The startup funding round: Athena, Mass Dynamics, Comestri and CircleSource raise millions

Alternative lending fintech and disruptor of traditional finance institutions Athena has raised a massive $90 million in Series D funding. Led by SquarePeg, the raise also included contributions from a swathe of high-profile investors — AirTree, Macquarie Bank, AustralianSuper, Hostplus, Sunsuper, Salesforce Ventures and Apex Capital — all making repeat investments. Founded in Sydney back in 2008, Comestri is designed to help retailers simplify the data they need to drive their e-commerce operations, including optimising ship-from-store and click-and-collect functions. “But for too long, SMEs have been disadvantaged by the lack of resources and governance protocols to source the best people, relying heavily on personal networks and referrals or online search.” Finally, in international news, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has invested in a UK, cloud-based, digital forensic platform Cado Security, through his investment company Turnbull & Partners. The business is designed to automate data capture and processing across cloud environments, allowing clients to investigate and respond to cyber incidents quickly.