![\"linkby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/linkby-cofounders.jpg\")
L-R: Linkby co-founders Andrew Chak, Chris Wirasinha and Adrian Fagerlund. Source: Supplied.<\/p>\nFive Australian startups have raised $35.2 million this week across AI, biotech, fashion, and adtech, led by Linkby\u2019s Series B raise.<\/p>\n
Linkby: $23 million<\/p>\n
L-R: Linkby co-founders Andrew Chak, Chris Wirasinha and Adrian Fagerlund. Source: Supplied.<\/p>\n
Performance PR platform Linkby leads this week\u2019s funding round-up, with a $23 million Series B funding round led by Boston-based Volition Capital.<\/p>\n
As reported by SmartCompany earlier this week, the Series B round follows Linkby\u2019s $4 million Series A round<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n The company, which was founded by Chris Wirasinha, Andrew Chak and Adrian Fagerlund in 2020, plans to use the new capital to support its expansion in the US, as well as its investment in generative engine optimisation (GEO). <\/p>\n \n\t\tRelated Article Block Placeholder<\/p>\n \t\t\tArticle ID: 319953\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t This investment in GEO is particularly timely as brands increasingly shift their focus from traditional search to large language model (LLM)-based discovery. <\/p>\n Linkby\u2019s platform helps brands run editorial campaigns on a cost-per-click or cost-per-thousand-impressions basis with more than 600 publishers.<\/p>\n The startup says its global user base now includes more than 3,800 brands, including the likes of Charlotte Tilbury, New Balance, Disney+ and Lululemon.<\/p>\n The US is now Linkby\u2019s largest market, according to Wirasinha, and accounts for 55% of the company\u2019s revenue.<\/p>\n The company plans to double the size of its North American team following the Series B raise, and is also exploring campaign automation and publisher-matching tools. <\/p>\n Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n Eclipse Ingredients: $7 million<\/p>\n Also raising fresh funding this week was Brisbane-based biotech startup Eclipse Ingredients, which has emerged from stealth mode with more than $7 million.<\/p>\n As reported by SmartCompany, Eclipse Ingredients is working to commercialise an elusive, yet highly promising compound: lactoferrin. <\/p>\n Lactoferrin is referred to as a \u201cwonder protein\u201d in scientific literature because of its numerous potential health benefits across areas including immunity, infant nutrition and skincare. <\/p>\n The compound is found throughout the human body, including in breast milk, immune cells, and bodily secretions. However, traditional ways of producing it at scale are costly and inefficient, and can result in a structurally different compound.<\/p>\n \n\t\tRelated Article Block Placeholder<\/p>\n \t\t\tArticle ID: 319893\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t Eclipse Ingredients, founded by dietitian and MBA graduate Siobhan Coster, is solving this problem through the use of precision fermentation, which will allow it to sustainably produce human-identical lactoferrin at an industrial scale.<\/p>\n The startup was incubated within the CSIRO and is now operating from facilities at the Queensland University of Technology.<\/p>\n Its new funding includes $2.9 million from the Commonwealth Government\u2019s Food and Beverage Accelerator, alongside investment from AgFunder.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe benefits of lactoferrin are honestly near endless \u2013 it is such an incredible protein in terms of its functionality,\u201d Coster told\u00a0SmartCompany.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSome of its key health benefits span across anti-inflammation,\u00a0microbial immune system and microbiome support, as well as iron boosting properties too.\u201d<\/p>\n Eclipse Ingredients plans to launch its first commercial product in 2027 and is initially focusing on skincare applications. <\/p>\n The company is also actively exploring commercial partnerships and will, over time, develop applications for other health-beneficial ingredients beyond lactoferrin, too.<\/p>\n Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n Visionary Machines: $3.5 million<\/p>\n Defence tech startup Visionary Machines has raised $3.5 million in fresh funding, marking its first capital injection since a $7.5 million seed round in 2021. The raise, first reported by Capital Brief<\/a>, was led by Folklore Ventures, OIF, Salus Ventures, and Significant Capital Ventures.<\/p>\n Visionary Machines was founded in 2019 and previously drew backing from In-Q-Tel, the investment arm of the CIA.<\/p>\n The Sydney-based startup has reportedly shifted focus from consumer and R&D applications to defence and commercialisation, with its flagship product, Pandion Sentinel, now offering signal-free autonomous navigation and drone detection capabilities.<\/p>\n Voqo AI: $800,000<\/p>\n Sydney-based startup Voqo AI has raised $800,000 in pre-seed funding to tackle inefficiencies in Australia\u2019s $10 trillion real estate sector.<\/p>\n The round includes backing from Blackbird Ventures, Mark Bouris, and the University of NSW. Founded by Adam Ma and fellow university graduates, Voqo is building AI-powered voice bots that answer and triage calls for real estate agents, helping prevent missed inquiries and collapsed deals.<\/p>\n Speaking to The Australian, Ma said only around 60% of phone calls to property agents are answered, often leading to lost leads and poor customer service. <\/p>\n It\u2019s crazy that in 2025, property managers are still scrambling to check voicemails.<\/p>\n Voqo\u2019s bots are already being trialled by Barry Plant and Property Investors Alliance, replacing traditional call centres and automating routine tasks like inspection queries and maintenance triage. The platform is built on a combination of closed and open-source models, including OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT and Meta\u2019s Llama, with voice interfaces reducing hallucination risks compared to text-based AI.<\/p>\n Mark Bouris said the product addresses one of the industry\u2019s biggest inefficiencies: \u201cMost teams don\u2019t realise how much revenue they lose from unanswered phone calls. Voqo AI brings generative AI to one of the industry\u2019s biggest inefficiencies, and does it in a way that improves service, not just cuts costs\u201d.<\/p>\n The team is exploring broader applications for agentic AI, including maintenance task management, while keeping humans in the loop for final approvals.<\/p>\n Orbitkey: $393,500<\/p>\n Orbitkey has raised over $393,500 through its eleventh Kickstarter campaign, bringing its total crowdfunding haul to over $8 million from more than 63,000 backers globally.<\/p>\n The Melbourne-based brand, best known for its minimalist key organisers and accessories, is launching its new Daily Tote system, built around modular, durable design principles. The campaign continues Orbitkey\u2019s track record of crowdfunding success and its commitment to designing \u201cfor decades, not seasons\u201d.<\/p>\n \n\t\tRelated Article Block Placeholder<\/p>\n \t\t\tArticle ID: 320047\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t![\"Linkby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752845586_58_linkby-cofounders.jpg\")
\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n![\"eclipse](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/eclipse-ingredients.jpg\")
Source: Eclipse Ingredients<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t![\"CSIRO-based](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752845586_679_eclipse-ingredients.jpg\")
\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Visionary-Machines-founders-min-1024x576-1.jpg\")
L-R: Dr Rhys Newman, chief scientific officer; Gary Aitchison, CEO; and Dr Samson Lee, chief technology evangelist. Source: Visionary Machines.<\/p>\n![\"orbitkey\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Orbitkey-Founders-4_1-1.jpg\")
L-R: Orbitkey co-founders Charles Ng and Rex Kuo. Source: Supplied.<\/p>\n
![\"$8](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752845586_377_Orbitkey-Founders-4_1-1.jpg\")
\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n