Benchmark
How much venture funding did Australian startups raise in 2026?
Australian startups raised about A$3.5 billion across the first half of 2026, with A$1.8 billion in the March quarter and A$1.7 billion in the June quarter.
Checked against the source on . The underlying research is dated .
| Measure | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Announced funding | A$1.8 billion | A$1.7 billion |
| Venture rounds | 81 | 64 |
| Accelerator rounds | 26 | 5 |
| Sub-A$5 million rounds | not reported | 31, the lowest since 2020 |
| Share of quarter's cash in the top two deals | not reported | about 70% |
Cut Through Venture recorded A$1.8 billion of announced funding across 81 venture rounds and 26 accelerator rounds in the March quarter of 2026, the strongest opening quarter since the 2022 peak, and A$1.7 billion across 64 venture rounds and five accelerator rounds in the June quarter, up 60 per cent year on year.
The headline and the shape disagree. Only 31 sub-A$5 million rounds were announced in the three months to 30 June 2026, the lowest early-stage count since the series began in 2020, and roughly 70 per cent of the quarter's venture cash went into two deals. SmartCompany named the pattern the missing middle: early deals still get done, large late-stage rounds are back, and there is less in between, which is exactly where a company with a product and some revenue is trying to reach.
The highest-funded sectors in the June quarter were AI models and data infrastructure, fintech, and hardware, robotics and sensors. Investors surveyed for the March quarter report overwhelmingly said AI-first startups commanded higher valuations than non-AI peers at comparable stages, and female-founder and mixed-gender teams raised A$205 million in that quarter.