Ledger. Australian venture funding, tracked

Government · 29 deals

Clean Energy Finance Corporation

Coverage

Stories naming Clean Energy Finance Corporation. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.

Funding announcement

The little big battery using local smarts and deeper storage to help fill gap in most renewable grid

South Australian startups Lunio Energy and OptiGrid launch a 5 MW Strathalbyn battery into market trading; the piece recalls OptiGrid's seed round backed by CEFC, IP Group, Hostplus, universities and EnergyLab.

Funding announcement

The little big battery using local smarts and deeper storage to help fill gap in most renewable grid

A 5 MW South Australian battery has started trading, the first project for developer Lunio Energy and the first four-hour site run on OptiGrid's optimisation platform, whose seed backers are recapped.

Series A $14m

Expat Startmate startup Gridcog powers up on $14 million Series A

Gridcog, an Australian-founded energy modelling platform now headquartered in London, has landed a US$10 million ABB-led Series A, with Axpo, DNV Ventures, VERBUND X Ventures, AlbionVC and CEFC joining.

Also pv-magazine-australia.com·gridcog.com

8 deals

Three ANZ startups that raised $61.4 million this week

Weekly roundup of three Series A raises: chipmaker Syenta (US$26m), insights platform Ideally and battery recycler Renewable Metals, detailing leads, amounts and each company's earlier funding.

Also Startup Daily

2 deals

Battery recycling startup Renewable Metals charges up on $12 million Series A

Battery recycler Renewable Metals has banked a $12 million Series A, led by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, to build a Kewdale demonstration plant; its seed round totalled $16.1 million across two tranches.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

2 deals

Renewable Metals raises $12 million Series A to scale next-generation lithium-ion battery recycling technology

Australia's clean energy finance agency led an oversubscribed $12 million Series A in a Western Australian battery recycling startup, joining existing and new investors to fund prototype operations and first commercial plant design.

Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy·esgwise.org·esgtoday.com·nationaltribune.com.au·Dealroom·evmagz.com·battery-tech.net

Series A $12m

Renewable Metals raises $12 million Series A to scale next-generation lithium-ion battery recycling technology

Battery recycler Renewable Metals closed an oversubscribed $12 million Series A led by CEFC to fund round-the-clock prototype operations and engineering design for its first commercial-scale recycling plant in New South Wales.

Also fundedstartupsdaily.com

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.

13 deals

Cheque-in: 8 startups gobbled up $572.12 million in funding this week

Weekly roundup of eight raises totalling $572.12 million, led by Firmus's $500 million round; RAGE Biotech, SunDrive, Number 8 Bio, Fabra, Keeyu, MyGig and Drone-Hand also funded, plus two RAGE Biotech executive appointments.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Business News Australia

Funding announcement

Retailer that set out on a mission to disrupt legacy energy giants is being bought out by one

Origin Energy is buying Energy Locals, the membership-based power retailer founded to disrupt Australia's major gentailers. Its current owners, a consortium led by Palisade Impact, purchased it from Quinbrook about a year ago.

Also RenewEconomy·Forbes Australia

Funding announcement

Breakthrough Victoria is slinging another $75 million at local VC funds

Victoria's Breakthrough Victoria has committed $75m to five specialist VC funds covering climate tech, life sciences, female founders and healthcare, each pledging a quarter of its capital to local startups.

Funding announcement

BREAKTHROUGH VICTORIA INVESTS $75 MILLION IN VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDS TO BUILD VICTORIA'S INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM

Breakthrough Victoria is putting $75 million into five venture capital funds, including Virescent, SYNthesis BioVentures, Scale and Galileo, each of which has pledged a quarter of its capital to Victorian startups.

undisclosed $75m

Breakthrough Victoria commits $75 million across five VC funds

Breakthrough Victoria makes cornerstone investments totalling $75 million into five venture capital funds spanning climate-tech, biotech, diversity-focused and health sciences investing.

Funding announcement

Cheque-in: 8 ANZ startups banked $53.46 million in funding this week

Weekly roundup of eight Australian and New Zealand funding rounds totalling about $53.5 million, led by SwarmFarm Robotics' $30 million Series B for its farm robots.

11 deals

Eight ANZ startups that raised $53.56 million this week

Funding roundup: eight trans-Tasman startups together secured $53.56 million, topped by SwarmFarm Robotics' Series B, with Amber, Javln, Enhance Labs, Indi, Wych, Lift Women and Ambra Spirits also raising capital.

4 deals

SwarmFarm Robotics harvests $30 million for its farm bot fleet

Queensland agricultural robotics firm SwarmFarm has raised a Series B led by a European backer, with several local investors taking part, to expand robot production and enter the North American market.

Also @AuManufacturing·AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·AgFunderNews

3 deals

Series A-focused climate tech VC hits $50 million for fund’s 1st close

Climate Tech Partners has reached a $50 million first close on its debut climate tech fund, backed by Australian Ethical, the CEFC, Qantas, Airbus and Daniel Besen's family office.

Funding announcement

Investing in a Cleaner Future: Reflections from the Frontlines of Climate Innovation

The fund's authors recap two climate-investment events, weighing the massive global capital needs, mixed public-private funding models, and its clean-economy portfolio activity in Victoria.

10 deals

Seven Aussie startups that raised $155.5 million this week

Weekly roundup covering seven Australian companies' fresh capital: EV charging, satellite IoT, sovereign cloud, wearables, workplace messaging, plus two crowdfunding raises on Birchal.

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

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.

Fund close ~$125m

Queensland Investment Corporation backs Virescent Ventures' new climate technology fund

Virescent Ventures says QIC has joined Westpac and the CEFC backing its second climate tech fund, with new commitments lifting the initial close to roughly $125 million toward a $200 million goal.

Also @AuManufacturing·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy

Funding announcement

Industry and science minister Ed Husic wants you to know something is going to happen, soon

Industry minister Ed Husic told a Tech Council summit the National Reconstruction Fund is close to its first investments after asking for a $300m drawdown; the piece recaps federal tech funding moves including PsiQuantum's.

2 deals

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

A news roundup covering a government-backed hydrogen project for Telstra, a climate tech fund's first close, new appointments at a South Australian agency and a feed company, plus export approvals and science prizes.

Also @AuManufacturing

11 deals

Seven Aussie startups that raised $45.6 million this fortnight

Roundup covering seven Australian companies' recent raises — Splend, Rich Data Co, Slice, InvestorHub, Eyeonic, Graceview and Monty Compost Co — from fleet electrification finance to AI compliance and compost-monitoring seed rounds.

4 deals

e-waste recycler Sircel pockets $5 million raise amidst acquisitive mood

Kilara Capital has injected $5 million into Sircel, a Sydney-based electronic-waste processor that recently bought collapsed Victorian rival Scipher Technologies, with a Kilara portfolio manager joining the board.

Also RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

5 deals

Agtech VC Tenacious Ventures plants $18 million in first close for Fund II

Agtech investor Tenacious Ventures reached an $18 million first close on its second fund, which has a $50 million target; backers include Trawalla Group, Wollemi Capital Group and Macdoch Ventures.

Also Forbes Australia

4 deals

Solar battery startup Redback's back from the brink with new owners

Brisbane battery maker Redback Technologies exits voluntary administration under new owner Australia Ebon, which injected an initial $500,000; earlier backers Energy Queensland, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and Energy Australia are recalled.

2 deals

Textiles dyeing climate tech startup Xefco raises $10.5 million Seed extension

Sydney-based textile dyeing startup Xefco has raised a $10.5 million seed extension led by Main Sequence Ventures, including $2.5 million from Breakthrough Victoria, funding expansion of its water-free dyeing technology into Victoria.

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