Australia is at a critical juncture. The global transition to a net-zero economy is no longer speculative, it’s underway and accelerating. The nation has everything it needs to lead: world-class research, abundant natural resources, and strong research institutions, but Charlotte Connell, head of impact at Greenhouse, said the issue is how funding is being deployed… Read more »
An energy infrastructure platform developing virtual power plants (VPPs) from household renewables as raised $17 million in a Series A. The round for NRN (National Renewable Network) was led by existing backer Investible and Virescent Ventures, with Ecotone Partners joining the cap table via its new $25m Planet Fund. The capital raise was topped up… Read more »
Sydney’s Salesforce Tower is ground zero for a world‑first “true‑zero” power trial. Climate‑tech hub Greenhouse and retailer Flow Power say time‑matched renewables could slash emissions from Australia’s energy‑hungry office towers—no offsets required.
A US startup used extensively by Australian authorities to detect bushfires has raised a US$44 million (A$68m) Series B. The round for Pano AI included an undisclosed level of secondary share sales, with the surveillance platform claiming to have raised A$138m (US$89m) in its five-year-old lifetime. New investor Giant Ventures led the raise, supported by… Read more »
A new venture capital fund with heavy-hitting corporate partners and focused on backing climate tech startups at Series A has secured $50 million in commitments to reach its first close. Climate Tech Partners (CTP), founded in 2023 by Patrick Sieb and Tom Kline (who established Investible’s climate tech fund), more than doubled its size thanks… Read more »
Climate, health and people-related startups are getting an increasing slice of early-stage Australian investment according to new analysis of where venture capital is being deployed. The report, Impact Startups Benchmark Report 2025. draws on data from Melbourne impact investor Giant Leap, and more than 2,800 startup deals over the past three years. While total startup… Read more »
SQM Lithium Ventures, the VC arm of a major international lithium producer, has invested $3.6 million in Melbourne’s Kite Magnetics, a company that produces advanced components for electric motors. Kite Magnetics CEO Dr Richard Parsons said he was “excited” about the new partnership with SQM. “Their support will help us scale our technology to revolutionise… Read more »
We get hundreds of applications to UNSW Founders 10x Accelerator every year and as our reputation grows, that number climbs ever higher. Yes, you heard right. Hundreds. So the field is competitive. Each Program Manager at UNSW Founders usually has spent months scouting for startups, coaching them, running workshops on how to entrepreneur and generally… Read more »
Victorian climate tech startup Phnxx has raised $1.8 million in Seed funding to scale its modular energy system for the construction, mining and agriculture sectors. The round was supported by ASX-listed engineering company Synertec, ENGIE Factory, deep tech VC Pacific Channel, LaunchVic’s Hugh Victor McKay Fund and several angel investors. Synertec has partnered with the… Read more »
Main Sequence-backed Levur, a biotech startup looking to create a palm oil alternative from yeast using fermentation, has won $100,000 consulting advice from the KPMG Nature Positive Prize. The Sydney startup, founded Tom Collier and Joanne Barber, was part of the SparkLabs Cultiv8 program last year, and was among five Australian startups selected from among… Read more »
Startup builder Beanstalk Ventures recently harvested the first crop of agtech startups from its latest program, the Drought Venture Studio, a 12-week program backed by the federal government’s Future Drought Fund. Eight startups and their leaders were selected for the recent Innovation Showcase, whittled down from 24 chosen for the inaugural program from among 200… Read more »
Air-conditioning energy and emissions reduction startup, Conry Tech, has raised $1.6 million in a pre-Seed round led by Bandera Capital with support from Kiwi VC Pacific Channel. The Melbourne startup was cofounded in 2020 by long-term collaborators Ron Conry and Sam Ringwaldt, both experts in developing HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning) products that cut CO2 emissions.… Read more »
Sydney early-stage VC Investible will partner with UNSW’s Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE) program in a co-investment partnership to back climate tech startups emerging from the university. The Technology Commercialisation Venture Scheme will target Seed and Series A investments into UNSW climate-tech spin-offs and companies supported through TRaCE. The first-of-its-kind for an Australian… Read more »
MGA Thermal has added climate tech fund Electrifi Ventures and Climate Salad to its cap table with another top up of the clean energy startup’s pre-Series B, taking the total raised to $14.15 million. While the Hunter Valley startup, developed what it calls Miscibility Gaps Alloy (MGA) Blocks to absorb and store thermal energy made from… Read more »
Melbourne climate tech startup Kapture is making concrete a lot more environmentally friendly, developing a way to sequester carbon in it. The new process effectively captures and stores carbon dioxide emissions from combustion sources, permanently embedding them in concrete, reducing emissions while enhancing material performance. Kapture partnered with Western Australian concrete products manufacturer PERMAcast in… Read more »
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