This Week in Australian Startups #174, 16th August 2026
Australian startups raised funds including Alloy Robotics, Farmbot and Atmo Biosciences. Firmus Technologies acquired Benmax while Tabcorp bought BetMakers. SafetyCulture rebranded to Mitti.
Startup · $12m raised
Maker of an ingestible diagnostic capsule for gut conditions
Melbourne, VIC
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round Atmo Biosciences raised.
| Investor | Rounds | Invested |
|---|---|---|
| Breakthrough Victoria | undisclosed | - |
| Dr Chris Roberts | undisclosed | - |
| Otsuka | undisclosed | - |
Companies Atmo Biosciences acquired or merged with, per published coverage. Buying a company is not investing in one: nothing here counts in the deals column.
Stories naming Atmo Biosciences. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Australian startups raised funds including Alloy Robotics, Farmbot and Atmo Biosciences. Firmus Technologies acquired Benmax while Tabcorp bought BetMakers. SafetyCulture rebranded to Mitti.
Eight Australian and New Zealand startups secured a combined $67.4 million in funding across various sectors including agtech, medtech, robotics, and fintech.
Breakthrough Victoria rounds up April–May 2026 portfolio news, including grants for Number 8 Bio and Xefco, Liquid Instruments' Series C, program selections, partnerships, regulatory clearances and two new Aravax directors.
Breakthrough Victoria highlights portfolio achievements including Amber Electric's forty-five million dollar raise, Bygen and Diag-Nose grants, and Quantum Brilliance series A funding.
Also Breakthrough Victoria·Breakthrough Victoria·RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy·Dealroom
Recap of Breakthrough Victoria's end-of-year gathering in Docklands, where portfolio founders shared scaling stories and the investor noted its portfolio now spans 77 commitments worth $480.7 million.
Breakthrough Victoria's CEO reviews its 2024/25 year: growing capital base, strong co-investment leverage, portfolio milestones including Amber's $10m raise, first fellows awarded, and projected economic impact ahead.
Atmo Biosciences has won American regulator clearance for its swallowable gas-sensing capsule, an RMIT invention licensed in 2018; sales begin in July, after RMIT swapped the patents for equity in April.
Breakthrough Victoria highlights recent achievements of portfolio companies including funding, awards, and expansions for firms like Liquid Instruments, Quantum Brilliance, and Samsara Eco.
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.
Five Australian digital health startups received a combined $3.25 million in stage-two grant funding from the Medical Research Future Fund, facilitated by ANDHealth.
The Victorian government-backed venture fund's inaugural CEO Grant Dooley is resigning after nearly three years, with no replacement named; the fund's past backing of Neo-Bionica, Atmo Biosciences and RayGen is recalled.
Breakthrough Victoria bought shares in Atmo Biosciences from Planet Innovation, size undisclosed; the article also recalls Atmo's February 2023 Series B and Breakthrough Victoria's earlier investments in three manufacturers.
Breakthrough Victoria launched a $100m program with nine Victorian universities to fund university startups; its first $7.5m went into Melbourne's $15m Genesis Pre-Seed Fund, and RMIT spin-out Atmo Biosciences recently raised $9.6 million.
MTPConnect has awarded grants totalling almost $900,000 to three medtech projects under round four of its MRFF-backed BMTH program, benefiting two WA companies and one Victorian firm.