VC firm blog
Everything we hold that Main Sequence Ventures portfolio published.
Every article we hold from Main Sequence Ventures portfolio.
Main Sequence sets out its investment thesis for physical AI, describing portfolio companies across robotics, vision, connectivity, compute and simulation, and recalling over $100 million invested since inception.
Main Sequence explains its decision to back Facet Amtech again alongside Uniseed in a $3 million round, funding the startup's water-based ammonia catalyst work and its first pilot plant.
Also AgFunderNews·Dealroom
Main Sequence announces a follow-on seed investment in Zabidou, an industrial vision-systems startup it earlier backed at pre-seed, and recalls its previous backing of founder Cibby Pulikkaseril's LiDAR company Baraja.
Also Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·This Week in Australian Startups
Main Sequence's post sets out why the fund backed Aigentsphere, which builds governance tooling for enterprise AI agents, citing the founders' banking backgrounds and a $4 million seed raise.
Main Sequence reflects on its early backing of Deteqt through its Atmosphere platform, describing the startup's diamond-based quantum magnetic sensing chip and its case that machines need better ways to perceive their surroundings.
Main Sequence's post explains why the firm invested in Andromeda Robotics, pointing to aged-care workforce shortages, resident loneliness, and early customer enthusiasm for the Abi companion robot.
Interview with Terria founder Ana Belgun on the geospatial digital-twin company's CSIRO origins, government and infrastructure customers, 3D data challenges, and a planned Singapore hub.
Main Sequence announces backing Cortisonic, a deep-tech startup coming out of stealth with phononic chips for low-power edge AI, plus an Australian defence contract and a Lockheed Martin partnership.
Also Forbes Australia
Main Sequence explains why it backed Currus Biologics, whose BEAT platform aims to make CAR-T cell therapies effective against solid tumours, starting with mesothelin-positive cancers, as the team prepares for a clinical trial.
Main Sequence's blog post announces it led robotics software startup Breaker's pre-seed round, citing the founders' defence and robotics backgrounds and plans to expand the team and US presence.
Interview with Michele Stansfield on building Cauldron, a biomanufacturing company created to take over fermentation firm Agritechnology, her move into deep tech leadership, and plans for a purpose-built facility.
Interview with Kylee Hall, chief executive of medical device maker Cylite, on joining the Main Sequence-backed company, scaling its team, and preparing a deep-tech healthcare business for a future sale.
Main Sequence explains how it judges which AI startups build lasting value, setting out focus areas in neglected industries, efficient computing and robotics, and citing several firms from its portfolio.
Main Sequence opens a three-part series explaining its AI investment thesis, the market shifts behind it, and where it sees long-term value, citing several portfolio companies.
Main Sequence's investment post explains why the fund led geospatial platform Terria's seed round, covering its CSIRO origins, digital twin technology, and deployments for Tokyo and several Australian governments.
Main Sequence's post on leading ElectraLith's $27.5m Series A with Chevron, IP Group and other co-investors, backing its technology that turns lithium-bearing brines into battery-ready hydroxide in one step.
Also Radium Capital·Radium Capital·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy
Main Sequence reflects on Maxwell Plus, an early machine-vision healthcare bet it made in 2017 and later wound up, with founder and investor each sharing candid go-to-market and hiring lessons from the failure.
Also Startup Daily
Main Sequence's blog spotlights Uluu's Julia Reisser, who moved from oceanography into making biodegradable seaweed-based plastics, recalling the company's Startmate beginnings and its first product with Quiksilver.
Main Sequence describes overhauling its deal-review process after unflattering founder feedback, cutting decision times, and asks the startup community for further input.
Main Sequence unveils Atmosphere, a new program backing young Australian deep tech companies with capital and mentoring, and brings on Grace Bird to lead it as Head of Atmosphere.
Main Sequence's post explains why the fund backed quantum computing company Diraq, citing its silicon qubit approach, a chip-production deal with Global Foundries, and prior investment from Quantonation.
Also Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily
Main Sequence's essay argues science-born technology needs patient, long-horizon capital rather than quick software-style exits, citing portfolio company Samsara Eco's partnership with Lululemon as an example of deep tech's transformative payoff.
Main Sequence announces it is leading a seed extension round in Xefco, whose Ausora plasma machine replaces water-heavy textile dyeing.
Under Breakthrough Victoria ·leads this story in the feed
QVCDF money is going into Main Sequence to fund Queensland deep tech investing; the state government's extra $55 million takes the program to $130 million.
Deep tech venture firm Main Sequence has reached an initial A$450 million close on its third fund, pushing money under management past A$1 billion; Hostplus, Temasek and CSIRO are among the backers.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·TechCrunch Australia·@AuManufacturing
Main Sequence announces it led a $2.2 million seed round in Arlula, a startup building a platform for simpler access to satellite imagery and geospatial data.
Main Sequence's blog post announces soil-carbon startup Loam Bio's newly revealed $105 million Series B, led by Lower Carbon Capital and Wollemi Capital, with the fund reinvesting alongside existing backers.
Under Virescent Ventures portfolio ·leads this story in the feed
Main Sequence announces Gabrielle Munzer's promotion to its first Partner, tracing her journey from capital markets through Senior Associate and Principal roles and the signals the firm values in venture partners.
Australia's Main Sequence fund promotes Gabrielle Munzer to Partner to lead its biotech push; the article also covers her finance background, the firm's company-building model, a UNSW accelerator, and recent diverse hires.
Main Sequence announces Danielle Haj Moussa as a new part-time investment analyst, highlighting her mechatronics degree, University Medal, startup program experience and her co-founding of a tech-for-good community.
Main Sequence's blog post sets out why the fund led RIOS's US$28 million Series A, highlighting the robotics firm's automated workcells, usage-based pricing, and fit with Australia's manufacturing strategy.
Main Sequence's blog reports a $150 million commitment to CSIRO for the innovation fund it manages to speed research commercialisation, plus background on the firm's 2017 formation and its 39 deep tech investments.
Main Sequence recounts how personal relationships across CSIRO, Woolworths, ANU and prior ventures converged over years to found plastic-recycling startup Samsara Eco.
Main Sequence announces Australian Ethical has joined its second fund as a strategic backer, pairing ethical capital with deep tech investing to address challenges across health, food, space and industrial productivity.
Australia's Main Sequence has pulled in A$250 million for its second deep tech fund, with existing backers returning and a sharpened emphasis on decarbonisation investments.
Deals recorded from Main Sequence Ventures portfolio's coverage. A round is listed once, however many of their articles mention it.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facet Amtech | Seed | 26 Aug 2026 | $3m | |
| Aigentsphere | Seed | 4 Aug 2026 | $4m | |
| Zabidou | Seed | 3 Aug 2026 | $3.5m | |
| Cortisonic | undisclosed | 2 Feb 2026 | - | |
| ElectraLith | Series A | 16 Jan 2025 | $27.5m | |
| Diraq | Series A | 25 Jun 2024 | $10.5m | |
| Xefco | Seed | 29 Apr 2024 | $10.5m | |
| Arlula | Seed | 22 May 2023 | $2.2m | |
| Loam Bio | Series B | 13 Feb 2023 | $105m | |
| RIOS | Series A | 23 Feb 2022 | US$28m (A$39m) | |
| Deteqt | Accelerator | undated | - |
Companies named in Main Sequence Ventures portfolio's articles, most-covered first.
| Company | What it does | Articles |
|---|---|---|
| Accenture | 1 | |
| Advanced Navigation | Navigation technology company using AI, robotics and sensing for GPS-independent position… | 3 |
| Agritechnology | Firm acquired by Cauldron holding proprietary hyper-fermentation IP | 1 |
| Aigentsphere | Platform for managing and governing enterprise AI agents | 1 |
| Airvolute | Industry partner working with Breaker on autonomous technology | 1 |
| Andromeda | Personalised robot companions for aged care and assisted living | 1 |
| Andromeda Robotics | 1 | |
| Anduril | Defence technology partner of Advanced Navigation | 1 |
| ANU | Australian National University | 2 |
| Arkeus | AI-powered sensing systems for autonomous platforms | 1 |
| Arlula | Earth Observation data platform giving seamless access to satellite imagery and data | 1 |
| Atmosphere | Main Sequence's pre-seed fund | 1 |
| Australia's Economic Accelerator | federal government program | 1 |
| Australian Government | 2 | |
| Australian Institute of Machine Learning (AIML) | Research institute partnering with Breaker on AI capabilities | 1 |
| Baraja | Developer of advanced LiDAR systems for autonomous vehicles | 3 |
| Blackbird Ventures | 1 | |
| Breaker | AI agent software letting operators coordinate teams of autonomous military systems via v… | 2 |
| Cambridge | 1 | |
| Castlepoint | AI-powered enterprise software | 1 |
| Cauldron | 2 | |
| CBA | Major Australian bank where Aigentsphere founders previously held senior roles. | 1 |
| Challenger | Financial services company where Gabrielle Munzer previously worked | 2 |
| Champ Ventures | 1 | |
| Cortisonic | Developer of acoustic wave computing chips (Sonic Processing Unit) for low-power Edge AI … | 1 |
| Coviu | telehealth platform | 1 |
| Currus Biologics | Biotech developing the BEAT platform to unlock CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumours | 1 |
| Cursor | AI startup cited for reaching $100M annual revenue rapidly | 1 |
| Cylite | Melbourne-based deep tech company developing optical coherence tomography devices for eye… | 1 |
| Daiwa Capital Markets Australia Limited | 1 | |
| Data61 | The group managing the CDR Data Standards Body. | 1 |
| Deteqt | Deep tech spin-out building diamond quantum chips for magnetic field detection | 1 |
| Diffuse Energy | 1 | |
| Diraq | Quantum computing company building spin qubit chips on silicon | 1 |
| Droneshield | Counter-drone technology company | 1 |
| Eden Brew | Animal-free dairy company | 5 |
| ElectraLith | Developer of a novel electrochemical direct lithium extraction technology producing batte… | 1 |
| Emesent | Drone and LiDAR mapping technology spinout of CSIRO for hazardous, GPS-denied environments | 5 |
| Endua | Queensland energy company backed by Main Sequence. | 5 |
| Facet Amtech | Australian startup developing a multifunctional catalyst for ammonia production | 1 |
| Future Feed | CSIRO-invented seaweed-based technology aimed at producing carbon-neutral beef. | 1 |
| Gilmour Space | Queensland rocket builder and launchpad scaleup | 2 |
| Global Foundries | Semiconductor manufacturing company | 1 |
| Technology company operator of Firebase, referenced as comparison | 2 | |
| Hargrave Technologies | Robotics/defence technology company | 1 |
| Kapiche | AI-powered enterprise software | 1 |
| Kasada | AI company in a whitespace industry | 3 |
| Loam Bio | Agtech company developing microbial soil-carbon technology and farmer carbon projects | 1 |
| Lululemon | Retail apparel company that entered offtake agreement with Samsara Eco | 1 |
| Lumachain | AI company in a whitespace industry | 5 |
| Maxwell Plus | Machine-vision-powered clinician support system for prostate cancer detection, later pivo… | 1 |
| Metacognition AI | An AI startup building 'Windows for robots', an operating system for AI agents sitting un… | 1 |
| MGA Thermal | Developer of Miscibility Gaps Alloy blocks for industrial thermal energy storage | 1 |
| Millibeam | 1 | |
| Morgan Stanley | Investment bank where Gabrielle Munzer previously worked | 2 |
| Morse Micro | Hardware/Robotics/IoT company | 1 |
| NSW Government | 1 | |
| Oli | Wireless wearable device monitoring maternal and fetal signals during childbirth | 1 |
| Optus | Australian telecommunications company where Aigentsphere founders previously held senior … | 1 |
| Pending AI | AI company in a whitespace industry | 2 |
| Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre | Cancer research and treatment centre in Melbourne | 1 |
| Plotlogic | Queensland critical minerals technology company backed by Main Sequence. | 2 |
| Presien | AI company in a whitespace industry | 3 |
| Q-CTRL | 2 | |
| QIC Ventures | 1 | |
| Quantonation | 1 | |
| Quasar Satellite Technologies | Company created through Main Sequence's Venture Science model | 2 |
| Queensland Government | 1 | |
| Queensland Venture Capital Development Fund | 1 | |
| Quiksilver | Surf apparel and equipment brand | 1 |
| QUT | 1 | |
| RapidAIM | 1 | |
| Regrow | AI company in a whitespace industry, likely agriculture-related | 2 |
| RIOS | Physical AI/robotics portfolio company | 3 |
| Samsara Eco | AI-powered enzyme discovery platform for recycling plastics at scale | 5 |
| SensorOps | Industry partner working with Breaker on autonomous technology | 1 |
| Sidekick | 1 | |
| Square Peg Capital | 1 | |
| Stanford | University from which RIOS technology was spun out. | 1 |
| Startmate | Early-stage investment and mentorship for founders | 1 |
| Swoop Aero | autonomous solutions | 1 |
| SynBio 10x | Australia's first biotech accelerator program focused on synthetic biology | 1 |
| Terria | Builds digital twin platforms for governments and infrastructure organisations using geos… | 3 |
| The University of Sydney | 1 | |
| Uluu | Deep tech startup making biodegradable plastic alternatives from seaweed-derived PHA | 1 |
| University of Newcastle | University where Facet Amtech was previously based | 1 |
| University of Queensland | Research university where Cortisonic's underlying phononic computing research originated | 1 |
| UNSW | 1 | |
| UNSW Founders | 1 | |
| v2 | Alternative protein company. | 3 |
| v2food | 2 | |
| Veolia | 1 | |
| Woolworths | Australian grocery retailer using electric truck delivery fleets | 1 |
| Xefco | Deep tech company using plasma-based deposition technology to dye and finish textiles wit… | 1 |
| Xerox PARC | Research lab where RIOS's founding team originated. | 1 |
| Zabidou | AI computer vision for automated industrial robotics QA | 2 |
Investors named in Main Sequence Ventures portfolio's articles, most-covered first.
| Investor | What it does | Articles |
|---|---|---|
| Main Sequence Ventures | 33 | |
| CSIRO | Australia's national science research agency, from which Terria spun out | 8 |
| Hostplus | 2 | |
| Lockheed Martin | 2 | |
| Morgan Stanley Wealth Management | 2 | |
| Temasek | 2 | |
| Australian Department of Defence | 1 | |
| Australian Ethical | 1 | |
| Australian Ethical Investment | Ethical superannuation and managed investment funds | 1 |
| Breakthrough Victoria | 1 | |
| Chevron | 1 | |
| Daiwa Securities Group | 1 | |
| Fathom Fund | 1 | |
| Horizons Ventures | 1 | |
| In-Q-Tel | 1 | |
| IP Group Australia | Venture firm backing early-stage science and technology companies | 1 |
| LGT Crestone | 1 | |
| Lower Carbon Capital | 1 | |
| Marathon Petroleum | 1 | |
| Monash University | University partnered on Remagine Labs spin-out | 1 |
| NGS | 1 | |
| Rio Tinto | 1 | |
| The Grantham Foundation | 1 | |
| Uniseed | Venture fund backing early-stage deep tech and life science companies | 1 |
| Vista Energy | 1 | |
| Wollemi Capital | 1 |