Venture Funding Surges Behind Gold Coast's Household AI Trend

Gold Coast startup HomeLink AI closed a $14.5 million Series B round on July 10, 2026, led by local fund Pacific Growth Partners and joined by two international backers.

The round arrives as OpenAI expands its family-focused features and hardware makers push camera-free smart glasses for productivity. Gold Coast investors see an opening in household applications that avoid data-heavy recording. Funding has shifted from consumer gadgets toward tools that manage schedules, energy use and shared family devices without constant surveillance.

Local anchors driving the capital

Two Southport addresses sit at the centre of activity. The Gold Coast Innovation Centre on Scarborough Street hosts HomeLink's 28-person team and runs the quarterly Founders Pitch Night program. Three blocks away, the Broadwater Tech Hub on Queen Street provides co-working space and connects startups with the city's $3.2 million annual innovation grant pool administered through the Gold Coast City Council.

Both locations reported higher occupancy in the first half of 2026. HomeLink's new capital will fund an office expansion inside the Scarborough Street building and pilot installations in 150 homes across Main Beach and Surfers Paradise by December.

Numbers behind the growth

Gold Coast startups raised $87 million across 19 deals in the twelve months ending June 2026, up from $61 million the prior year, according to data compiled by the Pacific Growth Partners tracker. Average round size climbed to $4.6 million. HomeLink's round sits above that average and marks the third household-AI investment above $10 million in the city since January.

Founders planning to raise capital can book a slot at the next Founders Pitch Night on August 14 at the Scarborough Street centre. Applications close July 28 and require a one-page summary of product traction and target household metrics.