TLDR: Sydney-based startup Optimaze has successfully raised $3 million in pre-Seed funding, led by Arconic and The Innovation Club. The company is developing an AI-native cloud economics platform aimed at helping businesses significantly reduce their cloud expenditure and environmental impact by identifying and automating the optimization of cloud waste. The funds will be used to expand its engineering team, accelerate product development, and forge strategic partnerships, beginning with AWS.
Sydney, Australia – October 13, 2025 – Optimaze, an innovative AI-native cloud economics platform, today announced it has closed a $3 million pre-Seed funding round. The investment was co-led by specialist technology venture capital firm Arconic and sustainability-focused investor The Innovation Club. This significant capital injection will fuel Optimaze’s mission to help businesses save billions by tackling rampant cloud waste.
Cloud waste has become a critical issue for enterprises globally. Industry estimates, such as those from Gartner, suggest that at least 30% of cloud spend is wasted. However, Optimaze founders Ralf Capel and Dawshiek Yogathasar believe the actual inefficiency and cost could be substantially higher, particularly when considering the environmental footprint. “Cloud waste has spiralled out of control, costing businesses billions and demanding roughly 1% of global energy consumption,” stated Ralf Capel. “Instead of addressing the root cause, today companies are pouring more money into expanding cloud infrastructure and financial operations, making the problem exponentially worse.”
Optimaze’s platform leverages artificial intelligence to provide real-time quantification of cloud inefficiencies, enabling businesses to identify and act on cloud waste at scale. Capel highlighted the platform’s effectiveness, noting, “We have seen first hand how cloud literate companies reduce their on demand cloud use by well over 30% through clever optimisation.” Co-founder Dawshiek Yogathasar added that the company also aims to drastically reduce human-intensive tasks, such as resource tagging, by up to 90%, thereby improving both financial and environmental outcomes. “The energy waste in Australian cloud environments is already staggering and as AI workloads intensify, energy consumption is becoming a major bottleneck,” Yogathasar explained.
Arconic’s Anthony Potts underscored the growing importance of cloud cost optimization, stating, “Cloud spend is already the largest controllable cost after payroll. It’s exploding as every business from SMBs to corporates deploy AI-heavy GPU workloads.” The investment reflects a strong belief in Optimaze’s AI-driven approach to a pervasive enterprise challenge.
Also Read:
- Glide Identity Secures Over $20M Series A to Advance AI-Ready Authentication Solutions
- Smallest.ai Secures $8 Million Seed Investment to Advance Enterprise Voice AI
Currently in private beta with a waitlist for preview access, Optimaze plans to utilize the newly secured funds to expand its engineering team, accelerate its product roadmap, and establish strategic partnerships with major cloud providers, starting with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Australian spending on cloud computing is projected to reach $15 billion next year, underscoring the immense market potential for Optimaze’s solutions.
