Investor · 2 deals
Hobart, TAS
Every published round Tasmanian Government 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.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Role | Alongside | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countrywide Hydrogen | Grant | 17 May 2024 | $8m | Lead | RenewEconomy, @AuManufacturing | |
| Xanderware | Grant | 12 May 2024 | $9.6k | Lead | @AuManufacturing (12 May 2024), @AuManufacturing (9 May 2024) |
Everyone Tasmanian Government has named to a program in published coverage. A place in a program is not a raise: the cheque is the figure recorded with the place, which is the program's standard terms where we hold them, and a blank is one we don't.
Companies Tasmanian Government has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countrywide Hydrogen | 17 May 2024, Grant | 1 | 1 | |
| Xanderware | 12 May 2024, Grant | 1 | 1 |
Fund closes reported for Tasmanian Government, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Tasmanian Government has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Tasmanian Government did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Abetz | Industry Minister | @AuManufacturing |
| Guy Barnett | Energy Minister | @AuManufacturing, RenewEconomy (5 Jun 2023), RenewEconomy (15 May 2023) |
| Jeremy Rockliff | Premier | Startup Daily (16 Sep 2025), RenewEconomy (17 May 2024), @AuManufacturing (13 May 2024), @AuManufacturing (12 May 2024), @AuManufacturing (9 May 2024), Startup Daily (6 Nov 2023), SmartCompany, RenewEconomy (5 Nov 2023), @AuManufacturing (25 Nov 2021) |
| Madeleine Ogilvie | Innovation Minister | @AuManufacturing (27 Feb 2025), @AuManufacturing (10 Nov 2023), @AuManufacturing (24 May 2023), @AuManufacturing (16 Feb 2023), @AuManufacturing (17 May 2022) |
| Michael Ferguson | Deputy Premier | SmartCompany, RenewEconomy |
| Nick Duigan | Minister for Energy and Renewables | @AuManufacturing (30 May 2024), RenewEconomy, @AuManufacturing (13 May 2024) |
Stories naming Tasmanian Government. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Sydney-founded AI data centre company Firmus, now Singapore-based, says Coatue and Nvidia are set to back its next US$505 million raise before a planned ASX listing, after earlier raises including Nvidia's A$330 million.
Firmus, an AI data centre builder, has received a further $100 million from Maas Group, lifting its five-month total past $900 million; Maas also sold its construction-materials arm for $1.7 billion.
Firmus Technologies names Kirsty Godfrey-Billy CFO and Grant Dempsey incoming chair after a recent US$330m equity raise, and advances its Tasmanian AI campus project with the state government.
Firmus Technologies has brought in a new chief financial officer and incoming board chair after a $330m equity raise, as it prepares a renewable-powered Tasmanian AI campus with state government backing.
Also digitrendz.blog·Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·Startup Daily
Australian-founded data centre firm Firmus, based in Singapore, has raised $330 million with Nvidia backing and Ellerston Capital leading, reaching a $1.85 billion valuation and unicorn status ahead of a planned 2026 ASX listing.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany
Tasmania's Boyer mill, Australia's last newsprint maker, has won a $24m federal commitment to replace coal boilers with electric ones; the piece also recounts the site's ownership history and past government support.
Tasmanian underwater robot maker Southern Ocean Subsea has started shipping its salmon-net repair vehicle to Norway and recently won a $20,000 state grant.
Roundup of manufacturing briefs: FBR's US venture option with CRH lapses, Li-S Energy appoints Rick Francis to its board as a director departs, plus sponsorship, TAFE funding, rate commentary and a hydrogen collaboration.
Koppers Wood Products has opened its upgraded pine processing facility at Longford, Tasmania, supported by a $250,000 Tasmanian government grant to cut waste and lift treated-timber output.
Tasmania will pay ReNu Energy as much as $8m toward its green hydrogen project, with payments tied to hydrogen delivered to customers and a final investment decision due by September 2025.
Roundup: BrainChip's completed placement plus an LDA Capital stake sale, Arafura's committed raise, a $76m Queensland regional fund, ARENA and ACCC appointments, a Tryp advisory hire, and Steel Cement's licence approval.
Tyrecycle has received a Tasmanian government grant to upgrade its facility so the state's end-of-life tyres can be processed locally into alternative industrial fuel; it has also opened a Western Australian plant.
Tasmania's government has signed an $8 million agreement with ReNu Energy subsidiary Countrywide Hydrogen to back green hydrogen production and heavy transport refuelling through per-kilogram payments under a price reduction scheme.
Also RenewEconomy
Roundup of the week's top stories: Hysata's Series B with bp Ventures and Templewater, grants for Tasmanian makers Xanderware and Jayben Group, an ASC pay dispute, and chemistry sector awards.
Tasmania's government has awarded roughly $450,000 in matched grants to 13 manufacturers in round five of its Advanced Manufacturing Accelerating Growth Program, lifting cumulative program funding to $3.5 million.
Also @AuManufacturing
Alberts profile of Brighte founder and CEO Katherine McConnell on her shift from Macquarie Bank to solar payments, the company's expansion and cutbacks, its culture, and her awards.
Roundup: ClearVue gets a $935,000 research tax credit; UNSW and Northrop Grumman Australia team up on quantum communications; Sentinel Boats shows an autonomous vessel; UOW leads national research rankings; LETA welcomes CCS progress.
SunCable has picked Bell Bay in Tasmania for its manufacturing facility after a two-year site search; the piece also recalls the administration fight that left Cannon-Brookes' consortium in control.
Sun Cable has picked Bell Bay in Tasmania for a potential cable factory to serve its planned solar power exports to Singapore, though the idea remains at an early stage.
Startupbootcamp Australia unveils the ten startups chosen for its 2023 FoodTech Tasmania program, spanning seven countries, and acknowledges its government, corporate and long-term partners.
Porsche-backed eFuels developer HIF Global has brought in Technip Energies to evaluate technology and begin design work on its planned Tasmanian plant, in an announcement made by the state government.
Tasmania's government has approved Abel Energy's plan for a green hydrogen and methanol plant at Bell Bay, with an in-principle deal to sell the retired power station site and Iberdrola providing support.
Round four of Tasmania's Advanced Manufacturing Accelerating Growth Program has granted about $870,000 to eleven manufacturers, with individual awards listed for equipment purchases and expansion projects across the state.
Green hydrogen developer Countrywide Hydrogen has lined up haulage firm 7R Logistics as a potential inaugural customer; the article also recalls HESTA's $100m investment.
Also RenewEconomy
Tasmania's government has opened a fourth round of manufacturing grants worth up to $100,000 each, and the article recalls a $100,000 grant earlier awarded to Pivot Maritime International under round two.
Startupbootcamp Australia profiles Transport Genie, a sensor startup monitoring livestock welfare in transit, as its Food Innovation cohort prepares to pitch at the upcoming Demo Day in Tasmania.
Tasmania's government has granted twelve manufacturers a combined $865,000 under its Advanced Manufacturing Accelerating Growth Grants program, backing $2.2 million of private investment and roughly forty new jobs.
OIF, an Australian VC, announces a $3.5 million investment leading Fortiro's seed round, profiling the document fraud-detection startup's technology, PwC-experienced founders, and customer traction.
Also OIF Ventures portfolio·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech
Tasmania's government has named eight manufacturers as round-one recipients of its Accelerating Growth grants, worth about $700,000 combined, funding equipment and expansion; a second round opens in late January.