This weekly feature from Dynamic Business runs down the week’s top funding rounds from Australia.
Metro completes A$67 million equity raise
Metro, one of Australia’s leading independent non-bank lenders for commercial asset finance, today announced the successful completion of a $67 million institutional equity placement. The placement, which follows a $500 million debt funding deal announced earlier in the year, will be used to strengthen Metro’s balance sheet and support further growth of its novated lease and consumer lending businesses.
Insurtech LifeBid secures $700K
Insurtech disruptor LifeBid has announced the launch of an equity crowdfunding campaign with Stride Equity, Australia’s first venture backed equity crowdfunding platform. The launch of the equity crowdfunding campaign follows a strategic co-investment of $700K from industry partners and the Stride Group.
LifeBid is the first company the Stride Equity team has approved for an investment and hosting on its platform since its launch earlier this year.
Kivera secures $5+ Million AUD Seed Funding
Cloud security company Kivera announced it has raised $5.1M AUD in seed funding from General Advance, Round 13 Capital and several angel investors including Srinath Kuruvadi, Managing Director and Head of Cloud Security, JP Morgan & Chase; Ely Kahn, VP Product for Cloud Security and AI/ML at SentinelOne; Dimitri Sirota, Founder and CEO of BigID; and other senior executives from Amazon, Google, Shift5, ServiceNow, and Zscaler. With the funding, Kivera will invest in new talent as the company expands into the US and North American markets.
Awayco raises $11 million
Australian e-commerce company, Awayco, has raised $11 million to help category-leading retailers offer retail, rental and appointment experiences that consumers love and expect today.
The investment round has been led by Thorney Investment Group as well as a cohort of high-net-worth individuals. The funding will enable Awayco to scale its suite of e-commerce applications and grow its local team.
$500,000 in grants available for ethical start ups
The Australian Ethical Foundation has opened its 2023 Visionary Grants program, which will fund up to $500,000 in projects that create positive environmental and social impact in Australia and overseas, particularly those in the validation and start-up phase.
Expressions of interest for the Australian Ethical Visionary Grants are open until 1st September 2023 with $25,000-$75,000 in funding available for projects running for up to two years.
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