Seven ANZ startups that raised $111.5 million this week
Roundup of seven raises across the Tasman spanning fintech, marine tech, agtech, defence and AI, plus a first close for an ACT venture fund.
Investor · 7 deals
Every published round Gates Foundation took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
Companies Gates Foundation has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aphea.Bio | Jul 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| ENA Respiratory | Antiviral nasal spray to prevent severe respiratory viral infections | 22 Oct 2025, Series B | 1 | 0 |
| Nybro | Queensland beef genetics biotech | 19 Aug 2026, Seed | 1 | 0 |
| Nbryo | Queensland agtech startup focused on advanced reproductive technologies | Nov 2025, Grant | 2 | 0 |
| PlasmaLeap Technologies | Developer of zero-emissions chemical reactors for green fertiliser and fuel production | 2026, Series A | 2 | 2 |
Fund closes reported for Gates Foundation, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Gates Foundation has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Gates Foundation did.
Stories naming Gates Foundation. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Roundup of seven raises across the Tasman spanning fintech, marine tech, agtech, defence and AI, plus a first close for an ACT venture fund.
A Queensland livestock-reproduction startup has grown its seed round to $20 million, drawing $2 million from a newly launched state government fund whose manager had already backed the company.
Queensland agtech startup Nybro, working on beef genetics via reproductive technologies, raised a $20 million Seed round with QIC Ventures leading and the Gates Foundation participating, per Startup Daily.
Also Startup Daily
Sydney cleantech PlasmaLeap raised a US$20m Series A to build fertiliser hubs and expand green ammonia reactor technology for farmers.
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.
GrainCorp's venture arm has joined a Series A backing PlasmaLeap Technologies, an Australian maker of modular on-farm fertiliser systems, which will use the funds for its first hubs in NSW and Tasmania.
A weekly roundup detailing new funding rounds for six Australian startups: Lyka, PlasmaLeap, Firmable, Veyor, Lumonus and Future Minds Network, with investors and round details.
PlasmaLeap, a Sydney maker of emissions-free fertiliser technology, has closed a US$20m Series A backed by Gates Foundation, Investible, Yara Growth Ventures and other investors.
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.
Roundup of eight funding deals: Synchron's Series D, plus raises by Lumonus AI, Hullbot, Nbryo, Cytophenix, Giftbee, Understanding Zoe and Zeligate, spanning medtech, robotics, agtech and AI.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily
Cattle genetics startup Nbryo has landed $10 million co-led by Tenacious Ventures and AgriZeroNZ, plus an $18 million research grant, to commercialise its embryo technology.
Also Beef Central / Grain Central·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·nbryo.com·nbryo.com
Queensland cattle-breeding biotech Nbryo has secured $10m in seed backing co-led by Tenacious Ventures and AgriZeroNZ, alongside an $18m research grant from the Gates Foundation and Meat and Livestock Australia.
Also SmartCompany·Beef Central / Grain Central·AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·nbryo.com
Nbryo closed a A$10 million round co-led by Tenacious Ventures with AgriZeroNZ, QIC, the Murdoch family and Mandalay, and has drawn over $18 million in grants from Gates Foundation and Meat and Livestock Australia.
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.
Weekly roundup of eight trans-Tasman startup raises worth a combined $113 million-plus, alongside Joe Zhou's buyout of StrongRoom AI from administrators.
Vaxxas announced a roughly A$90m financing — Series D equity led by SPRIM Global Investments plus debt — to advance its needle-free vaccine patch, alongside leadership changes including a new chair.
A year-end countdown of 2023's twenty largest agtech funding rounds, from biofuels and carbon marketplaces to farm robotics, with EcoCeres' $400 million raise at the top.
Also AgFunderNews
Weekly agrifoodtech roundup reporting numerous funding rounds including Aphea.Bio, Bobbie and Sensand, a Coca-Cola-backed venture fund close, Do Good Foods' bankruptcy filing, and The Andersons acquiring Bridge Agri Partners.
Also AgFunderNews
AFR healthcare and fitness section roundup: Early Bird raised $2 million led by Hyper Ventures; Resmed sold MatrixCare; Radiopharm seeks $16 million; plus Mayne Pharma, Healthscope, Sigma and policy stories.
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