A biotech startup hoping to use gene therapy to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Motor Neurone Disease (MND), epilepsy and dementia has raised $16.75 million in a Series A. The round for Celosia Therapeutics was led by research commercialisation fund Uniseed, with support from UniSuper and hedge fund manager Iomar Barrett, who has amyotrophic lateral… Read more »
An estate planning platform that has digitised writing a will has raised $17 million in a Series B. The round for Safewill was co-led by King River Capital and existing backer Reinventure. Also doubling down were Carthona Capital and Flying Fox Ventures. Safewill previously raised a $5.5 million Series A extension in May 2023 topping… Read more »
The best of Indonesia’s SheHacks startup program has arrived in Sydney, with five leading female founders from Jakarta ready to meet with government, industry leaders and investors to explore opportunities for transnational collaboration and mentorship. Sponsored by the Australia Indonesia Institute (AII), and Indonesian telco, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, the ‘ SheHacks validation tour’ marks an… Read more »
Leading investor in university-originated deep tech, IP Group Australia, has announced a new A$125 million contribution from Hostplus to the IP Group Hostplus Innovation Fund. Hostplus has added to its existing A$310m investment to bring its total commitment to $435m, backing companies like green hydrogen pathfinder Hysata, chronic lung disease therapy biotech RAGE and sustainable… Read more »
MyDriveHero isn’t just another tech startup—it’s a mission-driven platform tackling one of Australia’s most critical issues: road safety. Co-founded by Rick Markham, Josh Wong, and Blake Robinson, the app gamifies driving habits, turning safe behaviour into cash rewards. The journey began with a personal tragedy and evolved into a nationwide initiative helping drivers save lives—and… Read more »
Climate startup Goterra’s innovative new food waste management system has launched in Wetherill Park in Sydney’s western suburbs and aims to transform how the city deals with the thousands of tonnes of food waste generated each week. This represents a significant step towards creating a food waste circular economy. Goterra – winner of Most Innovative… Read more »
Comparison fintech Finder has acquired cashback platform Grow My Money for an undisclosed sum. Founder Pascale Helyar–Moray originally launched Grow My Money as Super-Rewards in late 2019, helping people save for the retirement with a cashback program from shopping. She subsequently expanded into mortage repayments, transforming the fintech into its current form and brand People can shop… Read more »
Queensland startup Gilmour Space is teaming up with Perth-based Earth observation company LatConnect60 in the second deal involving the rocket builder’s 100-kilogram satellite “bus”, ElaraSat. The collaboration comes just weeks after Gilmour Space landed regulatory approval for the launch of its 23-metres-high Eris rocket in an orbital test flight from its rocket launch pad in… Read more »
FB10X, an angel investor syndicate comprised of seasoned executives from leading Australian companies, has announced its latest investment in Heatseeker, a pioneering market experiment platform designed for fast-growing businesses. This investment underscores FB10X’s commitment to backing innovative startups and fostering a more equitable entrepreneurial landscape. Heatseeker co-founder Kate O’Keeffe expressed her enthusiasm for the partnership,… Read more »
Sydney venture capital firm Airtree Ventures is hoping to fill a fifth fund with $650 million to kick off 2025, gathering commitments from three US investors as it hits its first closure. The Sydney VC will split the capital in two, with Core Fund V investing in early-stage startups at Seed stage while Opportunity Fund… Read more »
A group of Australian-based Harvard Alumni will fund two new scholarships to send an entrepreneur and an investor to attend the Harvard Business School Executive Education Course in February 2025. The scholarships are the brainchild of three graduates of Harvard College and senior technology industry executives: Antler Australia founding partner, Bede Moore; Unseen cofounder and… 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 »
US genetic engineering and biosciences startup Colossal has donated US$1.5 million (A$2.3m) to the University of Melbourne to support Australian avian conservation genomics. The funding has come from the Colossal Foundation. Colossal was founded software entrepreneur Ben Lamm and geneticist George Church in 2021 and went on to raise more than US$225m in venture funding.… Read more »
Not-for-profit research and development company Hort Innovation is teaming up with venture capital firm Artesian for a new $60 million VC fund to back early-stage startups tackling challenges for fruit, vegetable and nut farmers. Hort will chip in around $24 million to the Hort Innovation Venture Fund, leveraged by co-investments sourced by Artesian, for a… Read more »
The 2024 Pearcey Awards saw industry pioneers recognised and the 75th anniversary of the first Australian computer celebrated at a gala dinner in Brisbane on Tuesday night. Professor Svetha Venkatesh received the 2024 Pearcey Medal for her work in pattern recognition, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and was inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame. Canberra defence… Read more »
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