Venture Capital stories

Photonic and Telus teleport quantum data over 30km of live Vancouver fibre, marking a milestone for future quantum-secure networks.

Aurasell launches GTM OS, an AI-native overlay that automates go-to-market workflows across existing CRMs without risky system replacement.

AI-first auto retailer Ever raises USD $31m Series A led by Eclipse to scale its platform and push nationwide across the US market.

London AI start-up Electric Twin raises USD $14m to grow its synthetic audience tech, pitched as a faster alternative to market research.

Manchester’s mid-sized firms are stalling investment and expansion, citing volatile costs, policy shifts and tougher access to finance.

SOUTHSTART 2026 will bring OpenAI, Canva, Derek Sivers and Peter Helliar to Adelaide for a three-day tech, climate and culture forum.

As 2026 looms, studios find the real growth constraint is not equity or debt, but the reliability of revenue fuelling user acquisition.

Australia’s Hypersonix has secured a NASA launch window in late February for DART AE, its debut hydrogen-fuelled hypersonic test flight.

Newo raises USD $25m to grow AI voice agents that answer calls for small businesses, after revenue doubled late 2025 amid rising demand.

Matia raises $21m to expand its AI-native data stack, betting on an all-in-one platform as data engineering consolidates.

Backslash raises USD $19m to secure emerging AI ‘vibe coding’ workflows as autonomous agents reshape how enterprise software is built.

Qodo launches a beta Azure DevOps integration that embeds its AI-driven, context-aware code review directly into pull request workflows.

Aspire partners with early-stage investor Antler to capture global founders at inception, targeting a 2.3x jump in startup customers by 2026.

Auckland agritech firm Hectre raises NZD $12m in an oversubscribed Series A to scale its AI-powered fruit data platform globally.

New Zealand AI startup Contented raises AUD $4.1m seed round to speed UK and US expansion and triple headcount in coming months.

ORCA Opti touts defensible AI, rapid global expansion and a 2027 IPO as it targets regulated markets and warns most AI startups will fail.

Boman Group appoints China specialist Professor Charles Qin to its advisory board as it expands cross-border investment across the region.

Christchurch AI startup Contented raises NZD $4.1m seed round to grow its meeting-minutes platform and push into Australia, UK and US.

Yaspa appoints payments veteran Justin Fraser as Chief Revenue Officer to drive global growth of its open banking and AI payments platform.

Ecommpay has been named in the CNBC/Statista Top 150 UK FinTechs, highlighting London’s enduring strength as a global payments hub.