Grok Ventures

MAKO raises $28 million for ‘shark skin’ aircraft technology

MAKO has banked a $28 million Series A, headed by Virescent Ventures, to take its drag-cutting Flightfilm coating to market; the piece also recalls an earlier seed round and a government grant.

Also Startup Daily

Investment in shark skin poised to take off

Sydney aerospace company MAKO has raised $28 million in a Virescent Ventures-led Series A to manufacture Flightfilm, a shark-inspired skin that cuts aircraft drag and fuel use.

Also Virescent Ventures portfolio·mako.aero·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·Defence Connect

CEFC backs Brighte with $40 million for cheaper home battery installation

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is putting up to $40m into Brighte through a federal program, letting the home-energy fintech offer cheaper green loans for solar, batteries and other household upgrades.

E-commerce startup Carted to close four years after $13 million raise

Carted, the wishlist and commerce API startup, is shutting down on 22 October 2025. Its 2021 seed round raised $13m with Blackbird leading, alongside Grok Ventures and Tidal Ventures.

Also Startup Daily

“Strong interest:” SunCable rejects claims it’s struggling to raise capital, says solar export plan still a go

SunCable denies reports its huge Northern Territory project is faltering, saying its fundraising is on track with healthy investor interest, while Grok Ventures reportedly weighs selling part of its stake.

A CEO has a relationship with a subordinate and wants to 'get back to work'

Commentary on Dovetail's CEO being sued by the company's in-house lawyer, with notes on the startup's near-billion-dollar valuation and its Blackbird and Grok Ventures backing.

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

Mike Cannon-Brookes names former Macquarie banker Tan Kueh as Grok's CEO

Mike Cannon-Brookes' investment vehicle Grok Ventures has hired Tan Kueh, ex-Macquarie, UBS and BlackRock, as CEO, joining CIO Jeremy Kwong-Law, as it sharpens its strategy around climate investing.

SunCable poaches solar and gas industry execs to lead baseload renewables project

SunCable appoints two industry executives — Cameron Garnsworthy as Australian managing director and Martin Hay as chief development officer — to drive the onshore component of its Northern Territory baseload solar and storage project.

Former Sun Cable CEO David Griffin takes up reins at solar innovator 5B

5B, a New South Wales solar technology firm, has hired Sun Cable's co-founder and ex-CEO David Griffin as its new chief executive, succeeding co-founder Chris McGrath.

Cannon-Brookes' SunCable energises Tasmanian economy with new manufacturing facility

SunCable has picked Bell Bay in Tasmania for its manufacturing facility after a two-year site search; the piece also recalls the administration fight that left Cannon-Brookes' consortium in control.

Five Aussie startups that raised $7.5 million this week

Weekly roundup covering five Australian startups' raises: Phasio's seed led by AirTree, CLT Toolbox, X-Hemp's crowdfunding, gridmo's first round, and Humpday's pre-seed from Antler.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia

Mike Cannon-Brookes gets his hands on the $30 billion SunCable project

Billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, via a Grok-linked joint venture with Quinbrook, has completed the buyout of SunCable out of administration; the article also recalls earlier raises and names an interim CEO.

Also Startup Daily

The 3 Australian companies on Forbes Asia's 100 to Watch list

Three Australian companies — Fleet Space Technologies, MoreGoodDays and Syneta — feature on Forbes Asia's 100 to Watch list; the piece profiles each business, its backers and recent raises.

Eight Aussie startups that raised $85.6 million this week

Weekly roundup reporting eight Australian startups together raised $85.6 million across mining tech, cybersecurity, waste, energy storage, health and micromobility, plus a Google.org grant for Global Sisters.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Cannon-Brookes-backed food waste recycling startup banks $10 million bridging round

Goterra, a Canberra venture that recycles food scraps with maggots into animal feed, has banked a $10 million bridge to grow its waste plants serving Woolworths, with a Series B planned this year.

Also AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·AgFunderNews·AgFunderNews

Sun Cable sheds dozens of staff, founders step aside, as new owners prepare to take control

Sun Cable cuts scores of jobs and its three founders step back from executive roles as buyers Grok Ventures and Quinbrook finalise the takeover agreed in May.

Also RenewEconomy

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Manufacturing news roundup: Fleet Space's oversubscribed Series C, a grant-backed 3D printing research project, an agreed brand acquisition, equipment orders, a cargo drone first flight and industry awards.

Sun Cable: Cannon-Brookes wins battle for world's biggest solar and battery project

A Grok Ventures-led consortium with Quinbrook has agreed to acquire Sun Cable out of administration, reviving plans to ship solar power to Singapore, after Andrew Forrest's side stayed out of the final bidding.

Five startups that raised $109.8 million this week

Weekly roundup of five startup raises: Fleet Space's Series C, Checkmate's Series A, Adventus's new round, Endua's hydrogen funding and Servicely's raise, with investors named.

Also Forbes Australia

Fleet Space Technologies raises another $50m - Bondi Partners

Bondi Partners reposts The Australian's coverage of Fleet Space Technologies' $50m Series C round, which Blackbird Ventures led and Bondi joined, valuing the Adelaide-based nanosatellite maker above $350m.

Also Blackbird Ventures portfolio·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Techboard·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·satcom.digital·TechCrunch Australia·Space Connect

Subscription e-bike startup Zoomo cuts jobs again after raising $24 million

E-bike subscription startup Zoomo cut 27 roles in its second restructuring in six months, weeks after client Milkrun's collapse, and disclosed a previously unreported $24 million raise led by Grok Ventures and the CEFC.

Also Techboard

Milkrun collapse: Instant delivery startup lays off remaining staff and plans to close doors this week

Instant grocery delivery startup Milkrun is winding up, with co-founder Dany Milham telling staff trading ends this week. The article recalls its $75 million Series A backed by AirTree, Grok Ventures and Skip Capital.

Also Forbes Australia·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·AgFunderNews·Forbes Australia

This Aussie farmer is using maggots to solve a major problem

Profile of Olympia Yarger, founder of Canberra agri-tech startup Goterra, which uses robot-managed maggots to process food waste into protein and fertiliser, recalling its 2018 seed and 2020 raises led by Grok Ventures.

Cannon-Brookes backed fund to deliver “coal plant-worth” of big batteries

Infradebt has reached first close on the capital raise for its Energy Transition Fund, backed by Grok Ventures and Jana, to lend to big batteries including Neoen's Capital Battery and Genex's Bouldercombe.

Climate change agtech startup Loam raises $105 million Series B

Agtech startup Loam has raised a $105 million Series B co-led by Lowercarbon Capital and Wollemi Capital, following a $40 million Series A, to commercialise its soil-carbon technology.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Osher Günsberg & ethicist Peter Singer back mushroom 'meat' startup Fable Food Co in $12.3 million Series A

Queensland mushroom-based meat alternative maker Fable Food Co raised a Series A led by K3 Ventures, with celebrity and existing investors, to fund product development and expansion into North America, the UK and Singapore.

Mike Cannon-Brookes lends Sun Cable $65 million to keep the show on the road as its administrators look for a buyer

Atlassian's cofounder, through his family firm Grok Ventures, has extended a $65 million interest-free loan to administrator-run Sun Cable, which is up for sale after a founder split; Grok earlier co-led its $210 million Series B.

Also RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy

These farmers raised $50 million to fight climate change with fungi

Also Forbes Australia

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Manufacturing roundup: Vow, Ofload and Vaxev each raise new capital; Ofload buys CIA Logistics; Quickstep upgrades its outlook; Pawsey's Setonix earns green computing honours; Australia backs shipping and plastics pledges.

Brief: Vow lands $49.2m ahead of its cultivated quail launch in Singapore restaurants

Cultivated meat maker Vow raised a Series A to fund product development, manufacturing expansion and hiring as it prepares to launch its quail product in Singapore restaurants.

Also TechCrunch Australia·TechCrunch Australia·TechCrunch Australia·AgFunderNews·TechCrunch Australia·AgFunderNews·AgFunderNews

NSW grants $3 million to Cannon-Brookes backed solar cell innovator

NSW Environmental Trust grants $3 million to solar innovator SunDrive within a $6.5 million allocation shared with Hysata, Southern Green Gas and Quickstep; SunDrive's recent series A drew CEFC alongside Blackbird and Grok Ventures.

Also @AuManufacturing

SunDrive raises $21m Series A to supercharge solar panel efficiency and drive down costs

SunDrive has raised a Series A round co-led by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and Main Sequence Ventures, with Blackbird and Grok also backing its copper-based solar cell technology.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Malcolm Turnbull and Atlassian, Tesla and Canva bosses back solar startup in $21 million Series B

Solar cell maker SunDrive has raised a $21 million Series B led by Main Sequence Ventures, with CEFC, Grok and Blackbird investing, and first-time backers including Turnbull, Denholm and Adams.

Also RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

Spriggy raises an additional $10 million, following $35 million series B raise

Pocket money app Spriggy has raised $10 million in follow-up funding from unnamed investors, after a $35 million Series B in July 2021, and plans to grow its team to around 100.

Also Startup Daily

2E or not 2E: Airwallex is reportedly hunting for another $200 million top up for its Series E

Airwallex is reportedly seeking a second Series E extension of about US$150 million, while the article recalls its earlier Series D, E and E1 raises and flags a possible 2024 public listing.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Australia edges closer to being electricity exporter

Green power exporter Sun Cable secured a $210 million Series B from existing shareholders, led through the billionaires' vehicles Grok Ventures and Squadron Energy, moving its Australia-Singapore electricity link closer to go-ahead.

Cannon-Brookes, Forrest pour more money into world's biggest solar and battery project

Sun Cable has raised A$210 million in Series B funding from existing shareholders, led by Mike Cannon-Brookes' Grok Ventures and Andrew Forrest's Squadron Energy, for its giant solar, battery and subsea cable project.

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

Ignition Lane's Weekly Wrap: Tech's climate fight, another big raise week, valuations set to fall?

Ignition Lane's weekly technology roundup: climate-tech funding activity, Grok's bid for AGL, King River Capital's digital asset fund, a batch of Australian startup raises, Maropost acquisitions, GigSuper's collapse and a National AI Centre appointment.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Mike Cannon-Brookes tips $200 million into renewables finance company Infradebt

Atlassian's Cannon-Brookes, via his family firm Grok Ventures, has invested $200 million in renewables project financier Infradebt days after his AGL bid was rejected; the capital is already funding a Queensland battery project.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily