🚀The Canva Rocket
Now 4,000 staff globally, provided a speak peak at their new Sydney Campus to open in 2026, exceeded 2023 revenue target hitting $US2 billion, impending secondary sale of USD1.5 billion (Pay.com and Employment Hero also recently completed secondary sales)
💰Funding landscape
According to PitchBook, global VC funding fell to roughly US$345bn in 2023, down from $531bn in 2022. The decline in VC fundraising was even steeper, with firms collecting US$161bn vs $307bn a year ago.
✋New fund.
Five V Capital closed its Five V Fund V with $770m for ANZ startups and mid-market businesses.
🇦🇺Tech Council of Australia.
– CEO Kate Pounder resigned. Big advocate in Canberra for the tech startup industry to drive policy
– skills shortages to artificial intelligence policy.
– Chaired by Tesla chairwoman Robyn Denholm with board: Atlassian co-CEO Scott Farquhar, Afterpay co-founder Anthony Eisen, Culture Amp CEO Didier Elzinga and Canva co-founder Cliff Obrecht.
📈IPOs.
A few in the years to come (2025/2026)
– more references to IPOs for the scaling startups
– Airwallex, ROKT
🍏Market caps.
Microsoft passed Apple in market capitalisation last week but Apple have came back and as of yesterday tipped over USD 3.02 trillion!
🥽New launch.
Apple Vision Pro launched
ABOUT
Tobi Skovron and Gavin Appel spearhead our monthly vlog – a must-watch for those seeking insights into the local startup and VC sphere. Captivating audiences with their infectious enthusiasm for the startup and venture capital landscape, Tobi and Gavin unpack the latest trends and events.
The vlog consistently delivers high-quality, engaging content, covering everything from fundraising, M&A, product launches, new venture funds, and more. Tobi and Gavin rapidly explore each topic, while making complex concepts accessible. It’s an indispensable resource for those hungry for knowledge about the local startup and VC scene.
Gavin is the Founder and CEO of Ignition Lane, where he advises founders and leaders growing tech companies. He has 25 years of experience in the technology industry across startups, corporates and venture capital. Gavin was a founding VC Partner at Square Peg, an SVP of Product and Technology at Experian, and was one of the first employees and CTO at Hitwise – a venture-backed startup that was acquired for US$240m in 2007.
Tobi is the CEO and co-founder of CreativeCubes.Co, and has over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience across Australia and the U.S.
