Venture capital fund · 2 deals
Every published round University of Melbourne Genesis Pre-Seed Fund 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirugen | Seed | 14 Aug 2025 | $4.5m | Participant | Brandon BioCatalyst, insightnews.com.au, cera.org.au, mirugen.com, Brandon Capital portfolio | |
| Flowing Bee | Pre-seed | 5 Mar 2025 | $1.6m | Participant | SmartCompany (7 Mar 2025), SmartCompany (6 Mar 2025), Startup Daily |
Companies University of Melbourne Genesis Pre-Seed Fund has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirugen | Aims to restore vision in patients with incurable blindness by developing a novel gene th… | 14 Aug 2025, Seed | 1 | 0 |
| Flowing Bee | Behavioural intelligence company helping organisations solve complex customer and growth … | 5 Mar 2025, Pre-seed | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for University of Melbourne Genesis Pre-Seed Fund, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies University of Melbourne Genesis Pre-Seed Fund has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal University of Melbourne Genesis Pre-Seed Fund did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Winnie Gao | Investment Associate | Brandon BioCatalyst, insightnews.com.au, cera.org.au, mirugen.com |
Stories naming University of Melbourne Genesis Pre-Seed Fund. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Melbourne behavioural-intelligence startup Flowing Bee hires Jonny Hanratty from The Lab to lead applied research and strategy amid rapid growth; named backers include Archangel Ventures, Antler and LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund.
Profile of Melbourne-based biotech Neurala Biosciences, founded by two researchers turning DMT and harmala compounds into medicines, covering its origins, grant and investor backing totalling $4.5m, and planned first-in-human studies.
Mirugen, a Melbourne biotech spun out of an eye research institute, has closed a A$4.5m seed round with three backers and hired Charlotte Casebourne Stock as chair and acting chief executive.
Also cera.org.au·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·insightnews.com.au
Flowing Bee, which applies psychology and AI to marketing decisions, has picked up $1.6 million in pre-seed money from Archangel Ventures and several other backers.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany
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.