How we think about Physical AI
Main Sequence sets out its investment thesis for physical AI, describing portfolio companies across robotics, vision, connectivity, compute and simulation, and recalling over $100 million invested since inception.
Startup · $47m raised · Drones · Robotics
Drone and LiDAR mapping technology spinout of CSIRO for hazardous, GPS-denied environments
Brisbane, QLD
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round Emesent raised.
| Investor | Rounds | Invested |
|---|---|---|
| Tiger Global | Series A | - |
| Telus Ventures | Series A | - |
| QIC Ventures | Unnamed stage | - |
| Perennial Partners | Series A | - |
| Orion Resource Partners | Unnamed stage | - |
| NRF Corporation | Unnamed stage | - |
| NGS | Unnamed stage | - |
| Main Sequence Ventures | Unnamed stage · Series A | - |
| Hostplus | Unnamed stage | - |
| Archangel Ventures | Series A | - |
Companies Emesent acquired or merged with, per published coverage. Buying a company is not investing in one: nothing here counts in the deals column.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Miller | CEO | ausimm.com |
| David Gall | CEO (former) | Startup Daily |
| Dr Stefan Hrabar | CEO | Startup Daily |
Stories naming Emesent. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Main Sequence sets out its investment thesis for physical AI, describing portfolio companies across robotics, vision, connectivity, compute and simulation, and recalling over $100 million invested since inception.
A monthly Crunchbase roundup of five lesser-known AI funding deals: Greyparrot's Series B, Emesent's equity-plus-debt package, SoundHealth's Series A, Forge Industries' round and Cascade's seed raise.
Brisbane drone mapping firm Emesent secures $15 million SAFE Note plus $10 million venture debt from federal government's National Reconstruction Fund.
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.
Main Sequence's blog post announces it led robotics software startup Breaker's pre-seed round, citing the founders' defence and robotics backgrounds and plans to expand the team and US presence.
Round 16 CRC-P grants, about $55 million across 23 projects, fund work involving CPC Engineering, ZiP Diagnostics, Emesent and Rux Energy across minerals processing, diagnostics, drone mapping and hydrogen storage.
AusIMM Bulletin interview with Emesent chief executive Charles Miller covering his path from chief operating officer to CEO, the company's origins in Australia's science agency CSIRO, and technology adoption in mining.
QVCDF money is going into Main Sequence to fund Queensland deep tech investing; the state government's extra $55 million takes the program to $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.
Main Sequence's blog post sets out why the fund led RIOS's US$28 million Series A, highlighting the robotics firm's automated workcells, usage-based pricing, and fit with Australia's manufacturing strategy.
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.
Australia's Main Sequence has pulled in A$250 million for its second deep tech fund, with existing backers returning and a sharpened emphasis on decarbonisation investments.