Victoria

🇦🇺 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

Health tech Umps raises $4m in Series A

Aged-care technology firm Umps Health of Melbourne has banked a $4 million Series A, with Breakthrough Victoria supplying half the money and InterValley Ventures coming onto the register alongside four existing backers.

Also clearvalue.co

Victoria boosts innovation infrastructure with new grants

Eight named Victorian manufacturers, including medical device maker PolyNovo, receive state government grants for new research facilities under a $15 million program, supporting work in health, energy, defence and advanced technology.

Also arkeus.com

Network company wins most of funding in latest community battery grants

Victoria's first funding round under its expanded neighbourhood battery program backs 25 batteries across six projects, with AusNet and its Mondo arm taking the largest share and several community energy groups also funded.

Melbourne community group looking for home after winning funds for inner city battery

A Melbourne community energy group won a federal grant for a Richmond battery, with its site still undecided, and the piece recalls its earlier Victorian-funded Fitzroy North installation.

Also RenewEconomy

Queensland wants to ban solar panels from landfill as waste problem grows

The Queensland government proposes a solar panel landfill ban and a small recycling pilot, while the article recalls past grants to recyclers Scipher Technologies and Reclaim PV and surveys Australia's emerging panel recycling sector.

Also RenewEconomy

The Victorian government is investing $100 million into university startups

Breakthrough Victoria launched a $100m program with nine Victorian universities to fund university startups; its first $7.5m went into Melbourne's $15m Genesis Pre-Seed Fund, and RMIT spin-out Atmo Biosciences recently raised $9.6 million.