Six Australian and New Zealand companies announced funding over two weeks in May 2026, led by a $55 million investment in Sydney hospitality ordering platform Ordermentum and US government commitments worth US$138 million to two Australian-founded quantum computing companies.
The deals had little in common beyond timing. They covered defence technology, construction software, consumer finance, food and beverage supply, music streaming and quantum hardware, and ranged from a New Zealand friends and family round to Series B rounds from established investors. The spread points to a funding market that is backing a wide range of sectors rather than a single theme.
Arkeus (Melbourne)
Defence technology company Arkeus raised a $25 million Series A. It builds AI-powered sensors for drones that identify targets in real time. Founded in 2020 and started out of a single garage, Arkeus has won Pentagon contracts and integrated its technology with drones made by AeroVironment, Textron and Boeing-owned Insitu.
ProcurePro (Brisbane)
Construction procurement software company ProcurePro raised a $15 million Series B at a reported valuation of $110 million. French construction group Bouygues, an existing customer, invested in the round. The company plans to hire 100 people over the next 24 months as it expands internationally.
Extraordinary Money (Melbourne)
Extraordinary Money raised a $4 million pre-seed round co-led by Airtree and Triple Bubble. The startup was founded by former Up Bank executives Anson Parker and Sam Mendelsohn and is building an AI-native consumer finance product.
Ordermentum (Sydney)
Ordermentum took $55 million from Five V Capital at a valuation reported to be above $150 million. Its platform connects over 50,000 hospitality venues, including pubs, cafes and restaurants, with their wholesale suppliers, and has processed more than $3 billion in orders.
Lume (New Zealand)
Lume, a new digital music platform, raised NZ$1.34 million from friends and family. Its backers include singer Lorde, Karl von Randow (a co-founder of Letterboxd) and Hamish McKenzie, who co-founded Substack. The company is designing a format built around full albums for listeners on streaming services.
Diraq and PsiQuantum (Sydney and Brisbane)
Two quantum computing companies founded by Australians received letters of intent from the US Department of Commerce for a share of US$2 billion in CHIPS Act funding. Sydney-based Diraq is in line for up to US$38 million and PsiQuantum, which is building a facility in Brisbane, for US$100 million. The US government will take equity stakes alongside the funding, according to the reports.
Jack’s take
The range is what struck me. A defence sensor company, a pub ordering platform and a music app backed by Lorde all found money in the same fortnight. That tells me ANZ is no longer a one-sector story.