Innovation Victoria | LaunchVic
LaunchVic announces Innovation Victoria, a new body combining its work with Breakthrough Victoria's, with Rod Bristow installed as chief executive and long-time chairs Leigh Jasper and John Brumby departing.
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The most recent 60 of 73 articles we hold from LaunchVic.
LaunchVic announces Innovation Victoria, a new body combining its work with Breakthrough Victoria's, with Rod Bristow installed as chief executive and long-time chairs Leigh Jasper and John Brumby departing.
LaunchVic has unveiled the newest group of founders and startups entering its Basecamp program, which coaches them on hiring and team building; deep tech venture Space CoLAB is among the seventeen Victorian participants.
LaunchVic and dealroom.co report Victorian startups raised a record $2.4 billion in 2025, driven by late-stage deals despite early-stage declines.
LaunchVic names The Past Connection and nrtureAI winners of its tourism startup challenge, each winning an extra $25,000 after a bootcamp that funded ten Victorian startups.
LaunchVic is seeking applicants for its 2026 Basecamp program, which coaches founders on hiring and leadership choices; a graduate, Calcs.com's CEO, credits it with guiding recent team expansion.
Profile of founder Sabrina Leung, whose platform EnAccess Maps helps mobility aid users check venue accessibility; it notes $78,000 secured, three engineers hired, and her stint in LaunchVic's CivVic Labs with VicHealth.
Profile of Dr Kyle Turner launching the LaunchVic-funded Ochre pre-accelerator for First Nations founders, recalling his dental AI startup Pearlii and his role at a new First Nations venture fund.
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LaunchVic names four Victorian startups as winners of its energy technology challenge, with $35,000 apiece in extra funding, and flags a tourism-focused follow-up challenge and a February 2026 showcase.
Profile of the food-ordering software firm Fresho, recalling its 2024 Series B and how LaunchVic's 30X30 coaching program is readying it for a US push.
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Profile of a Melbourne medtech firm making lifelike artificial organs that let surgeons rehearse robotic procedures, noting its 2023 capital raise, rapid growth, and leadership training through a Victorian scaleup program.
LaunchVic introduces the ten startups chosen for its CivVic Labs Experience Victoria Challenge, a pre-accelerator pairing early-stage companies with the state's tourism operators.
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.
Profile of Advance VC, Max Kausman's Melbourne fund of funds buying secondaries in existing venture funds, which received a $300,000 LaunchVic grant through the VC Support Program to establish itself in Victoria.
Profile of Deeligence, a Melbourne platform automating legal due diligence, covering its lawyer-founders, an earlier million-dollar raise backed by LaunchVic's Alice Anderson fund, and the founders' Basecamp and law-firm accelerator participation.
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LaunchVic introduces the ten teams chosen for its Circular Agriculture Challenge under the CivVic Labs program with Agriculture Victoria, each building waste-to-value, traceability or climate tools for farming.
LaunchVic profile of Factor House, a Melbourne maker of tools for software engineers: years of bootstrapping ended with a Blackbird-led five-million-dollar seed round, and the firm now hires with Basecamp's backing.
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Melbourne agtech YieldX has raised seed capital from the Eagle Fund, Mandalay and LaunchVic's Hugh Victor McKay Fund to commercialise its NASA-recognised growing technology, with first commercial farm builds planned in Victoria and India.
LaunchVic picked ten young companies for its newest CivVic Labs farm-safety sprint; each receives $15,000 in equity-free support, with two teams later in line for another $35,000.
Case study of Flintworks, a VR mental health startup co-founded by Tia Cummins and Pete Martin, covering its angel and pre-seed raises and its membership of ANDHealth's 2024 ACTIVATE accelerator cohort.
LaunchVic case study profiling Dan Pelchen's sports analytics startup Traits Insights, its ASTN accelerator roots, backing from Artesian and athlete-backed APEX Capital, advisory board, and adoption by AFL and international clubs.
Profile of Cuttable, an AI ad-automation startup co-founded by Sam Kroonenburg, noting its $5.5m seed round and recalling the founders' $2 billion sale of A Cloud Guru to Pluralsight.
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Profile of n0de, whose platform helps businesses cut emissions to Net Zero. Founders Rob Brimblecombe and Scott Ferraro met at Monash; LaunchVic's CivVic Labs gave $15,000 seed funding, then DEECA granted $25,000.
Profile of Melbourne construction-tech firm EstimateOne, recalling its 2022 $35 million raise backed by Leigh Jasper and Potentia Capital, its chief executive appointment, and its involvement in LaunchVic's 30X30 scaleup program.
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A LaunchVic profile of DAS, a Victorian venture using satellites to chart rural land for lenders, insurers and the ABS; Sarah Gorman recalls its Startmate cohort and praises Victoria's startup ecosystem.
LaunchVic case study on HammerTech, a Melbourne construction-tech firm and 30×30 alumnus, recalling its Series B raise for international expansion, UK and Ireland offices, and progress toward unicorn status.
Profile of plant-based leather textiles maker Alt. Leather, recalling its 2023 raise backed by LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund and growing interest from global fashion and automotive brands.
LaunchVic case study profiling Mindset Health, a maker of hypnotherapy apps, and founders Alex and Chris Naoumidis through Startmate, Y Combinator and the 30X30 program.
LaunchVic and Agriculture Victoria put $500,000 behind Farmers2Founders' new pre-accelerator and TEKSTART offerings for agtech founders; alumnus AirAgri's journey, including a $50,000 grant, features as applications open.
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LaunchVic case study on Kite Therapy, whose caregiver-coaching model supports children with developmental delays; covers its F4 program start, Startmate graduate status, Flying Fox pre-seed backing and Alice Anderson Fund round support.
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Birchal is launching Birchal First, an angel syndicate for hardware startups, backed by a $300,000 LaunchVic grant, aiming to blend angel leads with retail crowdfunding; it is LaunchVic's tenth funded angel network.
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LaunchVic case study on Ecotone Partners' Planet Fund, a climate investment vehicle launched with grant support and $20 million committed, aiming to fill a financing gap for climatetech founders.
Profile of doctor-led angel syndicate Australian Medical Angels covering LaunchVic grants, $300,000 toward a new venture fund, a clinician pre-accelerator, and investments including WeGuide and Coviu.
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Profile of InvestorHub, a Melbourne platform helping listed companies engage retail investors, tracing its founders' path through Stone & Chalk and LaunchVic's 30X30 scale-up program ahead of overseas expansion.
DAS, Acusensus, BuildPass and Jupiter Ionics among winners as Victoria's startup awards are announced; Acusensus honoured after its ASX listing and $20 million IPO raise, with investor and ecosystem heroes also recognised.
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Twenty medtech startups were named as recipients of $50,000 Victorian Government grants under the MedTech Market Growth Program, delivered with LaunchVic and the Australian Medtech Manufacturing Centre.
Profile of a Melbourne agtech startup commercialising leaf protein, recalling grant funding from LaunchVic with co-investment plus matched research funding that helped it scale production and court food manufacturers.
Victoria added $1 million to the Hugh Victor McKay Fund, lifting it to $2 million for early-stage AgTech investments delivered with LaunchVic; first investees include AgriNous and The Leaf Protein Co, alongside further grants.
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Ten startups enter CivVic Labs' Transport Access challenge alongside Victoria's transport department, each receiving $15,000 equity-free to trial accessibility improvements over six weeks.
An explainer on angel investors, covering how angel networks pool capital, LaunchVic's support for ten of them, and Archangel's growth into a venture fund holding over $20m.
Case study of farm-safety software firm AirAgri, built by brothers Paul and James Diamond, recalling a $50,000 government grant and pre-accelerator support that funded its wearable-device R&D.
Channel 7 presenter Jane Bunn co-founded Jane's Weather, an AI-enhanced hyperlocal forecasting app, which used a LaunchVic and Agriculture Victoria grant to hire an AI expert and trial a professional service.
LaunchVic case study profiling Mobble, a farm-management software startup whose founders grew it from bootstrapped beginnings, highlighting a fifty-thousand-dollar AgTech grant that funded its Mobble Connect feature.
LaunchVic case study on car subscription startup Carbar, whose COO credits the 30X30 program, and which completed a $28.9 million round led by IAG and Seven West Media last year.
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LaunchVic profiles Nutromics, a wearable diagnostic patch maker whose co-founders joined the 30X30 scaleup program; the piece recalls a $2 million government grant and over US$14 million raised to date.
LaunchVic's Innovation Mission paired construction-tech startups with major builders. The piece profiles Matrak, recalling its 2021 Series A with Jasper and Phillpot, and Jasper's $1.6b Aconex sale to Oracle.
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LaunchVic case study on Melbourne guided-selling startup preezie, recalling its 2021 $5.5 million Series A backed by Touch Ventures and TEN13, its hiring scale-up under Michael Delaney, and its 30X30 program participation.
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LaunchVic case study profiling XY Sense, a Melbourne workplace-occupancy analytics startup, covering its founding, global growth, selection for the 30X30 leadership program, and a Global Victoria grant supporting expansion into new markets.
LaunchVic's CivVic Labs program with VicHealth has selected ten startups, each receiving $15,000 equity-free funding and a design sprint place, with two later competing for $35,000 each.
LaunchVic profiles EV charging firm JET Charge, covering its 2022 Series B raise backed by RACV and other investors and its place in the second 30X30 scaleup intake.
LaunchVic and Agriculture Victoria have launched a $1m fund for early-stage AgTech ventures, appointed its investment committee, and revealed the first seven recipients of $50,000 non-equity grants.
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Case study on husband-and-wife founders Vicky and Julian Featherston, whose climate control startup HAL Systems closed an $850,000 seed round with co-investment from LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund after winning the CivVic Labs EnergyTech challenge.
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Victoria's startup agency is giving Flying Fox Ventures and Jumpstart Studio $300,000 each to run pre-accelerator programs for women founders, alongside continued backing of the Alice Anderson Fund.
Victorian medtech startup Kali Healthcare raised a $1 million pre-seed round led by the University of Melbourne, with LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund participating, to advance its pregnancy monitoring wearable toward clinical trials.
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Profile of Telecare, a Victorian virtual specialist clinic startup, recalling its 2022 MedAngels-led seed round backed by LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund and co-founder Lina Xu's Cartier Women's Initiative Oceania fellowship recognition.
Two Alice Anderson Fund portfolio startups have partnered to create educational content helping managers support breast-feeding parents returning to work, with pump cushions available for purchase online.
LaunchVic case study on cooking app ReciMe and its $500,000 pre-seed raise, backed by the Alice Anderson Fund, Even Capital and angel Jodie Imam.
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Profile of revenue-based fund Tractor Ventures, co-founded by Jodie Imam, Matt and Aprill Allen with LaunchVic backing, covering its lending model, growth, and Imam's earlier ventures including Occasional Butler's sale to Airtasker.
Profile of Aiman Hamdouna, whose startup support network Hatch Quarter received a LaunchVic grant in 2017 and now partners with LaunchVic to help Victorian founders.
LaunchVic case study profiling AirRobe founder Hannon Comazzetto, whose circular fashion platform went through the Startmate program before she relocated to San Francisco to pursue global growth.
Deals recorded from LaunchVic's coverage. A round is listed once, however many of their articles mention it.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BATSafe Australia | Accelerator | 11 Dec 2025 | - | |
| Solstice AI | Accelerator | 11 Dec 2025 | - | |
| FleetOPT | Accelerator | 11 Dec 2025 | - | |
| Fresho | Accelerator | 3 Nov 2025 | - | |
| EnAccess Maps | Accelerator | Nov 2025 | - | |
| Nutromics | Accelerator | 2 Sep 2025 | $7.5m | |
| Factor House | Seed | 12 Feb 2025 | $5m | |
| Fresho | Series B | Nov 2024 | $17m | |
| Australian Medical Angels | Grant | 9 Aug 2024 | $300k | |
| Birchal | Grant | 9 Aug 2024 | $300k | |
| Cuttable | Seed | 22 Jul 2024 | $5.5m | |
| HammerTech | Series B | 16 Jul 2024 | $105m | |
| The Leaf Protein Co. | Pre-seed | 13 Jun 2024 | $850k | |
| Deeligence | Pre-seed | 10 May 2024 | $1m | |
| Kite Therapy | Pre-seed | 8 May 2024 | $750k | |
| Mindset Health | Accelerator | 14 Mar 2024 | - | |
| InvestorHub | Accelerator | 14 Mar 2024 | - | |
| EstimateOne | Accelerator | 14 Mar 2024 | - | |
| Preezie | Series A | 13 Mar 2024 | $5.5m | |
| Kali Healthcare | Accelerator | 16 Nov 2023 | $1m | |
| AirAgri | Grant | 21 Aug 2023 | $50k | |
| HAL Systems | Seed | 9 Aug 2023 | $850k | |
| Rachelle Dunstan | Accelerator | Aug 2023 | - | |
| Lina Xu | Accelerator | 12 Apr 2023 | - | |
| Acusensus | Unnamed stage | Jan 2023 | $20m | |
| ReciMe | Pre-seed | 27 Oct 2022 | $500k | |
| EstimateOne | Unnamed stage | Oct 2022 | $35m | |
| Jet Charge | Accelerator | 17 Feb 2022 | $25m | |
| Carbar | Unnamed stage | 15 Feb 2022 | $28.9m | |
| HammerTech | Accelerator | 2022 | $6k | |
| Matrak | Series A | 1Q 2021 | $5.9m | |
| Pearlii | Unnamed stage | 2019 | $3m+ |
Companies named in LaunchVic's articles, most-covered first.
| Company | What it does | Articles |
|---|---|---|
| A Cloud Guru | Cloud computing training platform sold for $2 billion in 2021 | 1 |
| Aconex | Construction and infrastructure collaboration software company | 3 |
| Acusensus | road safety camera trailers detecting speeding and phone use | 1 |
| Adelaide Crows | 1 | |
| Afterpay | Buy now pay later company | 2 |
| Agriculture Victoria | 4 | |
| AgThentic | 1 | |
| AirAgri | Australian agtech company providing farm safety and biosecurity services | 2 |
| Airbnb | US home-sharing platform | 1 |
| AirRobe | 1 | |
| Airtasker | Australian startup initially focused on household tasks like cleaning, gardening, and fur… | 1 |
| Airwallex | Fintech payments and financial infrastructure company | 3 |
| Alt. Leather | Bio-based leather alternatives for fashion and automotive | 1 |
| Amber Electric | Energy retailer offering flexible, market-driven household energy plans | 1 |
| ANDHealth | Accelerates commercialisation of evidence-based digital and connected health technologies… | 1 |
| ANZ | 1 | |
| ANZ Bank | 1 | |
| APEX Capital | 1 | |
| Artesian VC | Alternative asset management for debt and venture capital | 1 |
| Arup | 1 | |
| Atlas | 1 | |
| Aultmore | 1 | |
| Aurecon | 1 | |
| Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) | 1 | |
| Australian Medical Angels | 1 | |
| Australian Medtech Manufacturing Centre | 1 | |
| Australian Sports Technologies Network | Membership network for Australian sports technology commercialisation | 1 |
| BATSafe Australia | developing tech to help Australians manage battery safety, reducing risk and building con… | 1 |
| Baylor University | 1 | |
| Birchal | Equity crowdfunding platform | 1 |
| Block | 1 | |
| Breakthrough Victoria | 2 | |
| BuildPass | Construction software platform handling compliance, contractor management and site operat… | 1 |
| Calcs.com | an engineering tool supporting more than 60,000 building projects annually, mostly in res… | 1 |
| Canva | Online design and visual communication platform | 1 |
| Carbar | Car subscription platform | 1 |
| Carsales | Online car sales marketplace | 1 |
| Cartier Women's Initiative | 1 | |
| Catch | 1 | |
| Channel 7 | 1 | |
| Charles Sturt University | 1 | |
| Circle In | Platform for creating safe, inclusive and caring workplaces | 1 |
| CivVic Labs | 2 | |
| Cogo | 1 | |
| Collingwood Football Club | 1 | |
| Communiti Labs | 1 | |
| Cooperative Research Centre Projects | 1 | |
| Covet | 1 | |
| Coviu | telehealth platform | 1 |
| Creative Careers in Medicine | 1 | |
| Crowdcube | Equity crowdfunding site | 1 |
| CSIRO | Australia's national science research agency, from which Terria spun out | 4 |
| Culture Amp | 1 | |
| Cut Through Venture | Publishes market data on Australian startup deals | 1 |
| Cuttable | AI-powered, automated advertising platform for performance marketing teams | 1 |
| DAS (Digital Agricultural Solutions) | 1 | |
| DAS—Digital Agriculture Services | 1 | |
| dealroom.co | 1 | |
| Deeligence | AI-powered legal due diligence automation | 1 |
| Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) | 1 | |
| Department of Transport | 1 | |
| Dexcom | 1 | |
| Docusign | Canva enterprise client | 1 |
| Dropbox | Cloud storage company providing mentors for the 30x30 program | 1 |
| EnAccess Maps | 2 | |
| End Food Waste CRC | 1 | |
| EstimateOne | 1 | |
| F4: Female Founders | 1 | |
| Factor House | Builds developer tools for managing real-time data streaming, including Kpow and Flex pla… | 1 |
| Farmers2Founders | 2 | |
| Felicis | 1 | |
| FIFA | 1 | |
| Firmable | AI-driven B2B sales intelligence and automation platform | 1 |
| FleetOPT | building a physics-based digital twin to optimise energy use and transport operations for… | 1 |
| Flintworks | Virtual reality therapy platform for mental health disorders | 1 |
| Flying Fox Ventures | 3 | |
| Fresh Equities | 1 | |
| Fresho | Melbourne-based food-wholesale ordering platform | 1 |
| Glitch Capital | 1 | |
| Global Victoria | 2 | |
| Google Maps | 1 | |
| Governor of Victoria | 1 | |
| Great Wrap | Makes compostable cling wrap out of potato peels and food waste | 1 |
| HAL Systems | 1 | |
| Hall & Wilcox | Law firm | 1 |
| HammerTech | 1 | |
| Hatch Quarter | 1 | |
| Healthdirect | 1 | |
| Hewlett Packard | 1 | |
| HEX | Ecosystem partner delivering pre-accelerator programs | 1 |
| Hireup | 1 | |
| IAG | Besieged insurer | 1 |
| Innovation Victoria | 1 | |
| Intuitive Surgical Inc | 1 | |
| Investing for Doctors | 1 | |
| InvestorHub | Promotional platform for ASX companies (formerly Fresh Equities) | 1 |
| Jet Charge | EV charging company whose project explores network benefits from vehicle-to-grid technolo… | 1 |
| John Holland | 1 | |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | |
| Jumpstart Studio | Ecosystem partner delivering pre-accelerator programs | 1 |
| Jupiter Ionics | 1 | |
| Kali Healthcare | Digital health platform for pregnancy monitoring | 1 |
| Kane | 1 | |
| Kite Therapy | 1 | |
| La Trobe University | University from which AlleSense was spun out. | 1 |
| Lander & Rogers | Established law firm running the equity-free LawTech Hub accelerator for legal tech start… | 1 |
| LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund | 1 | |
| Mandalay Venture Partners | 1 | |
| Matrak | SaaS tool tracking the supply chain of commercial and residential construction projects | 1 |
| Medtronic | Global medical technology company | 1 |
| Melbourne Accelerator Program | 1 | |
| Mercy Hospital for Women | 1 | |
| microFleet | 1 | |
| Milkdrop | 1 | |
| Minderoo Foundation | 1 | |
| Mindset Health | 1 | |
| Mobble | 1 | |
| Monash University | University partnered on Remagine Labs spin-out | 5 |
| Nando's | 1 | |
| NASA | Space agency and customer of Advanced Navigation | 1 |
| Neo-Bionica | 1 | |
| Neurala Biosciences | 1 | |
| Nutromics | diagnostics startup | 1 |
| Oracle | Enterprise software company that acquired Aconex | 2 |
| Ornata | 1 | |
| OurSonglines | 1 | |
| Pearlii | Social enterprise using AI to scan photos of teeth and gums for dental problems | 1 |
| Pepperstone | global online trading and fintech provider | 1 |
| Pluralsight | US online learning company | 1 |
| Powershop | 1 | |
| Preezie | Fast-growing Australian tech company backed by Skalata | 1 |
| Rabobank | 1 | |
| Rampersand | 1 | |
| REA | 1 | |
| REA Group | real estate and proptech group | 1 |
| ReciMe | 1 | |
| Redactive | Melbourne-based cybersecurity startup that helps companies manage data threats posed by AI | 1 |
| Canva enterprise client | 1 | |
| RedPoint | software group | 1 |
| Republic | US platform that acquired Seedrs | 1 |
| RMIT | 2 | |
| RocketSeeder | 1 | |
| Salesforce | Software company | 1 |
| SBE Australia | Delivers female-led programs | 1 |
| Scale Investors | 1 | |
| SecondQuarter Ventures | Liquidity solutions for investors, staff and founders | 1 |
| SEEK | Online employment marketplace co-founded in 1997 | 2 |
| shilo.people | 1 | |
| Solstice AI | using AI and satellite imagery to deliver short-term solar forecasts for solar farms | 1 |
| Space CoLAB | 1 | |
| St. Vincent's Hospital | 1 | |
| Startmate | Early-stage investment and mentorship for founders | 4 |
| Stone & Chalk | Deep tech innovation hub hosting ecosystem mixer | 1 |
| Swoop Aero | autonomous solutions | 2 |
| Synchron | 1 | |
| Telecare | 1 | |
| Tenacious Ventures | Venture firm backing early-stage agri-food startups | 1 |
| The Leaf Protein Co. | Developing functional plant proteins from green leaves | 2 |
| The Past Connection | A one‑stop platform where people can find and book heritage‑themed experiences, events an… | 2 |
| The Planet Fund | 1 | |
| Tractor Ventures | 2 | |
| Traits Insights | 1 | |
| Transurbun | 1 | |
| tRetail Labs | 2 | |
| Uber | Ride-hailing and delivery platform | 2 |
| Umbrellus | 1 | |
| University of Oxford | 1 | |
| VicHealth | 2 | |
| WeFunder | 1 | |
| WeGuide | 1 | |
| Wesfarmers | 1 | |
| Worksafe Victoria | 1 | |
| Xero | 1 | |
| XY Sense | 1 | |
| Y Combinator | 1 | |
| YieldX | 1 | |
| Zapier | 1 |
Investors named in LaunchVic's articles, most-covered first.