Pearler Raises $16M as Eucalyptus Co-Founder Backs Growth
Synopsis
Pearler has closed a $16 million Series A at a $50 million pre-money valuation, with backing from Charlie Gearside and Chris Cuffe’s Partners Horizon Fund.
Pearler, a Sydney-based wealth management and investing platform, has secured $16 million in its series A funding round after a year-long fundraising campaign to finance its product development and Australian market expansion.
The round includes backings from Charlie Gearside, co-founder of Eucalyptus, and Chris Cuffe, a veteran of the financial-sector with more than two decades of experience, who both participated via his Partners Horizon Fund. Pearler’s co-founder and CEO is Nick Nicolaides.
Funding Comes With $50M Pre-Money Valuation
Pearler announced that it had raised $16 million in total through its Series A round at a reported $50 million in pre-money valuation. According to the funding report, Pearler’s revenue run-rate reached around $7 million annually as of the end of last year.
The 8-year-old company is set to benefit from the latest investment to further develop its long-term investment platform and strengthen its presence in Australia. The round follows Pearler’s $7.8 million seed funding raised in 2022, which included Portage Ventures, Archangel Ventures and Ten13 among others.
Pearler announced its public launch in 2021 and reported more than 53,000 customers by the time of its 2022 funding. The platform offers exposure to Australian and U.S. shares and ETFs, as well as micro-investing and automatic investment features.
ETF Flows Reflect Broader Shift in Retail Investing in Australia
Pearler’s latest series A funding comes after a notable inflow of capital into the retail investment space. Notably, the assets of the Australian ETF industry reached $370.8 billion at the end of July, with the BetaShares Australian ETF Review reporting record monthly net inflows of $6.8 billion.
According to the BetaShares Australian ETF Review: Half Year 2026, there was a net inflow of $372 billion in ETF funds under management and $30 billion into ETFs in Australia in the first half of 2026.
This follows the overall shift in Australia toward exchange-traded products and online investing. Pearler’s expansion into the competitive market is expected to benefit from the growing demand while facing off against traditional brokers and wealth managers, as well as newer platforms.
Source: AFR
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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