UNSW

SQC among 6 startups sharing $12.3 million in quantum grants

Six Australian quantum startups, including Silicon Quantum Computing and QuantX Labs, have received federal grants totalling $12.3 million under the Critical Technologies Challenge Program for projects in energy, health, biosecurity and logistics.

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #179, 26th September 2026

Weekly roundup recording a dozen raises and acquisitions, Firmus's scheduled float, a new $50m venture fund, a founder share sale, grant winners, an accelerator intake, and an AI agent's government breach.

Also Dynamic Business·DealStreetAsia·This Week in Australian Startups·Dealroom·ABC News Technology

Defence Trailblazer fast-tracking new technologies to help Defence and Industry transition to clean energy

Defence Trailblazer funds emissions-reduction projects with Electric Motor Power, Ocius Technology and Praxis, and profiles renewable-technology ventures from its Entrepreneurial Foundations for Defence program.

Nicholas Ooi steps into new role as Investment Manager

Investible announces the promotion of Nicholas Ooi to Investment Manager, describing his deal approach, portfolio work since 2023, and his path from law and consulting into venture capital.

ARENA invests $105.6 million in next wave of solar innovation

ARENA has announced $105.6 million in grants for twenty solar research projects, mostly at Australian universities, plus two companies, targeting cheaper cells, modules and solar farm operations.

Also Fintech News Australia·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy·Dealroom

Seven ANZ startups that raised $111.5 million this week

Roundup of seven raises across the Tasman spanning fintech, marine tech, agtech, defence and AI, plus a first close for an ACT venture fund.

Defence Trailblazer at ADSTAR 2026: impact and legacy

Defence Trailblazer showcases its researchers, ventures and projects at an Adelaide defence summit, citing over $140 million in industry support, as it prepares to hand over to AUSDII.

Beaten Zone Venture Partners Backs Seitec in turning a passive, all-weather sensing modality into a new class of defence capability – detecting the threats conventional sensors cannot and reshaping the military and security landscape.

Beaten Zone Venture Partners announces Fund 1 joined Activate Capital and UNSW in a seed round for Seitec, a Canberra defence startup whose seismic sensors find unexploded ordnance and hidden drones.

Also Dealroom·Business News Australia·Defence Connect·Startup Daily

Briefcase appoints Michael Hasten as Head of Growth

Australian direct indexing fintech Briefcase has hired Michael Hasten, a veteran ANZ investment banker, as Head of Growth to broaden its tax-aware portfolio and ETF model services for advisers and wealth platforms.

Gamgee Raises $4M Seed - theunderbite.co

Veterinary biotech Gamgee has raised a four million dollar seed round led by Founders Fund, launching from Y Combinator to develop personalised mRNA cancer vaccines for dogs.

Also newshub.medianet.com.au·Dealroom·thesaasnews.com·kucoin.com

Our Investment in Vexev - Building Autonomous Robotic Ultrasound

Ten13's post explains why it joined the robotics company's latest raise alongside Blackbird, Neotribe, Startmate and Horizons, covering its autonomous scanning device, dialysis focus, founders, and US rollout plans.

Also Dealroom·vexev.com·datapile.co·evtoday.com

ARENA-backed accelerator selects 'hardware' climate tech startups

EnergyLab unveils ten hardware-focused climate tech startups joining its 2026 Climate Solutions Accelerator, supported by $1.64 million from ARENA; alumni Infravision, Renewable Metals, Orkestra and Amber later received ARENA funding.

The little big battery using local smarts and deeper storage to help fill gap in most renewable grid

South Australian startups Lunio Energy and OptiGrid launch a 5 MW Strathalbyn battery into market trading; the piece recalls OptiGrid's seed round backed by CEFC, IP Group, Hostplus, universities and EnergyLab.

The little big battery using local smarts and deeper storage to help fill gap in most renewable grid

A 5 MW South Australian battery has started trading, the first project for developer Lunio Energy and the first four-hour site run on OptiGrid's optimisation platform, whose seed backers are recapped.

NRF trebles its stake in Silicon Quantum Computing with another $40 million

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.

UNSW Founders launches 2026 accelerator with $100,000 founder-friendly startup deal

UNSW Founders marks a decade of its 10x Accelerator and opens 2026 applications across health, climate and all-industries streams; selected startups get $100,000 SAFE investments, and three alumni are profiled.

Silicon Quantum Computing scores $20 million in govt funding in new raise

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.

Australia conducts first sovereign satellite rendezvous manoeuvre in major leap for space security

HEO and UNSW Canberra Space have performed Australia's first propelled satellite rendezvous manoeuvre with the Continuum-1 spacecraft, a Defence Trailblazer-funded effort advancing sovereign space domain awareness skills.

Investment Notes: CounterCurrent

Investible's climate fund has invested in CounterCurrent with UNSW and unnamed angels; the note argues new shipping carbon rules make its AI navigation technology valuable.

Defence Trailblazer works with local industry partners in sustainable tech

University–government partnership Defence Trailblazer showcases the clean, low-emission defence projects it is funding with industry, plus ventures developed through its entrepreneurship readiness program.

Also Startup Daily

Defence Trailblazer funding manufacturing to help Defence and industry transition to clean energy

Defence Trailblazer backs clean-energy tech

Defence Trailblazer is advancing emissions-cutting defence technology projects pairing companies with university researchers, and names seven ventures in its Entrepreneurial Foundations for Defence program.

Defence Trailblazer Accelerates Net-Zero Tech for Australian Defence

Defence Trailblazer is running clean-energy projects with university and industry partners for Australian defence; its EFD program backs seven ventures developing batteries, drone power, hull-cleaning robots and solar tech.

A big boost for domestic solar manufacturing

ARENA announces a conditional grant of as much as $151m for Sunman Group to build a large solar module factory in NSW, under the federal government's Solar Sunshot program.

Also RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

Cheque-in: 8 startups gobbled up $572.12 million in funding this week

Weekly roundup of eight raises totalling $572.12 million, led by Firmus's $500 million round; RAGE Biotech, SunDrive, Number 8 Bio, Fabra, Keeyu, MyGig and Drone-Hand also funded, plus two RAGE Biotech executive appointments.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Business News Australia

Livestock methane reduction startup swallows $11 million Series A

Sydney synthetic-biology venture Number 8 Bio has banked an $11m Series A with Icehouse Ventures leading, to advance cattle trials of its methane-cutting supplement; its 2024 seed and accelerator stint are recalled.

Also AgFunderNews·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Uniseed boss Peter Devine calls time on 20 years leading Australia's OG VC

Uniseed chief executive Peter Devine departs after two decades; Monash's Alistair Hick takes over in 2026. The piece recounts Uniseed's fund history and recent stakes in ENA Respiratory and Morse Micro rounds.

Propeller Aero cofounder Rory San Miguel named the 2025 NSW Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year

Propeller Aero's chief executive Rory San Miguel has won the Pearcey Foundation's 2025 NSW entrepreneur award; the profile traces his path from UNSW clubs and Flirtey to the drone surveying company.

Birth rates are plummeting globally — this Australian IVF trial wants to change that

Proto Axiom has put $4 million into Sydney IVF biotech JumpStart Fertility, a UNSW spin-out, to pay for human trials of a treatment aimed at age-related fertility decline.

Uniseed adds another $25m from UniSuper to commercialise academic research

UniSuper adds a further $25 million to its backing of Uniseed, reaching $100 million in total support for the university research commercialisation fund; past cheques to quantum and biotech startups are recapped.

Australian innovation helped launch China solar juggernaut – now it's time to hitch a ride with PV giants

Australian solar firm SunDrive has signed a JDA with Chinese equipment makers Maxwell Technologies and Vistar, adding to partnerships with Trina Solar and AGL and an earlier Arena grant.

Workplace culture platform Hoogly takes the world by storm, winning UK and US awards as it closes $1 million raise

Sydney startup Hoogly, which builds tools for workplace connection, topped the GSV Cup in San Diego and has banked $1 million toward a round it plans to close within days, double its initial target.

King River Capital is building a $157 million sixth VC fund to back AI

King River Capital is wrapping up a A$157 million (US$100 million) fund for AI startups, with Future Super, David Gonski, Marinya Capital and the Smorgon family among its backers.

Private equity firm Quadrant takes a $50-100 million slice of startup veteran LegalVision

Sydney PE firm Quadrant's new $660m growth fund backs LegalVision for an undisclosed stake; the article also recaps Quadrant's earlier deals and exits, including Canva, Modibodi and Canberra Data Centres.

Investment Notes: Clutch

Blackbird's note explains its decision to lead Clutch's $2 million pre-seed round, citing the fashion-glue brand's organic social growth, strong Priceline sales, and upcoming United States retail launch.

Investible teams up with UNSW to back climate tech uni spin-offs

A venture firm and a university program launch a co-investment scheme for climate-tech spin-offs, with a growth fund also involved; a hydrogen-diesel startup was the first company funded under it in August.

Ammonia production tech startup believes it can cut nation’s fertiliser bill by a tenth

CICCADA to unlock insights of consumer energy

ARENA has awarded UNSW $1.7 million for Project CICCADA, a $4.3 million research effort analysing data from rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles to inform integration of consumer energy resources into the grid.

“Shell companies for rent seekers:” Coalition attacks solar innovators, including Turnbull-backed SunDrive

A federal opposition senator attacks Labor's solar manufacturing program and SunDrive, which has cut staff and changed CEO while pursuing partnerships with AGL and Trina Solar to localise panel production.

Former ShippIt boss Dominic Culbert heads to freight software startup Dyspach

Ex-Shippit logistics executive Dominic Culbert has taken a growth role at Dyspach, a young Sydney company using AI to automate freight sales; co-founder Amit Kumar earlier sold his Addverb stake to Reliance.