Eastend Ventures Fund 1: first close
Eastend Ventures' first fund reached an initial close above $13m as South Australia's inaugural registered ESVCLP, targeting $50m to back early-stage B2B technology firms across SA, WA and QLD.
Company
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round Nova Systems raised.
Companies Nova Systems 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Alknes | General Manager Norway | @AuManufacturing |
| Dean Rosenfield | CEO | @AuManufacturing |
Stories naming Nova Systems. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Eastend Ventures' first fund reached an initial close above $13m as South Australia's inaugural registered ESVCLP, targeting $50m to back early-stage B2B technology firms across SA, WA and QLD.
Australian-owned defence business Aurizn has hired Rebecca Humble from QinetiQ Australia as chief executive. Her appointment comes as the Pemba Capital Partners-backed company pushes to grow its defence capability work.
Manufacturing roundup: Nova Systems wins a Norwegian contract, R.M. Williams opens a women's boot line, International Graphite secures government grants, three biotechs win NSW Biosciences Fund awards, and Lazo Paper is fined.
Also @AuManufacturing
Manufacturing roundup: Legrand buys NZ cable firm MSS; ClearVue lands a $4m placement; Nova Systems appoints Dean Rosenfield CEO; Diraq, having recently raised $29m, advertises 14 roles.
Also SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Early VC·@AuManufacturing·Startup Daily
The University of Melbourne's SpIRIT gamma-ray nanosatellite has launched, with Australian Space Agency grants of nearly $7 million supporting the project alongside Italian and local industry partners.
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
WA space consortium AROSE has received a $4 million Australian Government grant under the Space Agency's Trailblazer program to design a lunar rover for NASA, leading a sixteen-organisation group including Fugro and Nova Systems.
Also SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Defence Connect·@AuManufacturing
Two Australian consortia, AROSE and one involving EPE and Lunar Outpost Oceania, each received a four million dollar grant under the Space Agency's Trailblazer programme to design lunar rover prototypes.
Roundup of Australian manufacturing news: Austin Engineering and Thales win government grants, IMCRC hands futuremap to the Australian Industry Group, AMSL Aero completes its eVTOL's first flight, and Gale Pacific reports half-year earnings.
Roundup of manufacturing items: a training milestone at Nova Systems, Gilmour Space rocket work, a Lockheed Martin STEM program, an ATSE infrastructure statement, a steel research hub launch, and Queensland's new startup fund.