Corporate / CVC · 1 deal
Every published round BHP took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Role | Alongside | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plotlogic | Series A | 21 Mar 2022 | $25m | Lead | Startup Daily, Techboard, TechCrunch Australia |
Companies BHP has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plotlogic | 21 Mar 2022, Series A | 1 | 1 |
Fund closes reported for BHP, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies BHP has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal BHP did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Barry Formosa | Vice President of Safety (former) | Startup Daily |
| Coert Du Plessis | Global Data Strategy Lead (former) | Startup News (WA) |
| Dean Dalla Valle | Chief Commercial Officer (former) | Forbes Australia, @AuManufacturing |
| Mark Swinnerton | Executive (former) | RenewEconomy (Mon 22 Sep 2025), RenewEconomy (Tue 16 May 2023), RenewEconomy (Mon 14 Nov 2022), RenewEconomy (Mon 28 Mar 2022) |
| Todd Warner | VP of Learning (former) | Startup Daily |
Stories naming BHP. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
RocketDNA completed a US$1.44 million strategic placement, led by major shareholder Daniel Narayan through Sadietilly Capital, to fund its xBot drone hardware rollout, software engineering and security accreditation.
Profile of Australian battery-recycling company Renewable Metals, reporting its oversubscribed $12 million Series A with CEFC and Virescent Ventures leading, founder and CEO Luan Atkinson, and chair Peter Beaven.
Perth-based drilling and exploration software company CorePlan raised a follow-on round led by existing investor EVP to fund global expansion.
Brisbane drone mapping firm Emesent secures $15 million SAFE Note plus $10 million venture debt from federal government's National Reconstruction Fund.
Perth family office Verona Capital has bought majority control of mining-robotics maker Dredge Robotics, giving early investor Acorn Capital a 3.4x return, while the founders retain significant stakes and stay in charge.
Brisbane drone-mapping firm Emesent has raised $15 million via a SAFE note plus $10 million in venture debt from the National Reconstruction Fund — the fund's first such deal — four years after its Series A.
Melbourne preventive-health startup Everlab has banked an A$65 million Series A led by Airtree Ventures with Plural, Left Lane Capital and b2venture taking part, funding overseas growth starting in the UK.
Melbourne preventative health startup Everlab raised a $65 million Series A to fund UK expansion, with Airtree Ventures, Plural, b2venture, Left Lane Capital and cricketer Pat Cummins among the backers.
Adelaide magnetic-technology venture DryFlow Magnetics, freshly backed by a $10 million seed round, will trial its waterless ore-extraction system at Peak Iron's Hawks Nest site, targeting premium iron for green steel.
Navigation technology firm Advanced Navigation has banked a $158 million Series C, with Airtree leading and Quadrant plus the NRFC taking part, funding global expansion and Australian manufacturing scale-up.
Also Dealroom·Tech Funding News - Australia·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·TechCrunch Venture
Perth-based mining software firm CorePlan has secured $5 million in a follow-on raise, with existing backer EVP leading, to grow its team and push into drilling and geology workflows; BHP is a user.
Rio Tinto has signed a $35m-plus agreement backing Calix's green-iron demo plant in Western Australia, a project that earlier won an ARENA grant of as much as $44.9 million.
Also RenewEconomy
EVP sets out its case for backing SprintSuite, an operations platform for mining and engineering service firms co-founded by Fredy Galindo Jr. and Sandra Harris, citing insider credibility and strong early growth.
EVP's investment note reflects on its backing of SprintSuite, built for mining-sector service companies by founders with industry roots, citing insider credibility, rapid growth and a large untapped market.
Roundup of five Australian raises totalling $85 million: National Renewable Network's Series A, plus Syenta, Cuttable, SprintSuite and Bitwise Agronomy, with lead investors and expansion plans for each.
Fleet Space is partnering with three quantum sensor makers, mDetect, Nomad Atomics and DeteQt, to build next-generation exploration tools; the piece also recalls its HiSeis buyout and Series D round.
ARENA commits $19.8 million to NeoSmelt, a low-carbon steelmaking venture backed by BHP, Rio Tinto, BlueScope, Woodside and Mitsui; the pilot project near Perth earlier secured $75 million from Western Australia.
Sydney workforce-credential platform MyPass Global has closed a $7.5 million Series A round led by venture firm OneVentures, with funds earmarked for product development and growth across the Americas.
Weekly roundup of seven Australian and New Zealand raises totalling $42.8 million, spanning property-investment AI, workforce credentialing, allied-health practice software, conversation analytics, maths learning games, copper processing and holiday-park bookings.
Workforce credentialing platform MyPass has secured $7.5 million in Series A backing from OneVentures to grow across the Americas and further build its Skills Passport product. Scalare Partners seeded the company in 2020.
Also SmartCompany
Industry body AMGC publicises two past grant recipients that commercialised imaging technology: mDetect's muon system for tailings dam safety and EQ Resources' hyperspectral tungsten sorting, with grants of $248,191 and $600,000.
Analysis column arguing Australia's coal mine methane mitigation has stagnated, with Kestrel Coal mine's newly won matching grant and South32's planned trial the first commercial-scale projects in years, aided by government handouts.
News roundup: Cyclopharm's $20m placement, Eden Innovations' first Holcim orders, Rio Tinto and BHP electric haul truck trials, a hybrid boat's marine award, and a national rail procurement database launch.
Roundup of manufacturing briefs: Latrobe Magnesium's share placement, DroneShield and Cyclopharm results, Graphene Manufacturing Group's US OTCQX listing, an Electro Optic Systems dispute settlement, HEO London recruitment, and a green steel partnership.
Queensland's government is committing $130 million across five venture firms — Antler, Five V Capital, Main Sequence, Mandalay and Salus — via a new fund to widen early-stage funding for local startups.
Roundup: Arafura Rare Earths banks $25m for its rare earths project; Incitec Pivot, Electro Optic Systems and Alpha HPA announce leadership changes; Titomic extends its MD's contract; Cobram Estate grows US olive output.
Weekly roundup reporting eight Australian startups together raised $85.6 million across mining tech, cybersecurity, waste, energy storage, health and micromobility, plus a Google.org grant for Global Sisters.
Brisbane ore-scanning company Plotlogic has raised a Series B with Galvanise, Schneider Electric's venture arm and CSIRO's Main Sequence participating, the latter drawing on a freshly announced $450 million fund.
Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia
Defender's quarterly fund letter reports Q2 returns, AI and resources holdings, and portfolio company Lyka's second up-round at a stated US$150 million valuation.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Techboard·Business News Australia·Forbes Australia
A Canadian mining technology firm is setting up an Adelaide office, backed by South Australian government program funding, to adapt its rock-fracturing process for lunar mining alongside local research partners.
Steel maker BlueScope commits money and site space at Port Kembla for startup Green Gravity to build a gravity-based energy storage research lab, with construction beginning this month.
Also RenewEconomy
A manufacturing roundup covering Hazer's R&D tax refund, Atomo's South African test supply deal, Acrow's asset purchase, PureFoods' product revenue, a solar farm completion, BlueScope's accelerator applications, and a drone modem launch.
Green Gravity will trial its gravity energy storage in a closed NSW coal mine under an MoU with Yancoal, with a pre-feasibility study due in 2023, after a May capital raise.
Potentia's $400 million takeover approach for ASX-listed software firm Nitro was rejected, with the column examining Nitro's widening losses, executive pay, and Potentia's separate pursuit of payments company Tyro.
Fortescue announces leadership changes: Andrew Forrest becomes Executive Chairman as Elizabeth Gaines steps down, Mark Hutchinson to lead FFI, plus new appointments including Guy Debelle as CFO and board director Li Yifei.
Techboard's March 2022 roundup of Australian funding: megadeals by Immutable, Saluda Medical, Linktree and Zeller, many smaller raises, acquisitions, an IPO, several fund closes, and companies still seeking capital.
Green Gravity, a new Australian venture developing gravity-based power storage inside abandoned mine shafts and led by Mark Swinnerton, formerly of BHP, has early private backing and is in talks with governments and VCs.