Ledger. Australian venture funding, tracked

Government · 39 deals

ARENA

Coverage

Stories naming ARENA. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.

Funding announcement

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #176, 30th August 2026

Weekly roundup: Blackbird confirms a record fund close and Galileo reaches a first close, Genesis merges with Proudi, IREN secures massive debt, and several startups report raises, grants and program wins.

12 deals

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #173, 9th August 2026

Weekly roundup: Firmus completes its $2.85b round; Procore acquires DroneDeploy; Atlassian rebounds while Canva cuts guidance; plus fresh raises for Zabidou, BioScout, Vexev, Enrola, Spacetalk and others.

Also Dealroom·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

5 deals

Sunshot program backs “Sun King” to bring large-scale solar panel manufacturing back to Australia

Sunman Group wins $171 million in federal and NSW funding for a Hunter Valley solar panel factory; earlier grants to Tindo Solar, Stellar PV, Solquartz and SunDrive are also recalled.

Fund close $230m

Climate tech now employs 7000+ people and is driving Australia's economic growth, Climate Salad's annual analysis finds

Climate Salad's report says Australia's climate tech sector has passed 7,000 workers across 730 startups and drew $680 million in venture capital; Sea Forest's ASX debut and fund commitments point to investor appetite.

2 deals

It's taken 12 months, but solar power startup Raygen Resources finally bagged another $75 million for its Series D

Solar storage firm RayGen has wrapped up a $127 million Series D a year after it began, with SLB leading and Breakthrough Victoria, ARENA and energy companies among the backers.

Also RenewEconomy·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia

5 deals

Arena backs Australian factory featuring “breakthrough” in battery storage powders

VSPC, Livium's battery subsidiary, wins a $30 million ARENA grant toward a cathode powder demonstration plant; the piece also recalls funding for AnteoTech, Li-S, Novonix and Energy Storage Industries, plus Redflow's administration.

Also RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

Funding announcement

“Time to come back:” Sunman unveils plans to make flexible solar panels in Australia

Solar pioneer Zhengrong Shi intends a Newcastle factory for frameless lightweight panels via Sunman's Energus subsidiary, eyeing federal programs; CEFC, Southern Cross Venture Partners and Softbank China are recalled as backers.

Unnamed stage

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Manufacturing roundup: Monash shares 3D-printing guidelines for blind students; MGA Thermal gains syndicate investment atop ARENA funding; UniSA touts a natural obesity treatment; Sparc Technologies signs an MoU with CLP Group.

Also Startup Daily·mgathermal.com

Key hire

“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.

3 deals

Australian champion of two-way smart grid technology that won Arena funding placed in liquidation

Queensland smart-grid company Elexsys Energy, trading as Planet Ark Power, won federal and state grants and partial Series B backing before being wound up on a tax office application.

3 deals

Vast wins backing of global energy giant to push multiple solar thermal projects

French energy company EDF has committed €10 million to back Vast Renewables' concentrated solar plans across Australia, adding to earlier government grants for its plants and an agreed-but-unclosed Nasdaq listing deal with Nabors' SPAC.

Also RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

Exit / M&A

Two more retailers collapse under the weight of inflated coal and gas prices

Two small electricity retailers, Mojo Power and QEnergy, have been wound up by a Queensland court and suspended from the national market, with regulators transferring thousands of their customers to other providers.

Also RenewEconomy

4 deals

“Mighty sun, wind and water:” New partner and funds for green hydrogen mega project

Queensland's CQ-H2 hydrogen hub advances with $117 million in new funding from ARENA, the state government and consortium partners, while Singapore's Keppel joins the consortium to pursue a Gladstone ammonia facility with Incitec Pivot.

4 deals

Recipients announced for Australia-Germany HyGATE Initiative

Also ARENA·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing

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