Founder, Harvest Road Group
Stories naming Nicola Forrest. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Weekly digest: Firmus withdraws its planned listing, Square Peg reaches a billion-dollar close on two vehicles, MUFG clears regulators to buy Grow Inc, and Lubdub, RocketDNA, Energy Bay and Metal all raise.
Nicola Forrest's Coaxial Foundation commits up to US$19.4M as anchor limited partner in Antler's third Australian fund, with part earmarked for grants and support aimed at women-founded startups.
Antler's third Australian fund has drawn a $20m commitment from Nicola Forrest's Coaxial Foundation, part of up to $30m backing women founders via grants and co-investment through the new Momentum program.
Brandon Capital has put roughly $60 million of National Reconstruction Fund money into ten biotech companies and warns R&D tax changes would hurt deep tech; portfolio company Myricx Bio went to Novartis.
Also australiatimes.com
Future Generation launched Future Generation Women, a gender-lens fund seeded with $100 million from the Minderoo Foundation, with twelve women portfolio managers deciding investments pro bono; the trust is open to wholesale investors.
Profiles Australia's ten wealthiest women from the AFR's new list, alongside Canva's in-progress share sale, a large gift to a global gender-fund vehicle, and one backer's earlier healthtech round.
Roundup of eight local raises totalling roughly $81.5 million: generative AI, sustainable packaging, VR medical training, optical radar, drinks, preventive health and wholesale retail software.
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Startup Daily profiles the twelve ventures entering Startmate's Summer23 accelerator intake, spanning carbon capture, renewables, health, education, robotics and proptech, with founders named for each.
Tattarang, the Forrests' private investment vehicle, has partnered with Startmate to back women-led startups in its latest accelerator intake, which includes Kapture, Kelpy and Turnto.
WA climate tech firm Rumin8 closed the second phase of its seed round, raising US$12 million from Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Harvest Road Group, with existing climate fund investors topping up their holdings.
Also SmartCompany·Techboard
Biotech Aravax has received a US$20 million Series B commitment from Brandon Capital and Tenmile to advance its peanut allergy therapy PVX108 into Phase 2 trials.
Also Brandon Capital portfolio·Startup Daily·Startup News (WA)·Techboard·Startup Daily
Aravax has begun its Series B with a US$20 million investment from Brandon Capital and Tenmile, funding Phase 2 trials of its peanut allergy immunotherapy PVX108 while it seeks further capital.
Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Forbes Australia·Techboard·Business News Australia
Profile of Cairns startup Rainstick, which uses artificial lightning to boost mushroom growth. It won $20,000 from Dream Ventures, has taken in $200,000, and joined CSIRO's ON Accelerate with nine other teams.
Profile of Pearlii founder Kyle Turner, whose Melbourne AI dental-checkup app followed a 2019 Dream Ventures pitch, tracing his journey from Dubbo to Oxford and the company's pivot to dental products.
Andrew Forrest's private investment company Tattarang is launching Tenmile, a Perth-based $250 million health-tech venture fund that has already backed Emyria and Carina Biotech and partnered with Rock Health.
Dark fibre provider FibreconX has secured investment from Andrew Forrest's private investment group Tattarang, supporting planned network expansion into Melbourne and Brisbane; Tattarang previously backed telco NodeOne in 2020.
ENA Respiratory secured up to AU$32 million, co-led by Brandon Capital Partners and Minderoo Foundation with Uniseed, to advance its INNA-051 nasal spray, and appointed Ruth Tal-Singer to its board.
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Western Australian fixed wireless provider NodeOne received investment from Tattarang and CVC to expand its network and business offering; the Forrest family also previously took a stake in Swoop.