BHP

Renewable Metals raises $12M Series A - Luan Atkinson, round details and contact

Profile of Australian battery-recycling company Renewable Metals, reporting its oversubscribed $12 million Series A with CEFC and Virescent Ventures leading, founder and CEO Luan Atkinson, and chair Peter Beaven.

WA mining software startup CorePlan strikes $5 million

Perth-based drilling and exploration software company CorePlan raised a follow-on round led by existing investor EVP to fund global expansion.

Mine drone mapping scaleup Emesent raises $15 million

Brisbane drone mapping firm Emesent secures $15 million SAFE Note plus $10 million venture debt from federal government's National Reconstruction Fund.

Verona Capital buys control of Dredge Robotics in 3.4x exit for Acorn

Perth family office Verona Capital has bought majority control of mining-robotics maker Dredge Robotics, giving early investor Acorn Capital a 3.4x return, while the founders retain significant stakes and stay in charge.

Mine drone mapping scaleup Emesent raises $15 million

Brisbane drone-mapping firm Emesent has raised $15 million via a SAFE note plus $10 million in venture debt from the National Reconstruction Fund — the fund's first such deal — four years after its Series A.

Everlab raises $46 million in Series A funding, AI preventive healthcare platform enters global market

Melbourne preventive-health startup Everlab has banked an A$65 million Series A led by Airtree Ventures with Plural, Left Lane Capital and b2venture taking part, funding overseas growth starting in the UK.

Cricketer Pat Cummins backs longevity startup Everlab's $65 million Series A

Melbourne preventative health startup Everlab raised a $65 million Series A to fund UK expansion, with Airtree Ventures, Plural, b2venture, Left Lane Capital and cricketer Pat Cummins among the backers.

Australian company says its magnetic technology could be key to green steel ambitions

Adelaide magnetic-technology venture DryFlow Magnetics, freshly backed by a $10 million seed round, will trial its waterless ore-extraction system at Peak Iron's Hawks Nest site, targeting premium iron for green steel.

Advanced Navigation raises $158 million Series C round with NRFC backing

Navigation technology firm Advanced Navigation has banked a $158 million Series C, with Airtree leading and Quadrant plus the NRFC taking part, funding global expansion and Australian manufacturing scale-up.

Also Dealroom·Tech Funding News - Australia·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia

CorePlan raises $5 million to expand its mining software platform

Perth-based mining software firm CorePlan has secured $5 million in a follow-on raise, with existing backer EVP leading, to grow its team and push into drilling and geology workflows; BHP is a user.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Global mining giant makes $35m bet on Australian green steel technology

Rio Tinto has signed a $35m-plus agreement backing Calix's green-iron demo plant in Western Australia, a project that earlier won an ARENA grant of as much as $44.9 million.

Also RenewEconomy

Investment Notes: Why We Invested in SprintSuite

EVP sets out its case for backing SprintSuite, an operations platform for mining and engineering service firms co-founded by Fredy Galindo Jr. and Sandra Harris, citing insider credibility and strong early growth.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Investment Notes: Why We Invested in SprintSuite

EVP's investment note reflects on its backing of SprintSuite, built for mining-sector service companies by founders with industry roots, citing insider credibility, rapid growth and a large untapped market.

Five Aussie startups that raised $85 million this week

Roundup of five Australian raises totalling $85 million: National Renewable Network's Series A, plus Syenta, Cuttable, SprintSuite and Bitwise Agronomy, with lead investors and expansion plans for each.

Fleet Space partners with quantum companies for mineral exploration

Fleet Space is partnering with three quantum sensor makers, mDetect, Nomad Atomics and DeteQt, to build next-generation exploration tools; the piece also recalls its HiSeis buyout and Series D round.

Arena gives $20m for key project designed to show Pilbara iron ore can be used for low carbon steel

ARENA commits $19.8 million to NeoSmelt, a low-carbon steelmaking venture backed by BHP, Rio Tinto, BlueScope, Woodside and Mitsui; the pilot project near Perth earlier secured $75 million from Western Australia.

Industry giants collaborating to seek to decarbonise steel

Also RenewEconomy

MyPass Global swipes $7.5m series A for its Skills Passport

Sydney workforce-credential platform MyPass Global has closed a $7.5 million Series A round led by venture firm OneVentures, with funds earmarked for product development and growth across the Americas.

Seven ANZ startups that raised $42.8 million this week

Weekly roundup of seven Australian and New Zealand raises totalling $42.8 million, spanning property-investment AI, workforce credentialing, allied-health practice software, conversation analytics, maths learning games, copper processing and holiday-park bookings.

Worker credentials platform MyPass clocks on with $7.5 million Series A

Workforce credentialing platform MyPass has secured $7.5 million in Series A backing from OneVentures to grow across the Americas and further build its Skills Passport product. Scalare Partners seeded the company in 2020.

Also SmartCompany

Skip to the Moon: the team behind a $42 million Australian Space Agency project to build Australia’s first lunar ‘Roo-ver’ revealed

Winner named for $42 million lunar rover contract

High-tech imaging projects help manufacturers unearth new wealth

Industry body AMGC publicises two past grant recipients that commercialised imaging technology: mDetect's muon system for tailings dam safety and EQ Resources' hyperspectral tungsten sorting, with grants of $248,191 and $600,000.

Coal mine methane mitigation is finally getting real again – but only after huge government handouts

Analysis column arguing Australia's coal mine methane mitigation has stagnated, with Kestrel Coal mine's newly won matching grant and South32's planned trial the first commercial-scale projects in years, aided by government handouts.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

News roundup: Cyclopharm's $20m placement, Eden Innovations' first Holcim orders, Rio Tinto and BHP electric haul truck trials, a hybrid boat's marine award, and a national rail procurement database launch.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Roundup of manufacturing briefs: Latrobe Magnesium's share placement, DroneShield and Cyclopharm results, Graphene Manufacturing Group's US OTCQX listing, an Electro Optic Systems dispute settlement, HEO London recruitment, and a green steel partnership.

Queensland government backs 5 VCs, including Antler and Main Sequence, with $130 million

Queensland's government is committing $130 million across five venture firms — Antler, Five V Capital, Main Sequence, Mandalay and Salus — via a new fund to widen early-stage funding for local startups.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Roundup: Arafura Rare Earths banks $25m for its rare earths project; Incitec Pivot, Electro Optic Systems and Alpha HPA announce leadership changes; Titomic extends its MD's contract; Cobram Estate grows US olive output.

Eight Aussie startups that raised $85.6 million this week

Weekly roundup reporting eight Australian startups together raised $85.6 million across mining tech, cybersecurity, waste, energy storage, health and micromobility, plus a Google.org grant for Global Sisters.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Queensland mining tech startup unearths $43 million in Series B

Brisbane ore-scanning company Plotlogic has raised a Series B with Galvanise, Schneider Electric's venture arm and CSIRO's Main Sequence participating, the latter drawing on a freshly announced $450 million fund.

Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia

Q2 2023 Global Fund Newsletter

Defender's quarterly fund letter reports Q2 returns, AI and resources holdings, and portfolio company Lyka's second up-round at a stated US$150 million valuation.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Techboard·Business News Australia·Forbes Australia

Rockburst Technologies to develop Moon mining technologies

A Canadian mining technology firm is setting up an Adelaide office, backed by South Australian government program funding, to adapt its rock-fracturing process for lunar mining alongside local research partners.

Bluescope backs gravity storage start-up with funds and lab at Port Kembla

Steel maker BlueScope commits money and site space at Port Kembla for startup Green Gravity to build a gravity-based energy storage research lab, with construction beginning this month.

Also RenewEconomy

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

A manufacturing roundup covering Hazer's R&D tax refund, Atomo's South African test supply deal, Acrow's asset purchase, PureFoods' product revenue, a solar farm completion, BlueScope's accelerator applications, and a drone modem launch.

Former Yancoal mine to be first test site for Australian gravity storage technology

Green Gravity will trial its gravity energy storage in a closed NSW coal mine under an MoU with Yancoal, with a pre-feasibility study due in 2023, after a May capital raise.

Adam Schwab: Nitro rejects $400 million Potentia offer despite rising costs and recorded losses

Potentia's $400 million takeover approach for ASX-listed software firm Nitro was rejected, with the column examining Nitro's widening losses, executive pay, and Potentia's separate pursuit of payments company Tyro.

Fortescue Group announces major leadership reshuffle

Fortescue announces leadership changes: Andrew Forrest becomes Executive Chairman as Elizabeth Gaines steps down, Mark Hutchinson to lead FFI, plus new appointments including Guy Debelle as CFO and board director Li Yifei.

FUNDED MARCH 2022

Techboard's March 2022 roundup of Australian funding: megadeals by Immutable, Saluda Medical, Linktree and Zeller, many smaller raises, acquisitions, an IPO, several fund closes, and companies still seeking capital.

Also Australian FinTech

Australian startup eyes disused mine shafts for gigascale gravity energy storage

Green Gravity, a new Australian venture developing gravity-based power storage inside abandoned mine shafts and led by Mark Swinnerton, formerly of BHP, has early private backing and is in talks with governments and VCs.

Queensland drone mapping startup Emesent raises $32 million Series A

Brisbane drone mapping startup Emesent has raised a Series A to fund global growth, engineering hiring and new facilities, led by Perennial Partners with Tiger Global and TELUS Ventures joining existing backers.