Ledger. Australian venture funding, tracked

Startup · $65.3m raised · Biotech and pharma

ENA Respiratory

Antiviral nasal spray to prevent severe respiratory viral infections

Melbourne, VIC

Coverage

Stories naming ENA Respiratory. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.

Funding announcement

ENA Respiratory Begins Part B Dosing

Melbourne biotech ENA Respiratory has begun dosing participants in the second part of its Phase IIa trial of INNA-051; its investor lineup, past government funding awards and BLUE KNIGHT alumni status are recapped.

13 deals

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.

12 deals

Brandon Capital's $60m taypayer-funded biotech bets

Brandon Capital has put roughly $60 million of National Reconstruction Fund money into ten biotech companies and warns R&D tax changes would hurt deep tech; portfolio company Myricx Bio went to Novartis.

Also australiatimes.com

Funding announcement

Six Australian infectious disease ventures share $10.48 million in funding round

An Australian infectious-disease incubator has selected six local biotechs to divide $10.48 million from its inaugural funding round, pairing non-dilutive cash with commercialisation support; the program is backed by an earlier MRFF grant.

News

ENA Respiratory Receives USPTO Notice of Allowance for Two Patents Covering TLR2 Agonists and Rhinovirus-Mediated COPD Exacerbations

Melbourne-based ENA Respiratory announced US patent allowances covering its TLR2 agonist platform and a COPD treatment method, strengthening IP protection for its INNA-051 nasal spray candidate now in Phase II testing.

News

ENA Respiratory Announces Dosing of First Participants in Phase II Study of INNA-051 Nasal Spray Designed to Protect Against Symptomatic Viral Respiratory Infections

Melbourne biotech ENA Respiratory has begun dosing volunteers in a mid-stage trial of its INNA-051 antiviral spray, aimed at limiting common viral illnesses in at-risk groups.

11 deals

Cheque-in: 8 startups raised $113 million this week to end October

Weekly funding roundup covering eight raises totalling over $113 million across aerospace, biotech, materials, health and software, plus a pharmacy firm's acquisition out of administration.

10 deals

Eight ANZ startups that raised $113 million this week

Weekly roundup of eight trans-Tasman startup raises worth a combined $113 million-plus, alongside Joe Zhou's buyout of StrongRoom AI from administrators.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

5 deals

Uniseed boss Peter Devine calls time on 20 years leading Australia's OG VC

Uniseed chief executive Peter Devine departs after two decades; Monash's Alistair Hick takes over in 2026. The piece recounts Uniseed's fund history and recent stakes in ENA Respiratory and Morse Micro rounds.

News

Grit, strategy, and adaptability: the sportsmanship of biotech investing

A profile of Brandon Capital partner Chris Smith, tracing his path from immunology research and a Cambridge postdoc into biotech investing, with resilience lessons drawn from equestrian sport and companies Aravax and ENA Respiratory.

2 deals

ENA Respiratory Receives US$5m Investment from Flu Lab to Support Clinical Development of Novel Intranasal Antiviral Host Defence Immune Enhancer, INNA-051

Melbourne pharmaceutical company ENA Respiratory has received US$5 million from California's Flu Lab to advance clinical testing of its nasal immune-boosting antiviral candidate INNA-051.

Also Brandon Capital portfolio

3 deals

ENA Respiratory Announces Extension of U.S. Department of Defense Funding for Novel Prophylactic Antiviral

Melbourne's ENA Respiratory has won a further US$3.18 million US Defense Department contract to widen its INNA-051 Phase Ib trial to younger adults, extending the US$8.18 million the agency had already committed.

Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·enarespiratory.com

8 deals

Funding Australia’s Future Economy: CUREator Deploys $7.21 Million to Propel local Life Sciences Potential

CUREator, Brandon BioCatalyst's government-backed grant program, has awarded $7.21 million across eight Australian biotech firms in its newest round, split between clinical-stage and preclinical recipients.

Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Startup Daily·ausceleratesa.org

Series A $12.5m

Melbourne AI startup set for global expansion after $12.5 million raise

AI search startup Marqo has landed a $12.5 million Series A and is relocating its headquarters to San Francisco, while LaunchVic statistics show Victoria's ecosystem grew in value despite a funding drop.

Grant US$4.4m

ENA Respiratory Awarded $4.38 Million U.S. Department of Defense Agreement to Fund Development of Broad-Spectrum Antiviral INNA-051

ENA Respiratory receives a USD 4.38 million U.S. Department of Defense agreement to develop an intranasal dry powder antiviral; its past Series A backers are also recalled.

Also Brandon Capital portfolio

Funding announcement

ENA Respiratory Selected for BLUE KNIGHT™ to Accelerate Development of Pan-Antiviral Nasal Spray

Antiviral nasal spray developer ENA Respiratory has joined the Blue Knight program run by JLABS and BARDA, the first Australian company selected; background notes recall its Series A backing by Brandon Capital, Minderoo Foundation and Uniseed.

Funding announcement

ENA Respiratory Selected for BLUE KNIGHT™ to Accelerate Development of Pan-Antiviral Nasal Spray

Brandon Capital reports that ENA Respiratory has become the first Australian company chosen for BLUE KNIGHT, a JLABS-BARDA initiative supporting its intranasal broad-spectrum antiviral spray INNA-051.

6 deals

Brandon Capital news

Index of the venture firm's portfolio updates: financing rounds for AdvanCell and ENA Respiratory, grant awards via incubator programs, two closes of Fund Six, board hires, and Myricx Bio's completed sale to Novartis.

Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Uniseed·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·SmartCompany·AFR Technology·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·finance.yahoo.com·enarespiratory.com·Mirage News·advancell.com.au·Forbes Australia·datapile.co·Dealroom·Forbes Australia·datapile.co·Biotech Dispatch·fundedstartupsdaily.com·fundedstartupsdaily.com

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