2026年澳大利亚创业报告

Benchmarking capital, outliers, andecosystem evolution June 2026 “Foreword For years, Australia has been viewed as a promising but peripheral venture market. A countrycapable of the occasional breakout, but seen as too small, too distant or too undercapitalisedto compete with the world's leading startup ecosystems. Last year's inaugural report was thefirst time we could put data to what those of us working with Australian technologycompanies already knew: Australia is no longer just an emerging ecosystem, and it puncheswell above its weight on venture outcomes. Venture funding has risen markedly, but the headline figure hides a flatter line at the early stage.Capital is increasingly available to companies that have begun to scale, while seed and pre-seedremain under-capitalised. That gap has pushed down entry valuations and, as several of theinstitutional investors in this report note, leaves real opportunity on the table. As we reflect on a decade of enormous progress for Australian startups and venture capital, asevidenced by the data in this report, we now look ahead to the next decade. The recent Federalbudget proposals make the question unavoidable: what kind of Australia do we want to buildover the next ten years? Thisyear's report shows that Australia is now one of the fastest-growing andhighest-performing venture markets in the world. Since 2016, the value of Australia'sVC-backed ecosystem has grown 13.7x, outpacing every major global peer. Tech nowcontributes more to GDP than any sector except mining, and Australian venture fundscontinue to outperform their peers in Europe and the US. Will we be a country that backs ambition early, rewards risk-taking, and earns our seat at theforefront of the global conversation on AI? Or will we defer to the safest path, show ambivalencetowards startups and their creators, and ultimately encourage our best talent to buildelsewhere? What makes this so remarkable is that it has been achieved in spite of such a limited pool ofdomestic capital. We know which path we will choose, and we have no doubt that Australian founders will rise tothe challenge of the coming decade. The numbers in this report must not be taken for granted;they should be seen as a call-to-action for backing our most ambitious founders earlier, and withmore conviction than ever. They make the case for investing in the next generation, and makingsure the next Canva, Atlassian or Eucalyptus is built here. The last ten years showed what ourfounders can do under real constraints.We intend to make sure the next ten are not left tochance.” Australia remains one of the most capital-constrained startup ecosystems in the developedworld. Yet our founders keep building and exiting globally significant companies. Even beforethe recent Eucalyptus exit to Hims & Hers, Australia ranked 4th globally for the gross value ofVC-backed M&A since 2020 — ahead of China, India and others. These outcomes are the work of remarkable founders and early employees who take the leap,and who battle through the blood, sweat and tears of building something from nothing. Theyare backed by strong institutions, world-class universities, a deepening base of technicaltalent, and an increasingly experienced community of founders and operators reinvestingtheir capital, expertise and networks into the next generation. Elli HansonPartner atSide Stage Ventures Ben GrabinerFounding Partner atSide Stage Ventures What you need to know Australia is the fastestgrowing VC-backedecosystem over the lastdecade Australia is #1 globally fordecacorns per VC dollarinvested, and #3 forunicorns Australian VC's areoutperforming theirglobal counterparts Australian VC has delivered a 5-yearpooled return of 24.4%, almost doublethat of US peers. Australia has produced 0.16 decacorns forevery $1B invested and 1.09 unicorns,demonstrating unmatched globalefficiency. Since 2016, Australiaʼs VC-backedecosystem value has grown 13.7x,outpacing every major global peer. 1Australian Tech Value Creation 2Funding Trends and Market Dynamics Australiaʼs techsector hasgenerated $352Bin combinedenterprise value Atlassian's valuation reset, inline with the global SaaSsell-off, accounts for the bulkof the 2026 dip. Australia is thefastest growingVC-backedecosystem overthe last decade Since 2016, AustraliaʼsVC-backed ecosystem valuehas grown 13.7x, outpacingevery major global peer. Tech is nowAustraliaʼssecond-largestcontributor toGDP Gross Value added by Industry (2024) Contributing 8.9% of GDP andgrowing 50% faster than thebroader economy, tech is nowsecond only to mining as apillar of Australiaʼs realeconomy. Australia is #3globally forunicorns createdper dollarinvested Australia has produced 1.09unicorns for every $1Binvested, outperforming theUS, UK, Germany and China. Australia is #1globally fordecacorncreation perdollar invested Australian startups haveconverted scarce capital intooutsized global outcomesmore efficiently than anyother majo