The platform matching entrepreneurs with investors

This funding platform for startups and small businesses has become a critical alternative to traditional lenders.  

Australian business owners have never had more financing options on paper. But the reality is simpler: banks want security, crowdfunding wants consumer appeal, and the majority of businesses—the importers, manufacturers and service providers that form the backbone of the economy—fall somewhere in between.  

Enter Matt Holland, founder of BizDealRoom. He first partnered with Mark Bouris in 2018 to launch Mentored Business Services off the back of Channel 7’s TV show The Mentor. Over the past eight years, BizDealRoom has evolved from primarily selling businesses to building Australia’s leading wholesale investor network. Holland has forged an enviable reputation for making sure that companies get the funding they need to flourish—whether they’re raising capital, selling a business, replacing departing partners, or securing private funding for commercial property development.  

The two-sided marketplace connects business owners and entrepreneurs with wholesale and institutional investors, matching startups through to public companies with professional capital from wholesale investors, angel investors and family offices. It has proven to be the holy grail for small businesses in growth phase that need a hand up.  

Startups seeking initial capital, established businesses on the cusp of planning expansion, commercial property developers requiring joint venture partners, or companies needing to restructure shareholdings all benefit from tapping into the BizDealRoom network to find a solution.  

With more than $1.5 billion in deal connections facilitated through the platform, plus over $1 billion in personal finance deals across his earlier career, Holland brings strong expertise to every transaction. Holland cut his teeth in finance before spending 12 years as a licensed broker, applying more than two decades of expertise to build BizDealRoom’s digital infrastructure.  

Holland created BizDealRoom to bridge the gap between business owners and investors. The platform offers dozens of tools—valuations, investment scenarios, profit improvement calculators—to help users prepare their business for market, while their accountants, solicitors, business brokers and professional advisors handle the rest.  

How it works  

Specialising in connecting entrepreneurs with wholesale and sophisticated investors, the platform brings a unique perspective on deal structuring and investor relations, with an 85% success rate across transactions ranging from seed funding for startups right up to $30 million deals.  

BizDealRoom receives more than 3,000 annual requests from entrepreneurs seeking investors, and maintains a database of more than 40,000 wholesale, sophisticated and angel investors. Many of these are bootstrapped businesses that the banks won’t touch unless they put up their family home as collateral.  

A key differentiator is the platform’s end-to-end AI-powered infrastructure, rebuilt over the past 12 months and refined daily to stay ahead of the market. From initial listing through to deal completion, AI generates professional information memorandums, business plans and investor-ready documentation in minutes. Secure data rooms enable online due diligence, while intelligent matching connects opportunities with the right investors.  

Most deals close within 8 to 12 weeks, depending on the type of raise and how compelling the opportunity is. Investors on the platform typically invest $500,000 or more in proven businesses, while startups and pre-profit projects generally attract between $100,000 and $300,000.  

“Small business owners need to protect themselves because the more the investor tips into your business, the more control they’re going to want, which needs to be handled carefully,” Holland says:  

“Getting your pitch right is a critical first step. It’s all about preparation. If your pitch isn’t 100%, it’s unlikely you’re going to get funded. Investors can be fickle and will run if even the smallest thing is out of place because it can make them nervous. You also can’t delay because people lose interest very quickly.”  

Filling the gap  

Holland says traditional lenders have their place when a business owner has property or other security to offer, and crowdfunding works brilliantly for consumer-facing products that retail investors instantly understand—the latest soft drink or clever gadget. “But the reality is most Australian businesses are more complex: importing, manufacturing, holding debtors, running traditional sales processes. Not glamorous, but the backbone of the economy. That’s the market BizDealRoom serves.”  

“Lenders don’t account for the growing number of businesses with far less physical assets these days. And yet businesses with intangible assets such as unique AI models and technology revolutionising a segment of their market are the powerhouses of the business world,” Holland says.  

Holland says: “Every business has unique financial challenges and cookie-cutter solutions simply don’t work. But once we help them understand how to bring their business to an investor market, the investment takes care of itself.”  

Unique challenges  

BizDealRoom’s AI-powered platform guides business owners through the entire process—from preparing pitch decks and information memorandums to investor matching—but Holland is clear about the platform’s role. “We’re not brokers or advisors. We provide the tools and the platform that allows parties to connect. We work alongside a client’s existing accountant, solicitor or M&A advisor, not instead of them.”  

The flat-fee model with no success fees or commissions is a key point of difference, making BizDealRoom an attractive partner for external advisors with clients seeking capital. Whether a client needs just a secure data room or a full listing with lead generation, the platform adapts to suit.  

What’s next  

The focus for 2026 and beyond is growth. BizDealRoom is actively seeking international partners to expand the platform’s reach into North America, Asia and Europe—whether regional licensees looking to leverage the platform and investor network, or established players seeking a strategic partnership.  

Holland continues to work directly with a limited number of clients. For businesses needing hands-on help to improve profitability or prepare for market, it’s this demand that drove the decision to build the BizDealRoom Innovation Hub.  

Now under construction on Tamborine Mountain—a site Holland purchased and is developing himself—the hub will offer private workspaces for founders and small teams alongside direct access to capital raising support. On track to open in 2026, it will serve businesses across Australia, not just Queensland.  

Looking for capital or investors? Connect with wholesale, sophisticated and angel investors for any size project at www.bizdealroom.com. For larger raises or international partnership enquiries, contact Matt Holland at matthew.holland@bizdealroom.com