Airwallex Backs 10 Australian AI Startups With $1M
Synopsis
From robotics and aerospace to financial infrastructure, 10 Australian AI startups are sharing $1 million in equity-free funding from Airwallex.
Airwallex AI startups have secured a total of A$1 million in equity-free funding, of which 10 businesses from Australia have made it into the first Latitude 37 cohort.
The founders will also be granted access to Airwallex's network of entrepreneurs and immersion experiences in San Francisco and Singapore, and each company will receive A$100,000. The cohort was selected from a number of hundreds of applications.
Ten companies make first cohort
AXIOMS, Blank Robotics, Dreamscale Labs, Forward, Geospan, Kronus, Polarbear AI, SeatFinder, Superstat and SyncPay are the AI startups selected by the Airwallex team.
The companies are working on products in the fields of robotics, private credit, aerospace, road-hazard detection, education, transportation, and payments. The Latitude 37 program launched in April and is aimed at AI start-up founders aged 25 or younger and in Australia.
The Airwallex AI startups will get the $100,000 grant without having to surrender equity or take on debt. The programme will take place on an annual basis, and the first 10 companies to join will be from the cohort.
Australian AI funding reaches A$5.4 billion
Australia's recorded increase in investment in AI-related startups aligns with the funding of Airwallex AI startups.
Australian startups are raising A$5.4 billion in 2025, which is over 30% more than the capital raised in 2024, reported by austrade. Over 60% of that investment went to companies working with AI, and there are over 1500 AI companies in Australia.
The Airwallex AI startups program also comes after fintech's latest funding round. Airwallex's Series H round in June resulted in a valuation of US$11 billion, compared to US$8 billion in December 2025.
In March 2026, Airwallex reported annualised revenue of US$1.3 billion, which grew by 74% year over year, and annualised transaction volume of US$287 billion, increasing by over 120%. It helps over 676,000 companies around the world, has 2,300 staff in 27 offices.
Source: Smart Company
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.
