In this week's episode of The Startup Retro, hosts Gemma Clancy and Will Richards explore three exciting new funds and initiatives in the Australian startup ecosystem, including the launch of the $66 million 66ten fund by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, and Main Sequence's new Atmosphere program. They also cover the latest venture from SEEK co-founder Paul Bassett, Amplify, and discuss AustralianSuper's significant $1.1 billion write-off in their Pluralsight investment. The hosts highlight standout startups, including WhyHive, a data analysis tool, and Cropify, an AI-powered grain grading AgTech company. The episode also features an interview with Gav Parry on the launch of the Centre for Arts, Sports and Technology (CAST), and concludes with KaaS recommendations on essential startup content and a special announcement about a new co-host joining next week.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:28 New Fund Launches and Initiatives

06:12 Paul Bassett's Amplify

09:45 AustralianSuper's Pluralsight Write-off

12:40 Weekly Startup Raises

20:30 Interview with Gav Parry on CAST

28:00 KaaS Recommendations

30:45 Special Co-Host Announcement

31:00 Outro

Three New Funds and Initiatives

• 66ten Fund: WEHI’s $66M fund to back biomedical innovation.
• Seedlab Australia: Secures an additional $7M from Woolworths to support food, drink, and sustainable products.
• Main Sequence’s Atmosphere: New program to transform cutting-edge research into venture-scale businesses.

Paul Bassett Launches Amplify

• Amplify aims to improve trust in democracy through events, online conversations, and sharing of evidence.

AustralianSuper Write-Off

• AustralianSuper writes off $1.1B in their Pluralsight investment, which had acquired A Cloud Guru in 2021.

• WhyHive: A $600K raise led by Skalata Ventures, making data analysis user-friendly.
• Cropify: A $2M seed round for AI-powered precision grain grading, led by Mandalay Venture Partners.

• Gemma’s Pick: Crucible Moments (Season 2) by Sequoia Capital, featuring founders of ServiceNow, YouTube, DoorDash, and more.
• Will’s Pick: Blog on common VC scams - OpenVC.

• Cheryl Mack from Aussie Angels & The First Cheque podcast will join as a co-host next week while Gemma enjoys a vacation in Italy.

• Gemma on LinkedIn
• Will on LinkedIn

Thanks to our sponsors for helping to make this episode of The Startup Retro possible.

Are you a founder overwhelmed by HR, payroll, onboarding, and IT tasks? Simplify with Rippling: an all-in-one platform for your global workforce.