockchain and cryptocurrency firms with $44m in funds
Start-ups with designs on making it big in the fast-growing world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies will be targeted by two new funds focusing on the Australian market, with almost $44 million to spend. Apollo Capital, founded by venture capital fund Dominent Venture Partners’ Domenic Carosa and Holger Arians and Wall Street veteran Henrik Andersson, is attempting to raise a minimum of $30 million and will specialise in crypto asset investments, which it defines as digital currencies, blockchain-based assets and initial coin offerings. At the same time an $80 million global blockchain development fund, NEM.io Foundation, is expanding to Australia, with its global director of partnerships and strategic alliances, Jason Lee, […]
