Seven ANZ startups raised $71.8M

Seven startups in Australia and New Zealand disclosed $71.8 million in fresh funding this week, with Phonely and Pay.com.au accounting for more than half the total. (smartcompany.com.au) The seven companies named in funding roundups published Friday, April 17, were Phonely, Pay.com.au, Atomic Tessellator, Caruso, Deteqt, Clean Slate Clinic and Earthletica. The combined tally was reported at $71.8 million. (startupdaily.net) Phonely, an artificial intelligence phone receptionist startup founded by Will Bodewes and Nisal Ranasinghe, raised $22.3 million. Pay.com.au, a business payments platform led by chief executive Edward Alder, raised $20 million in a private placement. (smartcompany.com.au, smartcompany.com.au) Pay.com.au had been preparing an Australian Securities Exchange listing at an implied valuation of about $800 million, then paused the float and raised privately at a reported $750 million valuation. A company spokesperson told SmartCompany it chose “a private capital path” while continuing to assess future listing options. (smartcompany.com.au) The rest of the week’s deals were smaller and more specialized. New Zealand fund administration fintech Caruso raised $9.3 million in a Series A at an $80 million valuation, while quantum sensing startup Deteqt raised $5 million in seed funding. (startupdaily.net, thequantuminsider.com) Clean Slate Clinic, a virtual alcohol detox and recovery platform, said on April 15 it had raised $4.3 million ahead of a planned $10 million Series A. Startup Daily’s weekly roundup separately listed Clean Slate Clinic among the seven companies included in the $71.8 million total. (startupdaily.net, startupdaily.net) The sector has swung between bigger bursts and quieter weeks this year. Startup Daily counted 10 Australia-New Zealand startups raising nearly $193.7 million in the week of February 13, then five raising $30.1 million in the week of April 13 before this latest batch. (startupdaily.net, startupdaily.net, startupdaily.net) That pattern leaves a market where capital is still available, but not evenly. On April 17, the money flowed to artificial intelligence software, payments, fund administration, quantum sensing, digital health and consumer brands — and one company that had been heading for an initial public offering chose private money instead. (smartcompany.com.au, smartcompany.com.au, startupdaily.net)