Artesian VC

Melbourne's Elita raises $1.9M to extend dogs' healthy lives

Pet-health startup Elita Genetics, based in Melbourne, has secured $1.9 million to grow from cell banking into canine longevity, with Boost VC leading and four other backers alongside.

Also Startup Daily

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #176, 30th August 2026

Weekly roundup: Blackbird confirms a record fund close and Galileo reaches a first close, Genesis merges with Proudi, IREN secures massive debt, and several startups report raises, grants and program wins.

Galileo Ventures reaches first close on its second fund

Artesian writes that Galileo Ventures' second fund has closed $15 million of a $30 million target, counting Artesian and Innovation Victoria among its backers, and has made a first investment in Fluent BCI.

Also Galileo Ventures portfolio·Dealroom·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Dealroom

Galileo Ventures reaches first close of $15M on $30M second fund

Galileo Ventures has closed the first half of its second fund at $15 million, targeting $30 million, with Innovation Victoria a cornerstone backer; the fund's first cheque went to brain-interface startup Fluent BCI.

BioScout raises A$6.75 million to take its agricultural technology global.

Uniseed announces portfolio company BioScout's A$6.75 million round co-led by Demea Sustainable Investment and Astanor to scale its crop disease sensor network internationally.

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #173, 9th August 2026

Weekly roundup: Firmus completes its $2.85b round; Procore acquires DroneDeploy; Atlassian rebounds while Canva cuts guidance; plus fresh raises for Zabidou, BioScout, Vexev, Enrola, Spacetalk and others.

Also Dealroom·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

MatrixOrigin Raises $10M Series A to Scale Enterprise AI Infrastructure

MatrixOrigin announced completing a Series A above $10 million with HAND, AsiaCom and Australian-headquartered Artesian among the backers; the piece also recalls a 2025 Pre-A+ round and six earlier institutional investors.

Also matrixorigin.io

BioScout raises $4.8m for early warning system for fungal pathogens

BioScout, an Australian maker of AI spore-detection sensors for crops, has raised a seed round from Demea Sustainable Investment, Astanor and others to expand its sensor network and European presence.

Also Dealroom·agritechdigest.com·app.fundz.net·This Week in Australian Startups·winssolutions.org·agroempresario.com·finsmes.com·agrospectrumasia.com

Neara joins the billion-dollar club with $90 million Series D

Australian grid digital-twin startup Neara raised a $90 million Series D led by TCV, reaching unicorn status amid rising data centre power demand.

Energy grid digital twin platform Neara turns unicorn with $90 million Series D

Australian grid-modelling startup Neara raised a $90 million Series D led by TCV, valuing the company above $1 billion, funding ML and expansion.

Green fertiliser startup PlasmaLeap lands $28 million Series A

Sydney cleantech PlasmaLeap raised a US$20m Series A to build fertiliser hubs and expand green ammonia reactor technology for farmers.

Eight ANZ startups that raised $102 million this fortnight

Roundup of eight Australian and New Zealand startups whose late-July funding totals $102 million across space capsules, medical devices, livestock breath analysis, sports analytics and AI crop forecasting.

GrainCorp Ventures participates in Series A funding for PlasmaLeap fertiliser technology

GrainCorp's venture arm has joined a Series A backing PlasmaLeap Technologies, an Australian maker of modular on-farm fertiliser systems, which will use the funds for its first hubs in NSW and Tasmania.

Also GrainCorp Ventures·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Six Aussie startups that raised $123.2 million this week

A weekly roundup detailing new funding rounds for six Australian startups: Lyka, PlasmaLeap, Firmable, Veyor, Lumonus and Future Minds Network, with investors and round details.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

PlasmaLeap raises $28 million to scale green fertiliser tech

PlasmaLeap, a Sydney maker of emissions-free fertiliser technology, has closed a US$20m Series A backed by Gates Foundation, Investible, Yara Growth Ventures and other investors.

Also SmartCompany·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

Cheque-in: 10 ANZ startups raised nearly $193 million this week

Weekly roundup of ten Australian and New Zealand startup raises totalling nearly $194 million, topped by Neara's $90 million round at a $1.1 billion valuation, with Splose, Operata, HAMR Energy and Adora also covered.

‘Devastating decision’: women founders backed by LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund on the merger and uncertainty

Founders backed by LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund fear the fund may not survive the Victorian government's confirmed merger of LaunchVic with Breakthrough Victoria; the piece recalls raises by Elita, MoreGoodDays and TalkiPlay.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Seven ANZ startups that raised $93.1 million this week

Roundup of seven trans-Tasman raises worth $93.1m this week, headlined by IND Technology's $50m round, with LawVu also acquiring ClauseBase.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Ferronova raises another $6 million to advance image-guided cancer surgery

Adelaide medtech Ferronova has banked another $6 million from returning backers to advance its surgical tracer for cancer, lifting Series A funding to $17.5 million; backer parent UltraGreen.ai floated in Singapore this month.

Also movefm.com.au

Biotech Ferronova boosts Series A capital raise by $6m

Adelaide biotech Ferronova added $6 million to its Series A from prior backers, lifting the round's total to $17.5 million; backer Renew's parent Ultragreen.ai floated in Singapore this month.

Also ferronova.com.au·movefm.com.au·Biotech Dispatch·Startup Daily

“Devastating decision”: Founders backed by Alice Anderson Fund criticise LaunchVic’s closure

Victorian women-led startup founders warn a government restructure merging LaunchVic with Breakthrough Victoria could end the Alice Anderson Fund's backing, recalling raises by Elita, MoreGoodDays and TalkiPlay.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Yield by Artesian: Aligning Capital, Capability and Innovation for Australia’s Agrifood Future

Artesian's write-up of its first Yield summit in Melbourne, where agrifood leaders discussed AI, biologicals, robotics, agri-energy and biosecurity, and how RDCs, investors and corporates can together speed Australian agricultural innovation.

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 Tech Funding News - Australia·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

MyGig raises $1M for casual payroll and compliance platform

SmartCompany reports MyGig's $1 million pre-seed round, led by Artesian with Hostplus funds, to grow an employer-of-record service handling payroll and workplace compliance for casual workforces.

Wayfinding startup BindiMaps emerges from administration with new owners

BindiMaps has exited administration with fresh owners set to broaden its commercial focus; the piece recalls earlier Artesian backing and a $1 million NSW government grant.

VC EVP's legal fight with StrongRoom AI to recover its $10.4 million investment continues as liquidator grills

EVP's Federal Court bid to claw back $10.4 million from collapsed healthtech StrongRoom AI continues, with liquidator examinations of former directors ahead; the rebooted business has since raised fresh funds under owner Joe Zhou.

Also AFR Technology·This Week in Australian Startups·Dealroom

Hullbot raises $16m from the bottom of the harbour

Cheque-in: 8 ANZ startups banked $53.46 million in funding this week

Weekly roundup of eight Australian and New Zealand funding rounds totalling about $53.5 million, led by SwarmFarm Robotics' $30 million Series B for its farm robots.

Eight ANZ startups that raised $53.56 million this week

Funding roundup: eight trans-Tasman startups together secured $53.56 million, topped by SwarmFarm Robotics' Series B, with Amber, Javln, Enhance Labs, Indi, Wych, Lift Women and Ambra Spirits also raising capital.

Clean Energy Finance Corporation ploughs $7 million into Queensland robotics agtech's $30m Series B

Agtech robotics firm SwarmFarm raised a $30m Series B led by Edaphon, with CEFC, QIC and Artesian taking part, to boost production and push into North America.

SwarmFarm Robotics harvests $30 million for its farm bot fleet

Queensland agricultural robotics firm SwarmFarm has raised a Series B led by a European backer, with several local investors taking part, to expand robot production and enter the North American market.

Also @AuManufacturing·AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·AgFunderNews

Cheque-in: 19 ANZ startups that raised $69 million this week

Weekly roundup covering 19 Australian and New Zealand raises, headlined by Andromeda Robotics' $23m Series A, plus Freckle, Marloo, X-Hemp, Harvest B, Wable, Starboard and Techstars Sydney's 12-startup cohort.

Also SmartCompany

19 ANZ startups that raised $66.7 million this week

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Nursing home robots startup powers up on $23 million Series A

Battery efficiency startup Voltavate powers up on $850,000 pre-Seed raise

Melbourne battery-separator startup Voltavate has banked $850,000 in an Artesian-led pre-seed round, with Investible, Electrifi Ventures and angel backers taking part, to make energy storage safer and more efficient.

Also RenewEconomy

Construction site safety proptech bags rival amid $4.5 million raise

1Breadcrumb has acquired Canberra rival SignOnSite and raised a $4.5 million SAFE note from Five V Capital, Tribe Global Ventures and a US family office, creating a merged construction-safety technology provider.

Also SmartCompany

After investing $10.4 million, EVP claims StrongRoom AI's CEO and cofounder admitted to fraud with fake revenue numbers

EVP alleges StrongRoom AI's CEO admitted fabricated revenue and debt figures after the Sydney VC invested $10.4m in a $17m raise; the Melbourne startup is now in administration with assets frozen.

Strong Room AI's administrators press ahead with sale amid court battle over $10 million

Strong Room AI, a Melbourne medicines-management startup, is in voluntary administration weeks after a February raise; investor EVP's court action froze assets while administrators seek a buyer and creditors meet on April 8.

‘The investor’s role is to build, not to destroy’: StrongRoom AI’s Seed backer takes aim at EVP amid pending legal battle over $10.4 million

Tyson & Blake, which seeded StrongRoom AI, threatens legal action against EVP, which is suing to recover its $10.4 million after the Melbourne medtech entered administration.

VC firm EVP calls in police at startup StrongRoom AI weeks after leading $17 million investment

EVP has involved police and forensic experts as it seeks to claw back its $17 million backing of Melbourne medication firm StrongRoom AI, weeks after the round it led with Artesian and InterValley Ventures.