Ignition Lane

This month on In Venture, @gavinappel and I step into 2026 like it’s Game 7. From December through mid-February, the scoreboard is flashing. 💰Funding Is Back 🤑VCs Sitting On Dry Powder EVP 🚀 Tesla invests 🏃People Moves The game has changed. The serious players stayed on court. Tune in 🎯

@gavinappel and I deliver you EP 50 and its HUGE. The last 30 days in tech have been wild. @Apple hit $4T. @Nvidia hit $5T. @Google and Apple both posted $100B+ quarters. #AI is rewriting the scoreboard in real time. #Aussie founders are in the mix too: @airwallex hits US$1B ARR, @ROKT hits US$7.9B, Sumble raises $38.5M, Great Question closes $20M. OH and Gav became a @SEMelbPhoenix fan‼ Buckle up, we have all the action here 👇

Wild 24 hours in tech. @gavinappel and I are covering it all @AmazonWebServices went down last night and the kids went bananas. No @Snapchat . Total internet blackout. While the world rebooted, the business world delivered its own shake-ups: Closures @GreatWrap - sustainable packaging startup collapses owing $39m after raising $20m+. @carted - once a $13m seed rocket in e-commerce, shutting down after 4 years. @ANZ_AU 1835i - the bank’s venture arm is over. Airwallex stake sold, CashRewards shut, doors closing. Big Valuations @MorseMicro - raises $88m, valued at $500m. Backed by MegaChips, Blackbird, Main Sequence. @HeidiHealth - Melbourne healthtech raises US$65m ($98m AUD) hitting a US$465m valuation, fastest growth ever in @blackbird portfolio. Big Deals @Atlassian - US$1B acquisition of DX, weeks after buying The Browser Company (another near-$1B). @Sekuro - acquired by Nasdaq-listed Insight Enterprises, following CyberCX’s $1B+ Accenture deal. @OpenAI - secondary share sale worth US$6.6B at a US$500B valuation, now the world’s largest startup. @nvidia - $100B into OpenAI for data centres, $5B into Intel, $2B into xAI. The $4.4T monster just keeps feeding. Big Milestones @instagram hits 3B monthly users. Winklevoss twins’ @GeminiCrypto exchange lands in Australia. @Tesla rolls out FSD + new Model 3 & Y Standard. @netflix passes $500B market cap. If you’re scrolling tonight, The Playlist (Spotify’s origin story) is worth a watch.

Daddy's Baaaaaaaaaaaack So is @gavinappel and I with This Month In Venture 👇

🔥 This Month in Venture: Mid-July to Mid-August 2025 @gavinappel I have been running this segment for 5 years… and this one’s packed. From Big Tech domination to Aussie startup raises, courtroom drama, rockets that explode (and still count as wins), and even a pop star buying a beer company - here are the headlines you need to know 👇 🏆 @Figma IPO at $19.3B → already $37B. @canva ? Bigger. Much bigger. 🧑‍💻 @OpenAI printing $12B ARR… with 700M weekly users. $300B valuation. 📱 @Apple : $3.4T cap. 3 billion iPhones sold. 🐥 @Lorikeet, a 2-yr-old Sydney AI agent startup, doubles valuation to $200M+. 🛡️ @EmploymentHero sues its own investor… and wins round one. 🏢 @REA, @WiseTechGlobal , @Life360 → all new CEOs. 💳 @airwallex signs Arsenal F.C. + McLaren. 🚀 @GilmourSpace rocket launches… then explodes. Still a “success.” 🕺 @robbiewilliams buys into Heaps Normal (after 20 years alcohol-free). 👀 That’s just the surface - the full breakdown is in the episode.

The biggest moves in tech, startups, and money—packed into one epic vlog with @gavinappel and I! 💰 Capital Raises: AI-powered real estate, fintech unicorns, pharmacy software startups—millions are flowing, and we break it all down! 💥 Exits & Shake-ups: @Zendesk $100M deal, @Telstra VC exit, @Atlassian leadership shifts, and the *official* end of Skype! 💳 FinTech Frenzy: @stripe $14T payments surge, @Klarna IPO play—who’s winning the money game? ⚡ @Tesla Drama: Musk, DOGE, and Trump’s new ride—yes, really. 🏎️ F1 x Startups: Tech startups everywhere on the F1 grid. Atlassian, @airwallex , @CultureAmp making moves in motorsport? Get in, buckle up, and hit play—this month’s vlog is unmissable! 🎬 👇

Post: @gavinappel and I are covering the Biggest VC & Startup Highlights from Mid-November to Mid-December 2024 👇get around it 🙌 #VentureCapital #Startups #TechInnovation #FundingNews #SaaS #GrowthStage #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #IPO #AustraliaTech #GlobalTech #WomenInTech