Athena Financial has closed an $11.3m Rice Warner-backed round as it prepares to launch its online mortgage marketplace in beta.

Australia-based digital mortgage marketplace operator Athena Financial has completed a A$15m ($11.3m) series A round that included consulting firm Rice Warner, Australian Financial Review has reported.

The round was co-led by venture capital firm Square Peg Capital and Macquarie Capital, the financial advisory and capital markets arm of investment banking firm Macquarie, and also featured investment adviser Apex Capital Partners.

Athena is preparing to launch a cloud-based platform that would offer borrowers mortgages with lower interest rates by connecting them…