In the biggest deal of the week, Queensland’s Gilmour Space Technologies reached unicorn status with a $217 million Series E round, while expat Kiwi legaltech Ivo raised $81 million at a $530 million valuation. Berlin-based Cloover secured $22 million for distributed energy solutions, and Sydney’s Dam Secure attracted international attention with a $6.1 million seed round from Washington DC investors.
The financing activity demonstrates continued investor confidence in deep technology and business solutions, from AI-powered security platforms to orbital launch capabilities, contract information technology and energy infrastructure.
Paladin is backing AI security startup Dam Secure’s $6.1 million seed round
Sydney AI security startup Dam Secure has raised $6.1 million in a seed round led by Washington DC-based Paladin Capital Group. The startup, founded by Patrick Collins and Simon Harloff, is developing an AI-native platform for managing security risks from AI encryption tools. Supporting investors include Pieter Danhieux, CEO of Secure Code Warrior, Anthony Woodward, CEO of RecordPoint, founder of Innovation Bay Phaedon Stough and Chief Product Officer of Tyro Payments Steen Andersson.
Expat Kiwi legaltech startup Ivo informs $81 million Series B
California-based legal tech startup Ivo, originally founded in New Zealand, raised $81 million in a Series B led by Blackbird with backing from Costanoa Ventures, Uncork Capital, Fika Ventures, GD1 and Icehouse Ventures at a valuation of $530 million.
The AI-powered contract intelligence platform has grown annual recurring revenue by 500% and increased Fortune 500 adoption by 250% since its $24 million Series A twelve months ago.
Gilmour Space reaches unicorn status after $217 million series E
Queensland rocket maker Gilmour Space Technologies raised $217 million in a Series E to reach unicorn status at a valuation of more than $1 billion.
The round was jointly led by the National Reconstruction Fund and super fund Hostplus, with support from Future Fund, Blackbird, Funds SA, HESTA, NGS Super, Main Sequence, QIC and Brighter Super. The funding follows a launch attempt in July 2025 in which the 23-meter Eris orbital rocket crashed after 14 seconds of flight.
Clean Energy Cloover Raises $22 Million Series A
Berlin-based Cloover raised $22 million in Series A shares led by MMC Ventures and QED Investors, with participation from Lowercarbon Capital, BNVT Capital, Bosch Ventures, Centrotec and Earthshot Ventures. The company targets a sales volume of $500 million by 2026 and widely supplies solar energy, batteries, heat pumps and EV charging systems. Cloover benefits from a €300 million guarantee from the European Investment Fund to enable scalable, low-cost capital for the energy transition.
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