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- Athena
Athena Revenue, Valuation, Funding & Investors
Athena is valued at $221M as of September 2024, a 3.4x multiple on its last reported $65M revenue.
Last Athena valuation
$221M
Strategic investment · Sep 2024
Last Athena funding round
$43M
Strategic investment · Sep 2024
Athena revenue
$65M
Strategic investment · Sep 2024
Key investors in Athena
Square Peg Capital
Airtree Ventures
Hostplus
Salesforce Ventures
National Australia Bank
AustralianSuper
About Athena
Athena Home Loans is a Sydney-based digital lender transforming the mortgage process for Australian borrowers through its fully online platform. Borrowers apply, receive pre-approval in as little as 15 minutes, and manage fixed or variable rate loans entirely via app or web without branch visits. Operating under Australian Credit Licence 391989, Athena partners with major banks for funding while maintaining competitive rates through low overheads. The platform supports refinancing, construction loans, and investment properties, with settlement times averaging under 90 days.
Founded
2017
HQ
Website
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2C
Revenue model
Product sales
Revenue
$65M (Sep 2024)
Valuation
$221M (Sep 2024)
Athena Valuation
Athena is currently valued at $221M, based on its strategic investment round in September 2024.
The $43M round was led by REA Group.
Athena's valuation has grown 1.4x from $159M at its Series C in October 2019 to $221M in September 2024, across 2 priced rounds.
Athena valuation by funding round
Revenue multiple| Date | Stage | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | Strategic investment | $221M | 3.4x |
| Oct 2019 | Series C | $159M | - |
Athena Revenue
Athena's latest recorded revenue is $65M, as of its strategic investment round in September 2024. At a $221M valuation, that implies a 3.4x revenue multiple.
Athena revenue by funding round
| Date | Revenue * | Valuation | Revenue Multiple | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | $65M | $221M | 3.4x | Strategic investment |
* Revenue (or ARR) figures are the values recorded alongside each funding round. Typically run-rate revenue at the time of the deal, or a reported LTM (last 12 months) revenue.
Athena Funding History
Athena has raised a total of $204M across 6 funding rounds.
Athena's first fundraising round was a $3M seed round in June 2017. The most recent completed round was a $43M strategic investment round in September 2024.
Athena funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Valuation | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | Strategic investment | REA Group (lead) | $43M | $221M | Athena Home Loans is a leading digital non-bank lender in Australia, specializing in innovative home loan products focused on transparency, fairness, and alternative lending solutions. The company has grown rapidly as one of Australia's fastest-growing fintechs, partnering with REA Group's Mortgage Choice brand since 2022 to distribute its products. In June 2023, they launched the Mortgage Choice Freedom suite of white-label products, which achieved $1.2 billion in settlements in FY24, surpassing expectations. Athena's investor base includes venture firms like Square Peg, Airtree, and Apex, super funds such as Hostplus, AustralianSuper, and Australian Retirement Trust, as well as Macquarie and Salesforce Ventures. On September 26, 2024, REA Group announced it agreed to acquire a 19.9% stake in Athena for up to $62 million, funded from existing cash reserves, implying a post-money valuation of approximately $311.56 million. REA will gain two board seats, strengthening their strategic partnership to enhance homebuying experiences through integrated property search and financing. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and expected to complete in one to two months. Concurrently, Athena priced its second Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities issuance under the Olympus program, raising $1 billion in debt funding to fuel growth via broker partnerships. This investment aligns with REA's push into mortgage technology and Athena's expansion trajectory, building on proven collaboration successes amid a competitive Australian lending market. |
| May 2021 | Series D | Square Peg Capital (lead); Salesforce Ventures; Hostplus; Apex Capital Partners; AustralianSuper; Australian Retirement Trust; Macquarie Group; SecondQuarter Ventures; Airtree Ventures | $70M | - | - |
| Oct 2019 | Series C | AustralianSuper (lead); Salesforce Ventures; National Australia Bank; Square Peg Capital; Hostplus; Airtree Ventures | $48M | $159M | Athena Home Loans, an Australia-based online mortgage provider founded in 2017, raised A$70 million (approximately USD $48 million) in its Series C funding round in October 2019 at a post-money valuation of A$158 million. The round was led by pension fund AustralianSuper and included fellow superannuation fund manager Hostplus, venture capital firms AirTree Ventures and Square Peg Capital, and corporate investors Salesforce Ventures and NAB Ventures, who participated through subsidiaries of Salesforce and National Australia Bank respectively. The company originally launched as Athena Financial, focusing on refinancing mortgages for homeowners seeking better rates, and had since begun diversifying its product offerings. The Series C capital was earmarked to fund further expansion plans, including the ability to finance clients purchasing non-residential properties and broadening its range of home loan products. Athena's funding history showed steady growth: it had previously raised A$11.3 million in a May 2018 Series A round co-led by Square Peg Capital and Macquarie Capital, followed by an A$18 million Series B round in November 2018 led by Square Peg Capital. |
| Nov 2018 | Series B | Square Peg Capital (lead); National Australia Bank; Hostplus; Saniel Ventures; Airtree Ventures | $25M | - | - |
| May 2018 | Series A | Square Peg Capital (lead); Apex Capital Partners; Macquarie Group; Rice Warner | $15M | - | Athena Home Loans is an Australian fintech startup founded in 2017 by ex-bankers Nathan Walsh and Michael Starkey. The company developed a cloud-native digital mortgage platform to disrupt Australia's $1.7 trillion home loan market dominated by the Big Four banks. Athena partners with superannuation funds to back home loans, offering faster approvals, lower interest rates, and transparent funding structures to help customers pay off mortgages quicker. In its Series A round around August 2018, Athena raised $15 million from Macquarie Bank, Square Peg Capital, and Apex Capital, with follow-on investment from seed backers Rice Warner. Square Peg Capital co-founder Paul Bassat joined the Athena board as part of the investment. The funding supported the beta pilot launch of its platform shortly after and commercial rollout plans for 2019. Athena previously raised $3 million in seed funding in 2017 from Macquarie, Apex, and Rice Warner. This Series A built on that support, validating the business model and enhancing credibility with consumers as a challenger brand. |
| Jun 2017 | Seed | APEX Capital; Rice Warner | $3M | - | Athena Home Loans raised $3 million in seed funding in June 2017 from Macquarie, Apex Capital, and Rice Warner. The Australian fintech startup, founded by ex-bankers Nathan Walsh and Michael Starkey, launched to disrupt the home loan market with a cloud-native digital mortgage platform. Athena aimed to challenge the Big Four banks' dominance in Australia's $1.7 trillion home loan market through simpler, transparent funding structures partnering with super funds. The seed round preceded a Series A of $15 million in May 2018 from Macquarie Bank, Apex Capital, Rice Warner, and Square Peg Capital. Athena's platform enabled quicker financing and faster payoff for customers. Subsequent rounds included a $25 million Series B in 2018, building toward a full launch in early 2019. |
Who has invested in Athena?
14 investors have backed Athena across its funding rounds, including Square Peg Capital, Airtree Ventures, Hostplus, Salesforce Ventures, National Australia Bank and AustralianSuper.
Lead investors include REA Group, Square Peg Capital and AustralianSuper.
Athena Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Lead | May 2018 | ||
| 3 | Participant | Nov 2018 | ||
| 3 | Participant | Nov 2018 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Oct 2019 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Nov 2018 | ||
| 2 | Participant | May 2018 | ||
| 2 | Lead | Oct 2019 | ||
| 2 | Participant | May 2018 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Jun 2017 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jun 2017 | ||
| 1 | Participant | May 2021 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Nov 2018 | ||
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Start Free TrialAthena Competitors
Athena competitors include listed companies like Orion Digital and Fiinu, and private ones like Lanistar, Cashtopia LLC, Plum Fintech and Greenwood Bank.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | - | - | $200M | - | ||
| Private | - | - | $248M | - | ||
| Private | - | - | $180M | - | ||
| Private | - | - | $325M | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $49M | $4M | $24M | 0.5x | ||
| Publicly listed | $890K | ($14M) | $19M | - |
Athena Public Comps
Athena is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Kina Securities, Eleving Group, Better Home & Finance, Amar Bank, First Internet Bank, Instabank, Quantgroup Holding, Eqdom, X Financial and Medallion Financial.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $139M | - | 1.6x | 1.8x | - | - | |||
| $288M | $60M | 2.7x | 2.6x | 12.9x | 5.0x | |||
| $207M | ($152M) | 3.8x | 4.0x | (5.2x) | (11.1x) | |||
| $100M | - | 2.4x | 2.8x | - | - | |||
| $110M | - | 2.2x | 1.4x | - | - | |||
| $65M | - | 3.8x | 3.0x | - | - | |||
| $154M | $40M | 1.6x | - | 6.2x | - | |||
| $207M | - | 4.2x | - | - | - | |||
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Common questions about Athena
| When was Athena founded? | Athena was founded in 2017. |
| Where is Athena headquartered? | Athena is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. |
| Is Athena publicly listed? | No, Athena is a private, VC-backed company. |
| What is Athena's valuation? | Athena was last valued at $221M in its strategic investment round in September 2024. |
| How much funding has Athena raised? | Athena has raised $204M across 6 funding rounds. |
| What was Athena's last funding round? | Athena's last funding round was a $43M strategic investment round in September 2024, led by REA Group. |
| Who are Athena's investors? | Athena's investors include Square Peg Capital, Hostplus, Airtree Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, National Australia Bank, Apex Capital Partners, AustralianSuper, Macquarie Group, Rice Warner, APEX Capital and 4 others. |
| What is Athena's revenue? | Athena's latest recorded revenue is $65M (September 2024). |
| What is Athena's revenue multiple? | Athena's latest valuation implies a 3.4x revenue multiple ($221M valuation on $65M of revenue). |
| Which companies are comparable to Athena? | Companies comparable to Athena include Lanistar, Cashtopia LLC, Plum Fintech, Greenwood Bank, Orion Digital and Fiinu. |
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