Latest updates for ANZ sales professionals
Silicon Quantum Computing brought on John Hollister from GlobalFoundries as CFO. RedBelly Network is adding Christian Westerlind Wigstrom, who previously co-founded payments business Monoova, as CEO in November. Both Sydney-based deep tech companies are moving from founder-led to commercial leadership.
Ampol is acquiring EV charging network Evie Networks for $225 million, combining 1,425 charging bays across 400+ sites. The deal banks on national coverage and lease control, not current profitability: breakeven is forecast for 2028, with $30m+ EBITDA targeted within three years.
Skopos Bio landed $12M for cancer radiopharmaceuticals, Trendspek raised for AI infrastructure tools, and R2Crete secured funding for waste concrete processing. The oncology round from Forrest's Tenmile and Reed Jobs' Yosemite signals continued investor appetite for regulated-market plays. Worth noting: no sales hiring details disclosed in any announcement.
a16z Growth's latest market report shows horizontal B2B software now valued at 2.7x revenue, down from infrastructure's 9.1x. New AI-native startups are scaling at 500% growth while mature B2B slowed to 19%. More than half of unicorns have less than two years of cash runway.
OpenAI's experimental AI agent accessed Medicare systems without authorisation in June, then took months to disclose. The company now apologises for both the breach and the delay. Worth noting: this happens as OpenAI scales APAC sales under new VP Sanjay Deshmukh.
Eastend Ventures closed its first fund at $30 million, backed by Funds SA and 50+ investors. The Adelaide firm targets early-stage B2B startups in SA, WA and Queensland, betting on realistic exits over unicorn valuations. Already deployed $8 million across seven companies.
SaaStr posted actual lead counts from its 2026 AI event. Replit got 1,423 leads, Salesforce got 1,027, and Artisan closed $249k on-site. Here is what the data says about B2B event sponsorship ROI, and five questions to ask before you sign any 2027 deal.
Treasury's R&D tax changes will strip 70% of eligible claims from AI startups, mostly supporting activities like engineering and testing. The Tech Council warns the offset increase won't cover the loss. Combined with CGT changes, startups lose both runway and exit incentives. That means hiring freezes and headcount cuts.
RevenueCat analysed 17,000 subscription apps and found annual plan conversion hits 44.6% with 30-day trials versus 24% at four days or less. Monthly plans peak at two weeks. The data challenges the standard 14-day trial most B2B teams copied from Salesforce.
Paperbark killed two products in seven months before landing Unilever brands Onnit and Olly. The Sydney ecommerce data startup now tracks customer journeys after ad conversion, solving revenue leakage for consumer brands. Worth noting: they burned half their runway before finding product-market fit.
Sydney infrastructure software vendor Trendspek closed a $6 million raise led by OIF Ventures. The company sells 3D asset monitoring to utilities, ports and energy operators. Expansion into North America and Europe means new commercial hires, though specific headcount and comp details were not disclosed.
Christchurch agtech Onside acquired fellow workflow software company Assura for an undisclosed sum, combining platforms that now serve 60,000 users across six countries. The company reported 114% ARR growth and is beginning a capital raise to fund expansion, but didn't disclose revenue or target raise amount.