Latest updates for ANZ sales professionals
Rory O'Driscoll, 30-year software investor at Scale Venture Partners, ran the numbers on whether AI kills SaaS. His answer: software got harder to win, not obsolete. The math matters for anyone selling B2B software in 2025.
AI pricing is artificially low, and ANZ startups are about to feel it. Median planned spend is $15M (versus $12.5M globally), but token costs could jump 10x when subsidies end. If your sales stack runs on AI APIs, those unit economics might not hold.
Podcasting platform Riverside loses customers at the two-seat threshold where pricing leaps from $24/month to $500/month prepaid. The gap exists because sales teams push minimum deal sizes around $5k annually, but many B2B products leave revenue on the table between self-serve and enterprise tiers.
Former Startmate-backed energy software company Gridcog raised $14M Series A from ABB and energy giants. Now London-based but maintaining Perth and Melbourne offices. Worth watching: they are scaling into enterprise sales for renewable project modelling.
The government is standing up an Office of AI inside PM&C and backing it with $101 million over five years. But the announcement leaves two big questions hanging: copyright exemptions for AI training and data centre investment rules. For now, those decisions are parked.
ESGAgent.ai raised $450k in a seed round led by DNX Ventures, bringing total funding to $1.7M. The Brisbane startup automates ESG compliance for heavy industry, turning months of reporting into hours. Client base includes tier one miners and food manufacturers.
Only 21% of ANZ employees feel engaged at work, down from 23% last year. Remote sellers hit hardest at 7% engagement. The fix is not AI: it is manager training, clearer comp structures, and cutting the 305 systems your team is juggling.
Queensland skincare brand Frasé Skin closed $1.2 million in equity crowdfunding from 535 investors to fund US expansion. The tradie-focused e-commerce company hit $3 million ARR and 40,000 customers in three years, now launching on Amazon Prime with retail partnerships including Coles.
Auckland-based Hyades closed a $910k pre-seed to build spatial AI for enterprise teams. The startup turns satellite, drone, and radar data into AI-ready models for insurance, agriculture, and climate risk. Early stage, lean team, worth tracking as enterprise geospatial tooling heats up.
Apple filed a lawsuit alleging OpenAI stole proprietary hardware designs through former employees, including Chief Hardware Officer Tang Tan. The suit claims OpenAI coached candidates on dodging scrutiny while sharing confidential product data. This marks a sharp turn from their ChatGPT partnership.
Canberra agtech startup Goterra has entered liquidation after administrators found no viable buyers. The insect farming company raised $36.5M over a decade, burned through its runway scaling autonomous waste processing tech, and recorded $1.43M revenue against ongoing losses. No details on what happens to the team.
The vertical SaaS leader posted $268.8M quarterly revenue with 110% NRR and 15.2% operating margin. Fintech now represents 22% of platform revenue and is outpacing core subscriptions. Trading at 6x-7x ARR despite strong fundamentals.