3. Midnight Health

Smart50 profile ranking telehealth provider Midnight Health third, noting its founders, Queensland base and earlier $40 million backing from NIB across several rounds.

Interactive sees growth through its customers’ acquisitions

Interactive systems chief Simon Durkin explains how serving clients through their acquisitions fuels growth; ex-Datacom Australia head Alex Coates joins as chief executive from January 2025.

9. Goterra

SmartCompany's Smart50 Awards 2024 profile ranks agtech Goterra ninth. The Canberra business turns food waste into animal feed using robot-managed maggots, with customers including Woolworths and the City of Sydney.

Industry and science minister Ed Husic wants you to know something is going to happen, soon

Industry minister Ed Husic told a Tech Council summit the National Reconstruction Fund is close to its first investments after asking for a $300m drawdown; the piece recaps federal tech funding moves including PsiQuantum's.

Sunroom Co-Founder Michelle Battersby on knowing your strengths and the power of intuition

Interview with Sunroom co-founder Michelle Battersby on her path from Bumble's first Australian employee and Kic CMO to founding the creator platform, plus investor Nick Crocker on backing the team.

Ai Group's McGrath appointed to Board of Standards Australia

Industry body executive Louise McGrath has won election to the standards body's board, with formal confirmation set for late November at the group's yearly meeting.

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Roundup: Artrya's $5m placement, Traffic Technologies' $2.8m entitlement offer, Rhythm's R&D tax refund, Hydramech's grant, Orthocell hires, a Standards Australia board election, and Aristocrat's agreed Plarium sale.

Quad Lock, Australian phone case innovator, sold to Thule in $500 million deal

Sweden's Thule is buying Melbourne phone-mount maker Quad Lock in a $500 million deal; Quadrant Private Equity and the founders are selling their stakes. The piece recalls Quad Lock's crowdfunding start and Smart50 appearances.

Also addtocart.com.au

Wild Tech appoints Matthew Rodgers to head APAC Microsoft division

ERP specialist Wild Tech has hired Matthew Rodgers, previously at sa.global, to lead its Microsoft business across Asia Pacific from Kuala Lumpur and strengthen links between Southeast Asia and A/NZ.

Palisade Hires Market Leading Team to Execute Intera Renewables’ Development Strategy

Palisade has recruited three senior renewables development executives away from Squadron Energy for Intera Renewables, its clean energy platform, to build a new division targeting co-development projects in Australian renewables.

Also Palisade Impact portfolio

Focus on heavy vehicle electrification set to drive innovation in transport sector

The renewable energy agency has committed $28.6 million in grants so Linfox and Toll can electrify their freight fleets with dozens of electric trucks, alongside fresh program priorities opening for applications.

Also @AuManufacturing

Inside Healthcare Investing: How KP Rx is Transforming Australia's Biotech Industry

An executive interview with KP Rx founder Hashan De Silva on building a specialist healthcare venture firm investing in biotech and medical devices across Australia and New Zealand.

Two ANZ startups that raised $60.4 million this week

Crimson Education has completed a NZ$67 million Series D with Movac leading and a valuation above NZ$1 billion; fulfilment-robotics maker Nexobot has raised $400,000 pre-seed from Skalata and Antler.

ARENA powers up clean tech startup Orkestra with $2.77 million for EV charger plans

Orkestra, a Melbourne clean-energy software firm, won $2.77 million in ARENA co-funding to accelerate commercial EV charger rollout; a year earlier it banked $2 million in seed funding from Tidal Ventures.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Roundup of manufacturing briefs: Macquarie University opens a silicon research lab with Atto Devices, Spectur's managing director resigns, Provaris and Noxopharm secure new funding, and Livium sells its lithium project stake.

New Koppers pine processing plant launched

Koppers Wood Products has opened its upgraded pine processing facility at Longford, Tasmania, supported by a $250,000 Tasmanian government grant to cut waste and lift treated-timber output.

Australian Vanadium reveals Project Lumina battery storage plans

Vanadium company Australian Vanadium says the first study phase for its subsidiary's battery storage project is complete, and flags future funding options; earlier federal program money backs its Gabanintha resource.

New wave energy hopeful lands government grant, says it’s cracked the cost barrier

Perth wave-energy startup WaveX received a $2.5 million federal grant and is hunting more funding for an Albany prototype; its founder says oil and gas supply chains make the device cost-competitive.

Founder Nicole Gibson's world-first AI technology could help us better understand our emotions

Profile of founder Nicole Gibson, whose emotion-tracking wearable startup InTruth has raised $9.5 million to date, including a $9.1 million non-dilutive grant from a UK family office, ahead of a planned launch.

“Shell companies for rent seekers:” Coalition attacks solar innovators, including Turnbull-backed SunDrive

A federal opposition senator attacks Labor's solar manufacturing program and SunDrive, which has cut staff and changed CEO while pursuing partnerships with AGL and Trina Solar to localise panel production.

Breakthrough Victoria posts $3 million loss

The Victorian government's VC fund Breakthrough Victoria slipped to a loss, its annual report showing startup investments, cost cutting and boardroom departures amid criticism of its spending and performance.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Fintech raises $5.7 million Seed round for divorce lending

JustFund, a Sydney lender covering legal costs in separations, has disclosed a $5.7 million seed round led by Xilium Capital, plus venture debt and mezzanine funding from family offices.

“We designed the world’s best something”: winding up and finding the positives

Podcast interview with Diffuse Energy CTO James Bradley on winding up the wind turbine startup after chip shortages, its ARENA-backed telco tower trial, CSIRO ON origins and his accelerator work with University of Newcastle.

1414 Degrees confident of its SiBox energy storage technology

1414 Degrees says its SiBox silicon heat-storage technology is nearing commercialisation, with federal expansion support on offer, and recalls a February consortium grant win for its SiPHyR hydrogen project.

Machine under development at Melbourne uses “vibrating bubbles” for super-speed bioprinting

University of Melbourne researchers describe a faster acoustic bioprinting method for human-like tissue; PhD candidate Callum Vidler's project recently won a $199,482 seed grant via the national AEA pilot program.

Optiscan to develop AI gastrointestinal endomicroscope

Optiscan Imaging has agreed to work with Monash University on AI for its next-generation gastrointestinal endomicroscope, a project that has already drawn close to $1 million under the CRC-P grant programme.

40-Year Medical Drought Ends: This Aussie Biotech's Breakthrough Could Save Millions

Profile of Australian biotech Recce Pharmaceuticals, whose synthetic antibiotic candidates target drug-resistant infections, covering its leadership team, FDA designation, clinical trial progress and a government underwriting of its R&D rebate.

PolyActiva Showcases Promising Clinical Data Highlighting its Polymer Technology's Potential to Transform Glaucoma Care

PolyActiva reported Phase 2 results showing its PA5108 ocular implant lowered eye pressure safely in glaucoma patients, with a phase 2b trial planned, after presentations at two ophthalmology conferences.

Fifteen ANZ startups that raised $81 million this week

Round-up reporting Neara's $45 million Series C, Alimetry's US$18 million Series A2, Earthodic's US$4 million seed, and Antler's latest residency intake of startups each receiving $225,000 for 12% stakes.

Also Startup Daily

Canva valuation soars to nearly $49 billion after fresh secondary sale

A fresh sale of existing shares has lifted Canva's valuation to about $48.7 billion from $38.5 billion in January, boosting the co-founders' wealth and edging the design software firm toward a possible public listing.

Also Fortune Term Sheet

Investment Notes: VXB Aerospace

Jelix's note explains why its fund led satellite thruster startup VXB Aerospace's $1.2 million seed round, citing the team's expertise, customer letters of intent, market growth, and acceptance into Techstars Space.

Announcing our second fund

Paloma announces a second fund it is opening, seeking A$25 million to back studio-built GenAI ventures and breakout portfolio companies across Australia and New Zealand; no close is reported.

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Roundup of Australian manufacturing news: OncoSil, K-TIG and Aurora Labs complete or commit raises, Amplia opens an offer, Siemens agrees to buy Altair, CSIRO unveils a printed-solar facility, and a WA medical alliance grows.

15 Startups selected for Startupbootcamp’s 2024 Sustainable Fintech Accelerator Programme

Startupbootcamp has picked 15 startups for the second intake of its Sustainable Fintech Accelerator, spanning themes from fraud prevention to embedded finance, with Tim Poskitt returning to lead the program.

The Week in AgriFoodTech: Funding for mealworms & green hydrogen, Ohalo unveils a new kind of almond

AgFunderNews weekly roundup: new raises for Udaan, Matteco, Foodsi, Bendi, Revo Foods, Paleo, Tebrio and Earthodic; Blue Evolution and Blu3 merge; USDA and Finnish grants; three executive appointments announced.

Breakthrough Victoria Follow On investments

Breakthrough Victoria reflects on its third annual report: over $350 million committed across 44 investments, including five follow-on investments worth over $35 million in the past financial year across five named portfolio companies.

PE giant buys in as Aussie AI infrastructure start-up raises $45m

Neara, an Australian AI infrastructure startup, raised $45 million led by EQT, Partners Group and Square Peg Capital, with Skip Capital and Prosus Ventures returning; funds target North American and European expansion.

Hadean Energy: Innovative Australian Hydrogen Electrolysis Technology

Hadean Energy, a hydrogen electrolysis venture formed by RFC Ambrian with CSIRO, has won an Australia-UK government grant to develop a 5kW demonstration unit, working with EDF Energy and Certscape.

$1.25 million awarded through WA METS Innovation Program

Five Western Australian mining-technology firms have received government grants totalling $1.25 million via MRIWA's METS Innovation Program, including a battery-cooling developer and an efficient conveyor builder.

Also Startup News (WA)

Gentoo.earth founder Juliet Kirby is building an AI-powered ‘Bloomberg for climate intelligence’

SmartCompany profiles Gentoo.earth, a carbon-removal intelligence platform founded by Juliet Kirby, now scaling from San Francisco; the piece recalls an angel round and undisclosed pre-seed backing including Admiralty Capital Group.

Gravity storage technology mooted for Mount Isa mine shafts to back up vast wind and solar projects

Green Gravity has begun early studies for a gravitational energy storage project in Mount Isa mine shafts, working with Glencore and the local council, weeks after landing $9 million to advance its technology.

Also @AuManufacturing·RenewEconomy

How two former Macquarie impact gurus built a $450m fund at Palisade

Profile of two ex-Macquarie executives whose new impact investing arm inside Palisade has assembled a $450m fund aimed at emissions, waste and inequality goals.

Scaling up homegrown battery technology

The renewable energy agency is putting nearly $4m toward AnteoTech's silicon anode work, part of an $11.1m three-year Brisbane project to commercialise longer-lasting lithium-ion battery technology.

Also RenewEconomy·@AuManufacturing

Vaxxas licenses RSV vaccine candidate

Vaxxas, a Brisbane biotech, has taken a worldwide licence from the US NIH to an RSV antigen candidate, aiming to advance it toward a Phase I study; another trial runs with BARDA funding.

Green packaging startup Earthodic lands $6 million raise to expand water-resistant innovation

Brisbane maker of recyclable water-resistant paper coatings has closed an oversubscribed seed round led by FTW Ventures to lift production and enter the US market, with its 2023 pre-seed backers returning.

Also AgFunderNews·SmartCompany

OneVentures gears up for $1b milestone with key hires and new growth fund

A OneVentures blog stub links to Capital Brief's report that the venture firm is approaching a major growth milestone, has added key staff, and is preparing a fresh fund.

Aravax Completes Recruitment into Phase 2 Study of PVX108, a novel immunotherapy for the Treatment of Peanut Allergy

Aravax has finished enrolling 95 young patients in its Phase 2 peanut-allergy immunotherapy trial across US and Australian sites, with results expected in the first half of 2026.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Manufacturing news roundup: GreenHY2 and Atomo Diagnostics receive government grants, Seaport Therapeutics closes a US$225m Series B, Orthocell secures $17m, Genevo Marine opens a crowdfunding offer, and the ACCC clears Accolade's wine acquisition.

Four ANZ startups that raised $26.9 million this week

Weekly roundup of four ANZ raises: Conflux Technology's $11 million Series B, BuildPass's $7.5 million seed, Projectworks's US$5 million Series A alongside a CEO change, and DNAiTECH's NZ$1 million round.

Also Startup Daily

MedTech companies join AI accelerator

Three Australian medtech firms, Cortical Dynamics, Microbio and Resonait Medical Technologies, join the Biomedical AI Sprints Accelerator run by ARM Hub and MTPConnect to apply AI and data across their medical products.