Startup · $127.2m raised
Canberra, ACT
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round Skykraft raised.
| Investor | Rounds | Invested |
|---|---|---|
| Adcock Private Equity | Grant · Unnamed stage | - |
| Alan Moss | Unnamed stage | - |
| Allan Moss | Unnamed stage | - |
| Australian Government | Accelerator · Grant | - |
| Australian Space Agency | Accelerator · Grant | - |
| Foresight | Unnamed stage | - |
| Foresight Australia | Unnamed stage | - |
| Lennoxgrove Capital | Grant · Unnamed stage | - |
| Main Sequence Ventures | Unnamed stage | - |
| OPTrust | Unnamed stage | - |
Companies Skykraft 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Craig Benson | Chief Innovation Officer · Founder | @AuManufacturing, Startup Daily |
| Dr Doug Griffin | Chief Engineer · Founder | @AuManufacturing, Startup Daily |
| Dr Michael Frater | CEO | Startup Daily, SmartCompany |
| Mark Skidmore | Chairman | @AuManufacturing (9 Mar 2023), @AuManufacturing (31 Jan 2022), Startup Daily |
| Mark Skidmore | Executive Chair | @AuManufacturing |
Stories naming Skykraft. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Profiles space investor Will Scully-Power, whose Pine Gap firm backs Australian space startups and plans a larger US fund with partners; defence VC Beaten Zone has also wrapped up a $26 million fund.
A directory of fifteen Canberra investors backing deep tech, noting ACTivate Capital's fund first close, several government-backed company raises, an incubator's alumni, and one portfolio acquisition.
Gilmour Space's Eris rocket lifted off but exploded seconds later near Bowen; the founder hailed the short flight as a milestone, while its ElaraSat satellite bus flew successfully on a SpaceX rideshare mission.
Roundup: Space Machines' joint India mission clears a design milestone with an $8.5m government grant behind it, RMIT and Skykraft scale up photonics-based navigation tech, and SunCable names a new group CEO.
An Australian satellite servicing firm leads an India-Australia debris management mission backed by an $8.5 million government grant; two other companies also won awards under the bilateral space program.
Also Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Defence Connect·@AuManufacturing
Home insurer Honey Insurance has raised a $108 million Series A led by US firm Gallatin Point Capital, following a seed round backed by RACQ, AGL, Metricon, Mirvac and PEXA.
A year-end SmartCompany roundup counting down 2023's ten largest Australian startup raises, headed by Employment Hero's $263m Series F, with investor details and commentary on fewer mega-rounds and continued under-representation of women co-founders.
Neumann Space will adapt its thruster for a Spire satellite using Commonwealth funding secured via the Australian Space Manufacturing Network, and has finished early space trials of its drive aboard a Skykraft satellite.
Roundup of eight Australian startup raises totalling $433m, topped by Employment Hero's $263m Series F and Skykraft's $120m round; Darwinium, Konvoy Kegs, The Martec and three Birchal crowdfunds complete the week.
Also AgFunderNews
Employment Hero raised a $263 million Series F led by TCV, reaching a $2 billion valuation, with existing backers reinvesting; Skykraft announced a $120 million raise.
Also employmenthero.com
Australian HR software firm Employment Hero has banked a large Series F led by US investor TCV, lifting its valuation towards $2 billion, with several existing backers also taking part.
Canberra startup Skykraft raised $120 million for its space-based air traffic management system, led by Foresight's Australian arm with Main Sequence Ventures and OPTrust, following an earlier $3.5 million round.
Canberra satellite firm Skykraft has raised $120 million to manage air traffic from space, with backing from Foresight Australia, OPTrust and Main Sequence; the round trails only Saluda Medical's this year.
Also Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·proactiveinvestors.com·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany
Roundup of Australian manufacturing news: a university metaverse partnership, a CSIRO digital appointment, electric buses in Queensland, two secured funding facilities, and several workforce and recycling initiatives.
Also @AuManufacturing
Roundup of manufacturing items: a satellite launch plan, a biotech tax incentive payment, a boot range launch, a solar CEO's exit, a ferry study, a university battery hub, and a recycling trial.
Skykraft has received Australian Space Agency funding for a $1.76 million project upgrading its satellite attitude control system to improve pointing accuracy and enable Earth observation and lunar missions.
Skykraft and XTEK completed qualification testing of a satellite deployment stack developed under an Australian Space Agency grant of $878,000, clearing it for India's small satellite launch vehicle.
An Australian maker of satellite thrusters will fly its valve technology on a SpaceX Falcon 9 via Skykraft's rideshare, following a space agency grant the previous year to develop the thruster.
Thruster maker Valiant Space will test its VS-1 propellant valve on a Skykraft rideshare mission launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in June, having recently won a $200,000 Australian Space Agency Moon to Mars grant.
Techboard's year-end roundup catalogues November funding activity: big raises for Rokt, Harrison.ai and Pet Circle, five acquisitions, Investible's second fund closing at $51.6m, plus a watchlist of companies still seeking capital.
Also Australian FinTech
Weekly roundup reporting many startup funding rounds, Investible's fund close, Skalata's committed capital, hipages buying Builderscrack, Stack Sports acquiring Team App, and Level Equity's stake purchase in Eftsure.
Also SmartCompany·Techboard·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily