Ledger. Australian venture funding, tracked

Startup · $160m raised · AI

Samsara Eco

AI-powered enzyme discovery platform for recycling plastics at scale

South Jerrabomberra, ACT

Coverage

Stories naming Samsara Eco. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.

Funding announcement

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #175, 23rd August 2026

Weekly roundup: Constantinople raises $62.5m; Blackbird wraps fund six above $1b; Guardhouse buys Mobohubb; SCX.ai debuts on the ASX; plus seed rounds, exits and executive changes across the ecosystem.

3 deals

Recent Good News from our portfolio

Breakthrough Victoria rounds up April–May 2026 portfolio news, including grants for Number 8 Bio and Xefco, Liquid Instruments' Series C, program selections, partnerships, regulatory clearances and two new Aravax directors.

Also Breakthrough Victoria

2 deals

Capital returns but discipline and liquidity remain key

A retrospective on 2025 Australian venture activity: large raises at Firmus, Heidi Health, Airwallex and others, deep tech momentum, and Folklore's own backing of Hullbot and Sphere.

Also Square Peg Capital·Australian FinTech·Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy·Fintech News Australia

Series B $45m

Breakthrough Victoria Portfolio Highlights 2025 Funding and Milestones

Breakthrough Victoria highlights portfolio achievements including Amber Electric's forty-five million dollar raise, Bygen and Diag-Nose grants, and Quantum Brilliance series A funding.

Also Breakthrough Victoria·Breakthrough Victoria·RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy·Dealroom

Fund close $230m

Climate tech now employs 7000+ people and is driving Australia's economic growth, Climate Salad's annual analysis finds

Climate Salad's report says Australia's climate tech sector has passed 7,000 workers across 730 startups and drew $680 million in venture capital; Sea Forest's ASX debut and fund commitments point to investor appetite.

Unnamed stage

Samsara Eco, lululemon announce ten-year offtake agreement on recycled nylon, polyester

Samsara Eco and lululemon signed a ten-year offtake agreement for enzymatically recycled nylon and polyester, building on their 2023 partnership; Samsara plans a NSW plant and an international facility by 2028.

Also TechCrunch Australia·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia

Series A US$20m

Breakthrough Victoria Portfolio Companies Celebrate Milestones and Global Growth

Breakthrough Victoria highlights recent achievements of portfolio companies including funding, awards, and expansions for firms like Liquid Instruments, Quantum Brilliance, and Samsara Eco.

12 deals

From quantum computing to quesadillas: Top 12 biggest capital raises of 2024

Year-end roundup ranking 2024's twelve largest startup raises, headed by PsiQuantum's $940 million government-backed quantum computing round, plus Guzman y Gomez's ASX listing and Betashares' Temasek investment.

Unnamed stage $75m

New $165 million round for SafetyCulture in “tough environment” for fresh funding

SafetyCulture secured $75 million of fresh capital plus $90 million from existing shareholders selling shares, valuing the operations software company at $2.5 billion. Airtree, Blackbird, Morpheus Ventures, Hostplus and HESTA joined the round.

Also Tech Funding News - Australia·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

14 deals

Eight Aussie startups that raised $118.8 million this week

Weekly roundup of eight Australian funding rounds, led by Samsara Eco's $100m Series A extension; Diraq, 1Breadcrumb, Aquila, NRN, Klean, Bearhug and Sindy Labs also secured capital, and Klean won a Queensland grant.

Also TechCrunch Australia·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing

3 deals

‘Game changer’: Samsara Eco raises $100 million for infinite recycling of plastics

Australian plastics recycler Samsara Eco secured a Temasek-led Series A+ of $100 million to scale enzyme-based infinite recycling, with Southeast Asian facilities planned, adding to its 2022 Series A.

Also TechCrunch Australia·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing

2 deals

Samsara Eco is working to replace plastic packaging with fossil fuel-free alternatives

Australian enzymatic plastics recycler Samsara Eco raised a large all-equity round led jointly by Temasek and Main Sequence, with Lululemon among other backers, funding new recycling facilities and team growth.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia

6 deals

Australia's climate tech industry is booming, but it could bust without funds

Feature on Australia's fast-growing climate tech sector, recounting raises at companies including Neara, Loam Bio, Goterra and Great Wrap, and warning that scarce growth capital and limited foreign investment could stall the industry.

3 deals

Main Sequence surpasses $1 billion funds under management for deep tech as it launches new Fund

Deep tech venture firm Main Sequence has reached an initial A$450 million close on its third fund, pushing money under management past A$1 billion; Hostplus, Temasek and CSIRO are among the backers.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·TechCrunch Australia·@AuManufacturing

28 deals

FUNDED May 2023

Techboard's May 2023 roundup of Australian startup funding: 42 private raises topped by Fleet Space's $50m round, two $40m acquisitions, multiple grants, accelerator intakes, and fund news including GiantLeap's $50m fund raise.

Also Forbes Australia·Startup Daily

Unnamed stage

‘Infinite recycling’ startup Samsara Eco partners with Lululemon

Enzyme-based plastics recycler Samsara Eco announces a multi-year partnership with Lululemon, which makes an undisclosed minority investment, its first in a recycling company.

Also SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing

Fund close $2b

End of year message from the CEO

Breakthrough Victoria's chief executive reviews the investment firm's first operating year, recalling backing for several startups, a university pre-seed fund platform, a quantum technology facility, and a new environmental challenge program.

16 deals

FUNDED November 2022

Techboard's monthly roundup reports November 2022 Australian private funding of roughly $678 million across 38 deals, listing closed raises by Vow, Samsara Eco, Advanced Navigation and others, Sprint Ventures' first fund close, and rounds still open.

Also SmartCompany

11 deals

The Ignition Lane Wrap: Sunrise. Demise. No more pies.

Ignition Lane's weekly tech roundup covering record Australian VC fund raises, several green-tech startup funding rounds, Deliveroo's administration, the FTX collapse, and takeover offers for ELMO and Nitro.

Also Techboard

Series A $54m

Samsara Eco banks $54m Series A funding to scale infinite recycling

Enzyme-based plastic recycler Samsara Eco has raised a $54 million Series A to build a commercial recycling facility in Melbourne, with investors including the CEFC Innovation Fund, W23, Main Sequence, Breakthrough Victoria and Temasek.

Also TechCrunch Australia·Breakthrough Victoria·@AuManufacturing·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Techboard·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·TechCrunch Australia·@AuManufacturing·TechCrunch Australia·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing

2 deals

“Infinite recycling” startup Samsara raises $54 million in Series A

Samsara Eco, an Australian National University recycling-tech spinout, has closed a $54 million Series A with returning and new investors, plus an earlier government grant, to expand its enzyme library and build its first commercial facility.

Key hire

Main Sequence announces new Partner, Gabrielle Munzer, to build companies with biology

Australia's Main Sequence fund promotes Gabrielle Munzer to Partner to lead its biotech push; the article also covers her finance background, the firm's company-building model, a UNSW accelerator, and recent diverse hires.

Funding announcement

Advanced Navigation acquires ANU tech spin-out

Robotics firm Advanced Navigation, backed by publisher OIF, is buying ANU spin-out Vai Photonics in an all-scrip deal of up to $40m; Vai's navigation tech is in talks with NASA.

Also OIF Ventures portfolio·Startup Daily·Dynamic Business·Startup Daily

34 deals

FUNDED MARCH 2022

Techboard's March 2022 roundup of Australian funding: megadeals by Immutable, Saluda Medical, Linktree and Zeller, many smaller raises, acquisitions, an IPO, several fund closes, and companies still seeking capital.

Also Australian FinTech

Unnamed stage $6m

Recycling start-up scores $6m for enzyme that eats plastic

Recycling startup Samsara Eco picked up $6 million from the CEFC, managed by Virescent Ventures, plus Woolworths' W23 and CSIRO's Main Sequence, to commercialise its enzyme-based plastic recycling.

Also TechCrunch Australia·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·SmartCompany·TechCrunch Australia

Something wrong? Tell us