Ampol

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #180, 4th October 2026

Weekly roundup reporting Australian startup funding rounds and government grants, a venture fund close, agreed acquisitions, an IPO pricing, a collapse, plus executive hires and AI policy developments.

Ampol to buy EV charging scaleup Evie Networks for $225 million

Fuel retailer Ampol has proposed acquiring EV charging network Evie Networks for $225 million, pending regulator approval, while the article recalls the charging company's seed, Series A, government grant and debt funding history.

Ampol powers up its EV strategy with $225m acquisition of Evie Networks' national charging platform

Fuel retailer Ampol is buying EV charging network Evie Networks, via holding company Fast Cities Australia, for $225 million funded from debt, with completion expected in first-half 2027 pending ACCC approval.

Also This Week in Australian Startups

From secondary cuts to global shelves

MLA profiles Chief Nutrition, a maker of beef-based snack bars and supplements built from leftover meat cuts, now sold across 12 overseas markets; co-founder and CEO Brock Hatton credits consumer trust in Australian beef.

Six ANZ startups that raised $63.5 million this week

Roundup of six Australian and New Zealand startup raises totalling $63.5 million, covering in-store audio, EV charging, respiratory biotech, health AI, gig-economy fintech, and inclusive social media ventures.

Also Startup Daily

Sustainable aviation fuels studies take flight

Queensland EV charger startup EVOS banks $4 million in hunt for $10m Series B

EVOS, a Brisbane EV charging startup, has secured $4 million from existing backers as the opening slice of a planned $10 million Series B; its three founders previously worked at failed charger maker Tritium.

Also SmartCompany

Boost for electric vehicle rentals and second-hand car market

ARENA awards Europcar Mobility Group $4.76 million from the Driving the Nation Program to deploy electric rental vehicles and chargers across Australia, with Ampol partnering on charging infrastructure.

GLOBAL CHARGE: Brisbane clean tech startup EVOS Energy breaks into India with export grant

Brisbane EV charging maker EVOS Energy receives Queensland government backing to take its chargers into India; the profile also recalls its $5 million Series A and traces its growth.

Also Startup Daily

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Australian manufacturing roundup: IDT Australia's shareholder raise, EV charger rollouts, a mining equipment hire, a plastics recycling plant completion, research collaborations and government funding moves.

Five startups that raised $109.8 million this week

Weekly roundup of five startup raises: Fleet Space's Series C, Checkmate's Series A, Adventus's new round, Endua's hydrogen funding and Servicely's raise, with investors named.

Also Forbes Australia

Melt Ventures launches $10 million climate tech fund, but isn’t interested in software

Melt Ventures has closed a $10 million fund for hardware-focused climate tech and named its first investments, including Endua's $11.8 million pre-seed round backed by Melt, Main Sequence, QIC, 77 Partners and Ampol.

Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing

Hydrogen energy company Endua raises $11.8 million

Hydrogen storage startup Endua has raised $7.5 million from QIC, Melt Ventures and 77 Partners to scale its modular hydrogen power banks for microgrid and standalone power markets.

Also @AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·@AuManufacturing

Australian clean tech Endua fixes renewable energy's intermittency problem

Australian hydrogen startup Endua raised AU$11.8 million from QIC, Melt Ventures, 77 Partners, Main Sequence and Ampol to scale modular hydrogen power banks that store surplus renewable electricity for later use.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Manufacturing roundup covering Cyclopharm's tax incentive payment, Carbon Revolution's government grant payments, CEFC's wind farm debt commitment, Adbri's land sales, a Monash energy report and a Wollongong research showcase.

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Roundup reporting Singular Health's IMCRC grant for 3D-printed medical seals, Viva Energy's fuel security payment, a fine over a worker's death, and the national battery recycling scheme's launch.

$12 m in Accelerating Commercialisation grants awarded

Twenty-two Australian companies plus Monash University won Accelerating Commercialisation grants worth $12.2 million combined, with recipients including EVOS, BioCarbon, Ripe Robotics and Endua, each receiving matched government funding for commercialisation projects.

Also @AuManufacturing·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing