Ledger. Australian venture funding, tracked

Investor · 1 deal

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Coverage

Stories naming Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.

Funding announcement

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #175, 23rd August 2026

Weekly roundup: Constantinople raises $62.5m; Blackbird wraps fund six above $1b; Guardhouse buys Mobohubb; SCX.ai debuts on the ASX; plus seed rounds, exits and executive changes across the ecosystem.

8 deals

Four Aussie startups that raised $2.86 billion this week (sort of)

Roundup of four Australian raises: Firmus Technologies' US$2 billion round at a $15 billion valuation, Eudaemon's $3.75 million, Zabidou's $3.5 million seed round, and Rampart's $2.3 million.

Also This Week in Australian Startups

Series B $16m

Drone delivery startup Swoop Aero stalls, lands in administration

Drone delivery company Swoop Aero has entered voluntary administration after its cofounder blamed investor pressure; administrators now seek a buyer or recapitalisation. The piece recalls its 2021 Series B and 2018 Startmate stint.

Also Startup Daily

Funding announcement

Vaxxas Announces and Publishes Successful Phase I Clinical Trial for Measles and Rubella Vaccine Delivered Using its Proprietary High-Density Microarray Skin Patch; Plan for Phase I/II Trial in The Gambia, Africa

Vaxxas reports positive Phase I results for its needle-free skin-patch delivery of a measles-rubella vaccine, with Gates Foundation grant funding and a planned PATH-sponsored Phase I/II trial in The Gambia.

14 deals

The Week in AgriFoodTech: Paine Schwartz launches $1.7bn agrifood fund, Cricket One unveils new plant, Infarm ‘declared bankrupt’

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup: Paine Schwartz closes its $1.7bn food-and-ag fund; several seed and Series A rounds; Tangelo acquires Diet ID; Infarm declared bankrupt; layoffs and partnerships across the sector.

Funding announcement

Vaxxas Announces Interim Phase I Study Results for First Needle-Free HD-MAP COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaxxas reports encouraging interim Phase I results for its needle-free microarray-patch COVID-19 vaccine, with strong antibody responses and no serious adverse events, ahead of planned regulatory applications in Australia and the US.

Funding announcement

Vaxxas Appoints Dr. Rochelle Chaiken as Chief Medical Officer

Vaxxas hires former Pfizer medical executive Dr Rochelle Chaiken as its chief medical officer; the announcement also recounts the biotech's founding financing and later rounds.

Funding announcement

Vaxxas Appoints Dr. Rochelle Chaiken as Chief Medical Officer

Vaxxas has appointed 23-year Pfizer veteran Dr Rochelle Chaiken as chief medical officer; the announcement also recaps the vaccine-patch company's early backing by OneVentures, Brandon Capital and others.

Unnamed stage $34m

Vaxxas Raises US$23 million (A$34 million) to Clinically Advance Needle-Free Vaccines, Including a Next-Generation COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate

Vaxxas completed a US$23 million (A$34 million) financing led by OneVentures and UniQuest to advance its needle-free vaccine clinical programs, including a COVID-19 candidate, with board members, management and individual investors also participating.

Also OneVentures portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·@AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·Techboard·@AuManufacturing

Funding announcement

First Aussies to get needle-free COVID-19 vaccine patch

Vaxxas has begun a phase one trial in Australia of its needle-free COVID-19 vaccine patch. The Brisbane company, backed by OneVentures, Brandon Capital and others, has hired Scott Fry from Ellume as COO.

News

First Aussies to get needle-free COVID-19 vaccine patch

Brisbane biotech Vaxxas has begun human testing of its microneedle patch for COVID-19 vaccination and plans a phase two study; the venture-backed company has raised over $66 million.

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