Venture capital fund · 18 deals
Arlington, OS
Every published round In-Q-Tel 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 In-Q-Tel has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Navigation | Navigation technology company using AI, robotics and sensing for GPS-independent position… | Nov 2019, Series A | 3 | 0 |
| Swoop Aero | autonomous solutions | 2021, Series B | 1 | 0 |
| Visionary Machines | Computer-vision start-up whose technology uses arrays of cameras for 3D spatial sensing t… | 1 Nov 2021, Seed | 1 | 0 |
| Zetaris | a data management platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help businesses make… | 17 Jun 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Cortical Labs | synthetic biology startup | 20 Apr 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| HEO Robotics | 22 Aug 2023, Series A | 1 | 0 | |
| Cauldron | 18 Mar 2024, Series A | 1 | 0 | |
| ExoFlare | 15 Jul 2024, Seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Quantum Brilliance | Quantum computing company that installed QPUs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory | 10 Dec 2024, Series A | 2 | 0 |
| ElectraLith | Developer of a novel electrochemical direct lithium extraction technology producing batte… | 15 Jan 2025, Series A | 2 | 0 |
| Transcelestial | 30 Jun 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Syenta | Chip packaging startup developing Localized Electrochemical Manufacturing for advanced se… | Aug 2025, Seed | 2 | 0 |
| Atomic Tessellator | Jun 2026, Seed | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for In-Q-Tel, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies In-Q-Tel has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal In-Q-Tel did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton Williams | Managing Director | Startup Daily, ARN (ARNnet) |
| Mike Ferrari | Startup Daily (21 Feb 2023), Startup Daily (30 Jan 2023) | |
| Nat Puffer | Managing Director (former) | semiconductorindustrymonthly.com, quantumzeitgeist.com, thequantuminsider.com, quantumbrilliance.com |
Stories naming In-Q-Tel. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Sydney-based chip packaging startup Syenta raised a Series A led by Playground Global and the National Reconstruction Fund to commercialise its interconnect manufacturing technology and expand into the US.
Weekly roundup covering seven raises across the Tasman: Phonely's Series A, Pay.com.au's private placement, and rounds for Atomic Tessellator, Caruso, Deteqt, Clean Slate Clinic and Earthletica, worth roughly $72 million combined.
Also crane.vc
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
Chip startup Syenta raised a Series A led by Playground Global with the National Reconstruction Fund to commercialise its packaging technology and expand into the US; ex-Intel chief Pat Gelsinger joins its board.
Syenta, an ANU spinout in Sydney, has secured $36 million in Series A funding to commercialise its chip packaging technology; Playground Global and the National Reconstruction Fund led, and Pat Gelsinger joins the board.
Bot defence firm Kasada has secured $30 million from EQT plus earlier backers Turnbull & Partners, Reinventure, Main Sequence, OIF, StepStone and Ten Eleven, with founder Sam Crowther back in Sydney.
Radium Capital's R&D lending has passed $1 billion across 1,000-plus companies since 2017; case studies recall WeMoney's $12 million Series A and ElectraLith's $27.5 million Main Sequence-led round.
Also Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·SmartCompany·Fintech News Australia·Fintech News Australia
Roundup of five Australian raises totalling $85 million: National Renewable Network's Series A, plus Syenta, Cuttable, SprintSuite and Bitwise Agronomy, with lead investors and expansion plans for each.
ANU spin-out Syenta has secured $8.8 million to commercialise its chip-packaging technology, with Investible leading; the piece recalls its 2022 seed round and selection for Applied Materials' ASTRA accelerator.
Also Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily
Tracxn figures show Australian tech funding reached $1.8 billion by mid-2025, powered by large late-stage rounds at Protecht, Airwallex, Harrison AI and Advancell, while seed and early-stage raising fell away sharply.
Weekly roundup detailing five Australian startups' raises: a PR platform's Series B, a biotech's post-stealth funding, a defence tech round, a pre-seed voice-AI raise, and a crowdfunding campaign.
Also Startup Daily
Transcelestial has secured a new investment round co-led by NTT Finance and Paspalis Capital, alongside other backers, to roll out its laser communications technology across Australian and Japanese telecom, defence and space infrastructure.
Also darwininnovationhub.com.au·korea.500.co·transcelestial.com
Diamond quantum hardware maker Quantum Brilliance raised $20 million in Series A funding from Main Sequence, In-Q-Tel and Australian government investors, and won a German agency contract for a mobile quantum computer.
US Shark Tank investor Robert Herjavec has taken an undisclosed personal stake in Melbourne data platform Zetaris and joined it to lead global strategy; existing backers include Exto Partners and In-Q-Tel.
Roundup of three Australian raises — ElectraLith, Coposit and Convergence Medical — plus Quantum Brilliance naming its Series A backers and Rokt's secondary share sale.
Breakthrough Victoria puts $2 million into ElectraLith, a Victorian startup whose lithium extraction technology was developed at Monash University, as part of a Series A led by Main Sequence.
Main Sequence's post on leading ElectraLith's $27.5m Series A with Chevron, IP Group and other co-investors, backing its technology that turns lithium-bearing brines into battery-ready hydroxide in one step.
Also Radium Capital·Radium Capital·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy
Diamond quantum hardware maker Quantum Brilliance announced a US$20 million Series A with Main Sequence, In-Q-Tel, Intervalley Ventures, NRFC and Breakthrough Victoria among its backers, to build a foundry and sensing prototypes.
Breakthrough Victoria's update describes its $2 million commitment to ElectraLith's Series A, led by Main Sequence, covering the lithium extractor's water-free refining technology, Monash ties, pilot plant plans and growing team.
Also Startup Daily
Adelaide IoT satellite firm Myriota has raised $50 million, led by the National Reconstruction Fund’s $25 million contribution, with Main Sequence and Inter Valley Ventures also backing; an NRFC director has resigned.
Drone delivery company Swoop Aero has entered voluntary administration after its cofounder blamed investor pressure; administrators now seek a buyer or recapitalisation. The piece recalls its 2021 Series B and 2018 Startmate stint.
Also Startup Daily
Weekly roundup of four Australian raises: HammerTech $105m led by Riverwood Capital, JigSpace $13m led by Breakthrough Victoria, ExoFlare's $5.3m seed, and Go Locum's $350,000 seed led by Paspalis.
ExoFlare, cofounded by ex-Data61 chief Adrian Turner, has banked $5.3 million in seed funding led by Salus Ventures to help food producers manage biosecurity risks.
Also SmartCompany
A weekly roundup detailing five raises across Australia and New Zealand: Marmalade, Cauldron, Prophet, Hola Health and Buddy, naming amounts, lead backers and founders.
Year-end Crunchbase column recapping five distinctive 2023 raises: Cortical Labs, Forward, Neura Robotics, KoBold Metals and Living Carbon, with amounts, backers and one stated valuation.
Also TechCrunch Australia
Sydney spacetech firm HEO Robotics has closed a $12m Series A led by AirTree Ventures, with Salus, In-Q-Tel, Y Combinator and angels also in, as federal cutbacks hit Australian space programs.
Also Business News Australia·Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·Startup Daily
Profile of Cortical Labs founder Hon Weng Chong, whose dish-grown brain cells learned Pong, recalling a US$10 million raise led by Horizon Ventures and covering the CL1 commercial product.
A monthly Crunchbase roundup of five overlooked venture rounds, including raises by ChopValue, Australia's Cortical Labs, Harvey, Sepura Home and Ebb Carbon, with lead investors and amounts for each deal.
Also Crunchbase News
A weekly roundup reporting seven Australian startups that together raised more than $66 million, including Novalith, Propeller, Cortical Labs, Waave, Restoplus, Empiraa and The Very Good Bra.
Melbourne synthetic biology company Cortical Labs has secured US$10 million (A$15 million), led by Horizons Ventures with four co-investors, to advance its brain-cell computing platform commercially and meet pre-orders.
Also TechCrunch Australia·Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia·Crunchbase News·Crunchbase News
Salus Ventures, a new Australian defence-focused VC fund, has hired ex-Salesforce Ventures and In-Q-Tel executive Mike Ferrari as managing director, with a $25 million first close toward a $40 million target.
Salesforce is shutting its Australian venture arm amid global layoffs. Local head Mike Ferrari has departed, and the unit's Australian investments will now be run from the company's American headquarters.
Digital twin software company Willow raised US$28.8 million from existing backers and directors at a reduced valuation, with the article recalling its 2021 pre-Series B and 2019 Series A raises.
US giant KKR joined navigation-technology maker Advanced Navigation's $108 million Series B, alongside returning local backers; the company also bought ANU spin-out Vai Photonics, and two KKR staff will join its board.
Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Techboard·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia
Drone logistics company Swoop Aero has raised a Series B led by Main Sequence, with Giant Leap and In-Q-Tel participating, to enter new markets and expand manufacturing.
Also @AuManufacturing·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·TechCrunch Australia
Advanced Navigation, with Malcolm Turnbull on its board, is seeking $80-135 million; the piece recalls its 2019 $20 million Series A and Minderoo's strategic investment.
Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia
Zetaris has banked a $30 million raise at a valuation topping $110 million, with Exto Partners leading and several co-investors; the company earlier won Ingram Micro's 2019 Comet Competition, worth up to $1.5 million.
Also ARN (ARNnet)·ARN (ARNnet)
Bot-security firm Kasada, founded by Sam Crowther, raised $23m in a Series C led by StepStone, with OIF and Turnbull & Partners among existing backers; StepStone had recently acquired Greenspring Associates.
OIF Ventures' first portfolio newsletter: OIF Fund II closed above $100 million, plus recent raises at Go1, Circle In, Assignar, Arcade, Visionary Machines, Neara, Futurerent and Adventus.io.
Also OIF Ventures portfolio·Square Peg Capital·OIF Ventures portfolio·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·TechCrunch Australia·Startup Daily