Venture capital fund · 8 deals
Melbourne, VIC
Every published round Genesis Pre-Seed Fund 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.
Companies Genesis Pre-Seed Fund has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychae Therapeutics | 16 Nov 2023, Pre-seed | 1 | 1 | |
| The Leaf Protein Company | 12 Jun 2024 | 1 | 1 | |
| Flowing Bee | 5 Mar 2025, Pre-seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Mirugen | 14 Aug 2025, Seed | 1 | 0 | |
| PredicTx | 17 Oct 2025, Pre-seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Fluent | 4 Aug 2026, Seed | 1 | 0 | |
| R2Crete | 1 Oct 2026, Pre-seed | 1 | 0 | |
| Neurala Biosciences | - | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for Genesis Pre-Seed Fund, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Genesis Pre-Seed Fund has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Genesis Pre-Seed Fund did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Winnie Gao | Investment Associate | Brandon BioCatalyst, insightnews.com.au, cera.org.au, mirugen.com |
| Hun Gan | CEO | SmartCompany |
Stories naming Genesis Pre-Seed Fund. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
A University of Melbourne spinout has raised pre-seed capital from Uniseed and the university's Genesis fund to build a pilot plant turning waste concrete into low-carbon aggregates and cement replacement.
Also Startup Daily·Dealroom·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·This Week in Australian Startups
Weekly roundup reporting Australian startup funding rounds and government grants, a venture fund close, agreed acquisitions, an IPO pricing, a collapse, plus executive hires and AI policy developments.
Roundup of three Australian raises: Skopos Bio's $12m seed for targeted cancer radiopharmaceuticals, Trendspek's $6m for infrastructure condition AI, and R2Crete's $750,000 pre-seed for concrete recycling.
Also Startup Daily·This Week in Australian Startups·Cut Through Venture
Melbourne behavioural-intelligence startup Flowing Bee hires Jonny Hanratty from The Lab to lead applied research and strategy amid rapid growth; named backers include Archangel Ventures, Antler and LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund.
Victorian pre-seed program BVUIP, backed by Breakthrough Victoria and seven universities, has funded startups EntroMat, Excelligent and Remagine Labs, plus fellowship grants for three PhD-led ventures.
A University of Melbourne spin-out using AI to tailor chemotherapy doses has banked pre-seed capital from the university's Genesis fund, plus public grant money and angels, to commercialise its oncology platform.
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.
Mirugen, a Melbourne biotech spun out of an eye research institute, has closed a A$4.5m seed round with three backers and hired Charlotte Casebourne Stock as chair and acting chief executive.
Also cera.org.au·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·insightnews.com.au
Australian Catholic University signs on as the seventh university in Breakthrough Victoria's co-investment platform, with matched funding pledged; the article also recaps four earlier startup investments via Melbourne's Genesis Pre-Seed fund.
Flowing Bee, which applies psychology and AI to marketing decisions, has picked up $1.6 million in pre-seed money from Archangel Ventures and several other backers.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany
Weekly roundup detailing new funding for eight local startups: home lending, document verification, farm water monitoring, alcoholic drinks, freight software, leaf protein, artist content sales and organic bedding, totalling over $36 million.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany
Melbourne startup extracting protein from leaves has raised $850,000 in a round led by the University of Melbourne's Genesis fund, with Breakthrough Victoria, LaunchVic, Loyal VC and Big Idea Ventures also investing.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany
Melbourne university funds backed a psychedelic medicines startup; six campus startups were showcased, and Tanarra Capital reported $100 million committed toward its alumni founders fund target.
Roundup of the week's Australian raises: Sitemate, Kashcade, Psychae Therapeutics, MediCann Health, Refilled and Upworth together banked $21.3 million across software, lending, psychedelic medicine, cannabis and drink dispensing.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia
University of Melbourne's Tin Alley Ventures fund has raised $100 million toward a $200 million target, backed by the university, Breakthrough Victoria and local business figures, with a second close targeted for mid-2023.
Also @AuManufacturing
Breakthrough Victoria's chief executive reviews the investment firm's first operating year, recalling backing for several startups, a university pre-seed fund platform, a quantum technology facility, and a new environmental challenge program.
University of Melbourne launches a $15m pre-seed fund with Breakthrough Victoria and a $100m fund run by Tanarra Capital for research commercialisation; the piece also recalls ANU's Instaclustr sale to NetApp.