Latest updates for ANZ sales professionals
Swedish AI startup Lovable crossed $400M ARR with under 200 employees. That is over $2M per head. No traditional sales team. No VP titles. Head of Growth Elena Verna says feature differentiation is dead and the new moat is brand, not product. Worth watching if you are in B2B SaaS sales.
Australia's largest startup community changed hands this week. ASX-listed Scalare Partners bought Fishburners from voluntary administrators and is moving the operation to Tank Stream Labs. CEO Majella Campbell is stepping down after 15 months trying to stabilise the business.
Nitrosend closed $700k seed led by Eastend Ventures. Founders Edward and George Hartley previously built and sold SmartrMail to Relay Commerce in 2022. The AI email platform landed 190 users since April launch, targeting SMB market with agent-based workflow automation.
Seven ANZ startups closed funding this week, totalling $17 million. South Australian quantum sensing startup QuantX Labs led with a $7 million seed round from Serendipity Capital. Two startups are headed to Y Combinator in San Francisco.
ASX-listed Scalare Partners acquired Fishburners brand and IP after the Sydney startup hub collapsed under $2 million in rent arrears to NSW government. Cash-only deal adds third coworking asset to Scalare's accelerator portfolio. No employees transferred, no liabilities assumed.
Property investment advisory Dashdot collapsed into voluntary liquidation last week, cutting more than 40 jobs. CEO cites federal budget tax reforms and Meta ad changes as contributing factors. Clients who paid thousands in upfront fees are waiting for answers.
Utah proptech Entrata filed for NYSE listing with $575M run-rate revenue growing 23%, profitable, carrying $270M debt from pre-IPO dividend. First of a PE-backed SaaS wave trying to exit into a market that now wants acceleration, not just efficiency. Most names behind it are not accelerating.
Australia is back in the top 10 global startup ecosystems for the first time in three years, ranking 9th with a US$195B valuation. Sydney pulled 65% of national funding in 2024 and sits 30th globally for startup cities. Melbourne grew faster (37.8% vs Sydney's 11.7%) but remains smaller at US$18B ecosystem value.
Treasury is consulting on how the federal government's capital gains tax overhaul would hit founders who built companies from nothing. The reform replaces the 50% CGT discount with an inflation-linked model from July 2027, potentially creating massive tax bills when founders exit businesses with low or zero initial cost base.
Blackbird panel says AI tools reduce traditional Silicon Valley advantages, but Australian startups still hit the same funding and hiring walls. Three AI founders broke down what has changed and what has not.
Sydney energy startup Cable closed $4m pre-seed from Systemiq Capital and Black Nova VC. The company installs batteries at SMB premises at no upfront cost, then bills based on usage. Claims 40% savings versus standard electricity plans. Public beta now open for Sydney metro businesses.
Australia's largest equity crowdfunding platform just marked itself down from $26m to $5m. For anyone evaluating startup equity packages, this is what valuation volatility looks like in practice. The platform helped 45+ companies raise $29m since 2018, but the CSF market has cooled hard.