Startup · $36.7m raised
Maker of shark skin-inspired film that reduces drag on aircraft to cut fuel use and emissions
Sydney, NSW
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round Mako raised.
| Investor | Rounds | Invested |
|---|---|---|
| ACTAI Ventures | Seed | - |
| Clean Energy Finance Corporation | Series A · Seed | - |
| Grok Ventures | Series A | - |
| IAG | Series A | - |
| IAGi Ventures | Series A | - |
| Industry Growth Program | Grant | - |
| International Airlines Group | Series A | - |
| International Airlines Group (IAG) | Series A | - |
| IP Group Australia | Series A | - |
| Skip Capital | Series A | - |
| TreeArc | Series A | - |
| TreeArc Investment Group | Series A | - |
| Virescent Ventures | Series A | - |
| Zero Infinity Partners | Series A | - |
Companies Mako 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ashleigh Heffernan | Test Engineer | mako.aero |
| Duncan Bell | Senior Marketing & Communications Manager | mako.aero |
| Blair Pritchard | Partner | Startup Daily |
| Bill Tai | Founder | Startup Daily |
| Dr Henry Bilinsky | CEO · Founder | Startup Daily (5 Aug 2026), Virescent Ventures, Defence Connect, Forbes Australia, Startup Daily (30 Jun 2026), SmartCompany, mako.aero |
Stories naming Mako. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Cut Through Venture's Q2 2026 report counts $1.7 billion announced across 64 venture rounds, carried by two mega-deals, with record median deal sizes, AI concentration, and deal counts at their slowest since before 2020.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany
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
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