Ledger. Australian venture funding, tracked

Company

The University of Queensland

St Lucia, QLD

Coverage

Stories naming The University of Queensland. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.

Accelerator

The Brisbane start-up tackling the “tech tax” on food

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.

Also Business News Australia

7 deals

Five Aussie startups that raised $95.45 million this week

Weekly roundup detailing five Australian raises: Vaxxas' Series D plus debt facility amid executive changes, Skutopia's growth round, Send Payments' backing and CEO change, Apate.ai's seed, and Coursebox's seed.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·Dealroom·Startup Daily

2 deals

Vaccination biotech Vaxxas raises $49 million Series D, cuts C-suite amid broader layoffs

Australian biotech Vaxxas secured a Series D plus a debt facility while overhauling leadership: a new chair, founding CEO shifting to an advisory role, and CFO made redundant amid job cuts.

Also Business News Australia·SmartCompany·Cut Through Venture·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Series D+ ~$90m

Vaxxas secures ~A$90 million in funding to commercialise needle-free vaccination delivery technology

Vaxxas announced a roughly A$90m financing — Series D equity led by SPRIM Global Investments plus debt — to advance its needle-free vaccine patch, alongside leadership changes including a new chair.

Grant $720k+

Researchers to take healthy oats beyond breakfast

FaBA and UQ launch their largest research project, a $5.6m effort with oat company My PlantCo to develop new oat-based foods, with GRDC committing over $720,000 to the company's project.

Unnamed stage $1m

UQ biotech innovation partnership forges a second startup

UniQuest and Molecule to Medicine have formed Curlew Bio to develop anti-inflammatory drugs, backed by $1 million from UniQuest's Extension Fund; the article also recalls Novartis's 2015 purchase of Spinifex Pharmaceuticals.

Grant $3.2m

Vaxxas Named Stage Winner of United States' BARDA Prize to Advance Microarray Patches for Vaccination

Vaxxas wins US$2 million as a concept-stage winner of BARDA's prize to advance its skin-patch vaccine platform with UQ's BASE facility; the article also recalls early backing by OneVentures, Brandon Capital and HealthCare Ventures.

Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Business News Australia

Unnamed stage $7.5m

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

AuManufacturing roundup of brief industry news: Wide Open Agriculture banks a $7.5 million raise, Liontown adds a lithium offtake partner, Osteopore signs Zimmer Biomet for distribution, plus quantum, defence, rail and recycling items.

2 deals

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Roundup of Australian manufacturing briefs: Nova Eye Medical banks $8m, Ridley buys Oceania Meat Processors, Orica sells Deer Park land for $260m, plus appointments, research projects and CSIRO program deadlines.

Funding announcement

Vaxxas Announces and Publishes Successful Phase I Clinical Trial for Measles and Rubella Vaccine Delivered Using its Proprietary High-Density Microarray Skin Patch; Plan for Phase I/II Trial in The Gambia, Africa

Vaxxas reports positive Phase I results for its needle-free skin-patch delivery of a measles-rubella vaccine, with Gates Foundation grant funding and a planned PATH-sponsored Phase I/II trial in The Gambia.

2 deals

Nourish Ingredients aims to launch fats with an 'authentic animal taste and aroma' in late 2024

Australian precision fermentation startup Nourish Ingredients secures government funding and grants, recalls its Series A, and outlines plans to launch its first animal-like fat in late 2024.

Also AgFunderNews

Funding announcement

Queensland deepens Australian green industry ties with Germany

Queensland and Germany launch a joint bioeconomy research programme backed by $3 million, while the article recalls Vast Solar and the Solar Methanol Consortium winning HyGATE grant funding for a green methanol plant in Port Augusta.

Funding announcement

Vaxxas Announces Interim Phase I Study Results for First Needle-Free HD-MAP COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaxxas reports encouraging interim Phase I results for its needle-free microarray-patch COVID-19 vaccine, with strong antibody responses and no serious adverse events, ahead of planned regulatory applications in Australia and the US.

Funding announcement

Vaxxas Appoints Dr. Rochelle Chaiken as Chief Medical Officer

Vaxxas hires former Pfizer medical executive Dr Rochelle Chaiken as its chief medical officer; the announcement also recounts the biotech's founding financing and later rounds.

Funding announcement

Vaxxas Appoints Dr. Rochelle Chaiken as Chief Medical Officer

Vaxxas has appointed 23-year Pfizer veteran Dr Rochelle Chaiken as chief medical officer; the announcement also recaps the vaccine-patch company's early backing by OneVentures, Brandon Capital and others.

Funding announcement

Vaxxas initiates Phase I study for needle-free seasonal influenza vaccine delivered using High-Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP)

Vaxxas has begun an Australian Phase I trial of its needle-free influenza vaccine patch. The article also recalls the company's founding equity financing led by OneVentures with Brandon Capital Partners and other co-investors.

Grant ≤$6.4m

Coming in from the cold: needle-free patch technology for mRNA vaccines aims to end need for frozen storage and improve access

Vaxxas partners with CEPI, which will fund preclinical testing of its needle-free vaccine patch for mRNA vaccines, work that could remove cold-storage needs and widen global access to such vaccines.

Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing

Unnamed stage $34m

Vaxxas Raises US$23 million (A$34 million) to Clinically Advance Needle-Free Vaccines, Including a Next-Generation COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate

Vaxxas completed a US$23 million (A$34 million) financing led by OneVentures and UniQuest to advance its needle-free vaccine clinical programs, including a COVID-19 candidate, with board members, management and individual investors also participating.

Also OneVentures portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·@AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·Techboard·@AuManufacturing

8 deals

$28.9m in grants issued to help improve soil carbon technology

Eight projects share 28.9 million dollars in Australian government grants under the National Soil Carbon Innovation Challenge, funding cheaper technologies for measuring soil organic carbon, with ministers Bowen and Watt announcing the recipients.

Funding announcement

Vaxxas Announces Initiation of Phase I Clinical Study of First Needle-Free COVID-19 Vaccine Delivered Using High-Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP)

Vaxxas has begun an Australian Phase I trial of its needle-free COVID-19 vaccine patch, built on a University of Texas at Austin candidate; the article also recalls the company's early financings led by OneVentures.

Funding announcement

Vaxxas Announces Initiation of Phase I Clinical Study of First Needle-Free COVID-19 Vaccine Delivered Using High-Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP)

Vaxxas has begun an Australian Phase I trial of its needle-free COVID-19 vaccine patch; the article also recalls the company's founding financing led by OneVentures with Brandon Capital and other co-investors.

Unnamed stage $16m

$16m cash injection to progress first-in-class therapy for inflammation and fibrosis

Australian biotech OccuRx secured $16 million co-led by Brandon BioCatalyst and Uniseed, including a CUREator grant, to advance its oral anti-fibrosis therapy into kidney disease trials; two executives also joined.

Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Startup Daily

3 deals

Australian pain drug innovation company Spinifex Pharmaceuticals sold to Novartis for US$200m plus milestone payments

GBS Ventures reports Novartis has agreed to acquire chronic-pain drug developer Spinifex Pharmaceuticals for US$200 million upfront plus milestones, recalling the company's 2005, 2008 and 2014 venture rounds and its Australian investors.

Also GBS Ventures·novartis.com·clinicalleader.com·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·anthillonline.com·@AuManufacturing·materresearch.org.au·Business News Australia

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