Loam Bio

Innovation rewarded at field days

Loam Bio's FurrowMate biological applicator has won the 2025 Henty Machine of the Year Award at the field days, with PhiBer's DASH spraying system highly commended.

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

A news roundup covering a government-backed hydrogen project for Telstra, a climate tech fund's first close, new appointments at a South Australian agency and a feed company, plus export approvals and science prizes.

Also @AuManufacturing

Data snapshot: From ‘lightning in a box’ to microbial carbon capture, agrifoodtech investment moves upstream in Australia as investors focus on climate mitigation

A data review of 2023's ten largest Australian agrifoodtech raises, topped by Loam Bio's US$73.2 million Series B, showing funding down 33% as capital concentrated in upstream climate-mitigation startups.

Looking toward the future of Australian AgTech

Investible reflects on five takeaways from the evokeAG 2024 conference in Perth, covering tighter capital, carbon credit debates, regenerative farming, and AI's growing role in agriculture.

Mike Cannon-Brookes names former Macquarie banker Tan Kueh as Grok's CEO

Mike Cannon-Brookes' investment vehicle Grok Ventures has hired Tan Kueh, ex-Macquarie, UBS and BlackRock, as CEO, joining CIO Jeremy Kwong-Law, as it sharpens its strategy around climate investing.

The top 20 agtech deals of 2023

A year-end countdown of 2023's twenty largest agtech funding rounds, from biofuels and carbon marketplaces to farm robotics, with EcoCeres' $400 million raise at the top.

Also AgFunderNews

Australia's climate tech industry is booming, but it could bust without funds

Feature on Australia's fast-growing climate tech sector, recounting raises at companies including Neara, Loam Bio, Goterra and Great Wrap, and warning that scarce growth capital and limited foreign investment could stall the industry.

The 10 biggest capital raises by Australian startups in 2023

A year-end SmartCompany roundup counting down 2023's ten largest Australian startup raises, headed by Employment Hero's $263m Series F, with investor details and commentary on fewer mega-rounds and continued under-representation of women co-founders.

Data snapshot: Ag Biotechnology investment surges in Asia-Pacific as funding swims upstream

AgFunder's Asia-Pacific investment analysis finds agriculture-focused biotech surged in 2022, with China and India ahead, while Australian soil-carbon firm Loam Bio landed a sizable round in 2023.

Also AgFunderNews

From Buildings To Ocean Water, Startups Are Finding More Places To Stow Carbon

Crunchbase News surveys recently funded carbon removal startups storing CO2 in oceans, soil, underground and concrete, and notes large carbon-capture acquisitions by oil and gas buyers.

Also AgFunderNews

Canberra-based satellite maker Skykraft raises $120 million

Canberra satellite firm Skykraft has raised $120 million to manage air traffic from space, with backing from Foresight Australia, OPTrust and Main Sequence; the round trails only Saluda Medical's this year.

Also Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·proactiveinvestors.com·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany

These Are The Most Active And Spendiest Cleantech Investors

Crunchbase data analysis ranking the busiest cleantech investors, led by Lowercarbon Capital, and citing large sustainability rounds at Loam Bio, Our Next Energy, Ohmium and Palmetto Clean Technology.

Startup funding dropped massively in 2023, but AI and climate tech are still winners

KPMG data shows Australian startup funding fell sharply in early 2023, though AI and climate tech stayed strong, with several large raises listed and a new Main Sequence fund announced.

Also Startup Daily

CommBank plants funding in $220 Series A for climate change investor Wollemi Capital

Wollemi Capital, the Sydney climate investor, has closed a $220m raise, past its initial $100m goal, backed by CBA, Trawalla and others; the article recalls its bets on Loam Bio, Pluton Bio and Pachama.

Australia's regional areas lead the way in technological revolution

Feature on tech startups thriving outside Australian capitals, recording Cauldron's seed raise and government backing, with views from investors and founders at regional companies.

Techboard analysed the first quarter of 2023 VC funding and found more than $1 billion went into 111 deals

Techboard's new quarterly tally counted $1.01 billion in local VC deals, well above a rival firm's figure, with four megadeals by Loam, Till Payments, Songtradr and Xpansiv.

Three Australian startups that landed over $22 million this week

A weekly roundup reporting three Australian startups that raised funds: Cauldron's seed round, Lumiant's seed extension, and FLAIM Systems' Series A, each with lead investors named.

Cauldron raises $7m to expand precision fermentation platform using 'smaller, smarter, cheaper' continuous process

Also SmartCompany·Women's Agenda·@AuManufacturing·SmartCompany

Cauldron brews $10.5 million to globalise its precision fermentation platform

Regional NSW precision fermentation startup Cauldron has raised a $10.5 million seed round led by Main Sequence Ventures, following an earlier Queensland government investment, to expand its pilot facilities.

Also Women's Agenda·@AuManufacturing·AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Six Australian startups that landed $178 million this week

Weekly roundup reporting six Australian startup raises totalling $178 million, headed by Loam's $105 million Series B, with rounds for Shift, Quantum Brilliance, SwarmFarm, Tracksuit and Getahead.

Also SmartCompany

The Week in AgriFoodTech: GrainChain raises $29m, Brigad bags $30m, AeroFarms & iFarm head to MENA

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup reporting numerous funding rounds including Loam Bio's Series B and SwarmFarm's Series A, plus partnerships, OrderEZ acquiring FoodRazor, and vertical farming expansion into the Middle East.

Also SmartCompany

Loam Bio raises $105m Series B to boost soil carbon sequestration

Soil-carbon startup Loam Bio has secured a A$105 million Series B and is bringing its CarbonBuilder inoculant and SecondCrop offerings to Australian growers, its backer Virescent Ventures reports.

Also Main Sequence·AgFunderNews·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia·AgFunderNews·AgFunderNews·AgFunderNews·AgFunderNews·Crunchbase News·Crunchbase News·TechCrunch Venture

Climate change agtech startup Loam raises $105 million Series B

Agtech startup Loam has raised a $105 million Series B co-led by Lowercarbon Capital and Wollemi Capital, following a $40 million Series A, to commercialise its soil-carbon technology.

Downforce Technologies draws investor support with innovative soil carbon solution

Soil carbon measurement startup Downforce Technologies closed a $3 million seed round backed by CEFC's Clean Energy Innovation Fund, Perivoli Innovations and Tiverton, with Australia as its first target market.

EXCLUSIVE: Hone brings on impact investor following $4.7m Series A for realtime soil carbon testing

Silverstrand Capital led a secondary purchase of a stake in soil carbon testing firm Hone, following its GrainCorp-led Series A. The piece profiles Hone Carbon's spectrometry technology, customers and scale-up plans.

Also GrainCorp Ventures

CTV Funding News - October 2021

Cut Through Venture's November newsletter rounds up October 2021's record deal count for Australian startups, listing raises across climate, fintech, cybersecurity and legal tech, plus Startmate Demo Day graduates and active investors.

Ten climate-conscious startups that have raised millions in 2021 so far

A roundup of climate-focused startups that secured investment during 2021, led by Loam Bio's $40 million carbon sequestration round, spanning clean energy, waste, lithium, and plant-based protein companies across Australia and New Zealand.

Also SmartCompany

Using microbes to accelerate carbon removal – Loam Bio raises AUD $40m Series A

Australian microbial carbon-removal startup Loam Bio raised a $40 million Series A led by TIME Ventures, with CEFC, Main Sequence, Horizons Ventures and others joining; Virescent Ventures says it has invested $5.8 million.

Also Startup Daily·AgFunderNews·SmartCompany·Cut Through Venture·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia

CEFC backs cattle and sheep farmers with technology to lift productivity and boost soil carbon

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation committed $5 million to livestock software firm AgriWebb within a larger capital raising led by TELUS Ventures, funding emissions-tracking tools; an earlier Loam Bio investment is also recalled.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Crunchbase News·RenewEconomy·AgFunderNews·Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·TechCrunch Venture·Beef Central / Grain Central