Five startups raised a combined $29.9 million, with four deals this week totaling $8.9 million and Melbourne developer tools scaleup Buildkite’s previously undisclosed $21 million convertible note from January accounting for the largest share.
Startup funding: Buildkite’s $21M convertible note
Buildkite raised $21 million via a convertible note in January. Company accounts filed with ASIC show operating cash burn of $23.4 million in FY25, up from $4.9 million the prior year. The accounts did not disclose the note’s investor, pricing or conversion terms; convertible notes can subsequently convert into company shares. The raise comes after leadership changes that included the ousting of a CEO‑cofounder 18 months ago. Buildkite provides infrastructure for developers to test software and prepare it for release. A May recruitment ad said workloads had doubled over three months, and customers were seeking capacity for five to ten times more work during 2026 as AI agents generated more code. Customers include OpenAI, Anthropic, Canva, Uber, Airbnb and Cursor.
Medow Health AI raises $3.5M for AI receptionist
Sydney medtech Medow Health AI has raised $3.5 million from existing investors to launch an AI receptionist for specialist medical practices. The round follows $3 million in November and $2 million in January 2025; the three raises have been presented together as an $8.5 million Seed round. Medow was founded in 2023 by brothers Joel and Josh Freiberg; Joel has Crohn’s disease and the product was inspired by their father, a respiratory physician. Returning investors include Professor Michael Boyer and Dr Michael Solomon. Medow’s AI Front Desk answers incoming calls, manages appointments through a clinic’s existing practice management system, sends patient messages to clinical staff and can redirect calls to receptionists when human assistance is required.
ReFresh lands $2.5M seed amid People at Work changes
Workplace psychosocial platform ReFresh raised $2.5 million in a seed round led by Black Nova Venture Capital, with follow‑on investments from Antler and Archangel Ventures. The round closed a fortnight before the People at Work survey — used by around 5,000 organisations and 160,000 workers since 2020 — was shut down after Safe Work Australia and state regulators said it no longer reflected current requirements. ReFresh was founded in 2025 by Harrison Kennedy and Taylor Laing, who built the business from opposite sides of the Pacific after a mutual contact introduced them. The startup was six months old when it closed a pre‑Seed round in December of that year, had employees and onboarded customers before the founders met in person. ReFresh serves clients in financial services, government and ASX‑listed tech companies and has now raised more than $4 million in total.
Elita raises $1.9M to expand preventative dog health platform
Dog health startup Elita raised $1.9 million in a round led by US VC Boost, with support from Gandel Invest, Artesian’s Female Leaders Fund, Touch Ventures and M8 Ventures. Founded in December 2024 by Paloma Newton and Jackson Gritching, Elita is expanding its preventative care platform from genetic banking to a 24/7 veterinary telehealth service. The company is developing a technology called Blueprint to track changes in a dog’s health over time using medical history, biological test results and owner‑provided information, and will use the new capital to develop Blueprint360, an at‑home biological testing product launching later this year. Elita previously raised a $1.1 million pre‑Seed round in July 2025, which included investment from the Alice Anderson fund to build a stem cell bank for Australian pets. Elita has partnered with veterinary telehealth company VetChat to offer 24/7 access to local vets who will have access to a dog’s Blueprint history before consultations.
Evatto secures $1.02M pre‑seed for AI event management
Events management startup Evatto raised $1.02 million in a pre‑seed round led by Perth VC Purpose Ventures. The year‑old Sydney company is building an AI‑powered enterprise platform to manage complex event programs and replace spreadsheets, emails and recycled templates. Evatto’s platform handles event scoping, stakeholder coordination, approval workflows, documentation and operational readiness, with AI agents designed to automate administrative work. Its customers include the Invictus Games and Canada Snowboard for events such as World Cups and the X Games, and it is running pilot programs with other enterprise customers. Cofounder and CEO Hailey Mason — who spent more than 20 years producing large‑scale events for Red Bull, Casio and FIFA — teamed with COO Chris Toward in 2025 to launch the business (then known as Wiingman); the company participated in Startmate’s Summer 26 program and Demo Day at Blackbird’s Sunrise.
Together, the five rounds total $29.9 million.
