Government · 42 deals
Every published round the federal 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.
Companies the federal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calix | New South Wales based environmental technology company | 16 May 2022, Grant | 3 | 3 |
| Silicon Quantum Computing | startup founded by Michelle Simmons | 2017 | 3 | 0 |
| EMVision Medical Devices | Oct 2022, Grant | 2 | 0 | |
| PsiQuantum | Quantum computing company establishing APAC HQ in Brisbane | Jul 2021, Series D+ | 2 | 0 |
| Allegro Energy | Recyclable, water-based battery chemistry | 13 Feb 2025, Grant | 1 | 1 |
| Ampyr Energy | Australian developer of grid-scale battery projects | 24 Jun 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 0 |
| AMSL Aero | 2020, Grant | 1 | 1 | |
| Ascera | firmed energy platform | 24 Jun 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 0 |
| Australia Vanadium | Aug 2022, Grant | 1 | 0 | |
| Australian Space Manufacturing Network | 25 Mar 2022, Grant | 1 | 1 | |
| Azaneo | Electric pulse weeding technology company | 13 Feb 2025, Grant | 1 | 1 |
| Boral | 16 May 2022, Grant | 1 | 1 | |
| CoilRig | Developer of an affordable and environmentally friendly Coiled Tube drilling system. | 13 Feb 2025, Grant | 1 | 1 |
| Edify Energy | Australian renewable energy company and hydrogen hopeful | Jan 2024, Grant | 1 | 1 |
| Elexsys Energy | Nov 2021, Grant | 1 | 1 | |
| Equis | developer of MREH Side B and co-owner of the first MREH stage | 24 Jun 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 0 |
| Everledger | 2021, Grant | 1 | 0 | |
| Fortescue | Mining company using CorePlan's platform | Grant | 1 | 1 |
| Gilmour Space | Queensland rocket builder and launchpad scaleup | 28 Mar 2022, Grant | 1 | 0 |
| Innovation Industries | Maker of Remote Monitoring Camera applications for the agricultural industry. | 13 Feb 2025, Grant | 1 | 1 |
| KC8 Capture Technologies | 23 Jul 2024, Grant | 1 | 1 | |
| KidsXpress | Grant | 1 | 1 | |
| Magic Valley | cultivated meat producer | 13 Feb 2025, Grant | 1 | 1 |
| MCi Carbon Pty Ltd | 23 Jul 2024, Grant | 1 | 1 | |
| Nomad Atomics | 19 Nov 2024, Grant | 1 | 0 | |
| Novalith | Investible portfolio company where Gega founders previously worked | 23 Jul 2024, Grant | 1 | 1 |
| Potentia Energy | Sydney developer deploying trial units at operational sites for the HiveOps project | 24 Jun 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 0 |
| Sicona Battery Technologies | 28 Jun 2026, Grant | 1 | 1 | |
| Solquartz | Running a feasibility study into 100,000 tpa solar-grade polysilicon production near Town… | 6 Aug 2025, Grant | 1 | 0 |
| Stellar PV | Company planning a 2 GW ingot pulling and wafering facility for solar silicon wafers near… | 2025, Grant | 1 | 0 |
| Sunman Group | Maker of lightweight flexible eArc solar panels, building the Hunter Valley Solar Foundry | 2 Dec 2025, Grant | 1 | 0 |
| Tindo Solar | Australia's only domestic solar panel maker, scaling up production at Mawson Lakes | 6 Aug 2025, Grant | 1 | 0 |
| Turquoise Group | Jan 2025, Grant | 1 | 0 | |
| University of South Australia | 19 Nov 2024, Grant | 1 | 0 | |
| University of Western Australia | University analyzing recovered experimental panels | 19 Nov 2024, Grant | 1 | 0 |
| Yarra Energy Foundation | Apr 2023, Grant | 1 | 1 |
Fund closes reported for the federal government, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies the federal government has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal the federal government did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Angus Taylor | Federal Industry Minister (former) | @AuManufacturing (16 May 2022), @AuManufacturing (25 Mar 2022), @AuManufacturing (14 Feb 2022), The Mandarin |
| Anthony Albanese | Prime Minister | Startup Daily, RenewEconomy |
| Ben Morton | Minister for the Public Service (former) | The Mandarin |
| Chris Bowen | Federal Energy Minister (former) | RenewEconomy (1 Jul 2026), RenewEconomy (28 Jun 2026), RenewEconomy (24 Jun 2026), @AuManufacturing |
| Ed Husic | Industry Minister | @AuManufacturing (15 Feb 2025), @AuManufacturing (12 Feb 2024) |
| Jason Clare | Education Minister | @AuManufacturing |
| Nicole Gibson | National Mental Health Commissioner (former) | SmartCompany |
| Richard Marles | Defence Minister | @AuManufacturing |
| Senator Jonno Duniam | Assistant Minister for Industry Development | The Mandarin |
| Tim Ayres | Federal Industry Minister (former) | RenewEconomy, Startup Daily, @AuManufacturing |
| Trevor Evans | Federal Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction | @AuManufacturing |
Stories naming the federal government. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
South Australian soft plastics recycler Recycling Plastics Australia, recipient of a $20m federal grant, has entered voluntary administration with KPMG appointed, after a major supplier's collapse derailed its plan to fill REDcycle's gap.
Firmus has secured a further US$2bn at a $15bn valuation from Coatue, Nvidia, Blackstone and Jane Street, taking its 12-month capital intake past US$3bn to fund Australian AI data centre projects.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·AFR Technology·Business News Australia·This Week in Australian Startups·AFR Technology·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia
Orica will proceed with its Hunter Valley green hydrogen plant after a final investment decision, the first under Hydrogen Headstart; earlier government grants to it and CIP's Murchison are recalled.
Australia's Capacity Investment Scheme storage auction names fifteen grid battery winners; Ampyr takes four projects, with Ascera, Potentia and Equis among the others, and a further tender has opened.
The National Reconstruction Fund has put another $40m into Sydney quantum chip maker Silicon Quantum Computing, following its $20m investment three months earlier, part of a larger round still underway.
Edify Energy has shelved its Townsville green hydrogen plant for want of buyers, pivoting to solar and storage builds; governments are separately seeking repayment of hydrogen subsidies, including from Fortescue's closed Gladstone plant.
Adelaide magnetic-technology venture DryFlow Magnetics, freshly backed by a $10 million seed round, will trial its waterless ore-extraction system at Peak Iron's Hawks Nest site, targeting premium iron for green steel.
Australia's National Reconstruction Fund has put $20 million into quantum chip maker Silicon Quantum Computing via a SAFE note, weeks after backing Diraq; a larger raise remains unannounced.
FaBA profiles Pollinate, a Brisbane startup founded by Adeep Mitra and Corey Berther that uses AI to automate food supply chain workflows, tracing its path from a university food challenge to Y Combinator backing.
Eight university- and company-led Australian quantum projects share $12.7 million in stage-two Critical Technologies Challenge Program grants, funding prototypes for data-centre cooling, medical imaging and rare-earth detection.
Magellan Power, a Perth maker of energy storage systems, has brought in Viburnum Funds as its first private equity backer, a stake reported at $15 million, to fund local battery manufacturing and recycling.
Also RenewEconomy
Roundup of seven trans-Tasman raises worth $93.1m this week, headlined by IND Technology's $50m round, with LawVu also acquiring ClauseBase.
Harvest B, a Sydney-based protein maker, raised a $3.5 million pre-Series A with Mandalay Venture Partners leading and Breakthrough Victoria contributing $2 million, alongside a $2.2 million federal grant and a 2021 seed round.
Brisbane graphene maker Turquoise Group has begun selling powder in bulk and is preparing an equity raise; a federal grant of $949,500 announced in January is funding its first commercial-scale facility.
Also @AuManufacturing
Gilmour Space Technologies has secured the maximum $5 million grant under the federal Industry Growth Program, money earmarked for its next-generation engine, even though its founder publicly attacked the national space regulator.
Also Startup Daily
The federal government will open the next Ignite and Innovate grant round on 23 July and has announced 39 newly funded Innovate projects, with about $178 million awarded so far under the program.
MGA Thermal has its 5 MWh Tomago pilot plant working again after an 18-month fix, and is seeking significant new capital to scale up production.
Weekly most-read roundup: a NSW lean-manufacturing program opens, Simcoa wins a $39.8m grant, First Graphene ships additive to the UK, Oceania Glass collapses, and a battery-recycling profile.
South Australia has appointed Korda Mentha administrator over OneSteel Manufacturing, taking control of the Whyalla steelworks from GFG Alliance, while the state's promised hydrogen funding stays uncommitted and sale options are explored.
Weekly roundup: CEA Technologies lands a $272m radar contract, five startups receive federal grants, Victorian factory insolvencies climb, and GFG Alliance's Whyalla Steelworks hunts new financing.
Roundup of manufacturing briefs: rare earths and semiconductor firms win government grants, Pro-Pac takes a shareholder loan, Macquarie buys into Dow infrastructure, plus sales records, a China distribution deal and a space security hub.
Quantum Brilliance, a Canberra-based maker of diamond-based quantum chips, has drawn fresh equity from the National Reconstruction Fund and more from Breakthrough Victoria to build a diamond foundry, with prior grants and backers recapped.
Canberra is funding 21 quantum and counter-disinformation defence projects, awarding $60 million in grants through ASCA's Emerging and Disruptive Technologies programme to universities and companies nationwide.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing
Weekly roundup of five popular stories: a Victorian hydrogen plant groundbreaking, Titomic's CEO change and $30 million raise, a defence laser contract, a WA shipbuilding precinct, and Civmec's framework to take over Luerssen Australia.
Also @AuManufacturing
SmartCompany's rolling coverage of SXSW Sydney day two, recording Polymath's pre-seed raise and Build Club's recent funding, the Equity Clear launch, Startmate's Demo Day, and women-founded startup pitches at Google's event.
Queensland smart-grid company Elexsys Energy, trading as Planet Ark Power, won federal and state grants and partial Series B backing before being wound up on a tax office application.
Seven organisations share federal grants under a carbon capture programme; named recipients include MCi Carbon, Novalith, Calix and KC8, whose award follows a $10 million raise backed by Woodside Energy and Cemex Ventures.
Akaysha Energy has $650 million from 11 banks and an EnergyAustralia offtake to build its Orana battery in NSW, which it calls the world's largest single-battery investment; BlackRock bought the company in 2022.
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
Manufacturing roundup: Australian Vanadium and entX land government grants, Hexagon Energy Materials completes a $1 million round, Australian Dairy Nutritionals appoints a CEO, Aurora Labs adds a director, plus vessel, export and research briefs.
Vast Renewables' Port Augusta methanol plant has won planning approval; the article recalls February funding commitments from ARENA and a German government program for construction.
Manufacturing briefs: milk company results, a biotech shelving US studies, a rare earths R&D incentive, wind zone consultations, land tax anger, a big battery, a food tech centre launch, and a CEO appointment.
Vast Renewables and Mabanaft have finalised A$40m in government funding for their SM1 green methanol plant at Port Augusta: up to A$19.48m from ARENA, up to €12.4m via Germany's HyGATE program.
Also @AuManufacturing
Quantum computing firm SQC names Simon Segars as chair and Fiona Pak-Poy as director; the article also recalls its $83m seed round and $50.4m Series A.
Profile of KidsXpress founder and CEO Margo Ward, whose charity helps children affected by trauma through creative therapies, with long-running support from The Tony Foundation and a federal government contribution.
Roundup of eight local raises totalling roughly $81.5 million: generative AI, sustainable packaging, VR medical training, optical radar, drinks, preventive health and wholesale retail software.
Also Ten13·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia
Brisbane incubator White Box Enterprises closed a $12 million impact raise to back social enterprises, beginning with a non-profit laundry at Bangalow that will employ around 40 disadvantaged jobseekers.
Five climate startups from UNSW Founders' Climate 10x accelerator shared $580,000 backed by Virescent Ventures and UNSW, presented at the 10x Demo Day featuring 25 ventures across several founder programs.
Manufacturing briefs roundup: LBT Innovations launches a $4.5m shareholder offer, AnteoTech collects a $3.77m research tax payment, with updates from Pact, Evnex, First Graphene, Austal, ASM and the University of Adelaide's space course.
Also @AuManufacturing
Vast has brought in CYD to begin early engineering on its VS1 solar thermal project in Port Augusta, simulating the storage tanks digitally; the piece also recaps earlier ARENA backing.