Ledger.

Startup · $4b raised

PsiQuantum

Brisbane, QLD

Coverage

Stories naming PsiQuantum. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.

2 deals

US defence invests $73 million in Diraq with another $357m on the table

Sydney quantum startup Diraq has received an initial US$51 million from DARPA after reaching the final stage of its quantum benchmarking program, with more funding possible; the National Reconstruction Fund earlier invested $20m.

Also Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·This Week in Australian Startups

3 deals

Quantum startup Diraq lands $73 million as it pushes through US defence program

Sydney quantum company Diraq has reached the last stage of a US defence quantum program, securing US$51 million with more possible, alongside mentions of PsiQuantum, IonQ and Quantinuum milestones.

Also Forbes Australia

14 deals

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #180, 4th October 2026

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.

7 deals

Blackbird nails 2nd $1 billion fund

Blackbird has locked in a second billion-dollar fund — its sixth, slightly bigger than the last — bringing in new institutional backers, and the article recalls portfolio wins, writedowns and failures.

News

Q-Day: why quantum readiness can't wait, with Vikram Sharma, QuintessenceLabs

Allens' Cyber Brief podcast hosts QuintessenceLabs founder and CEO Vikram Sharma discussing quantum computing threats to encryption, harvest-now-decrypt-later attacks, and the governance steps boards should take toward post-quantum readiness.

2 deals

Brisbane Airport out, Moreton Bay in: PsiQuantum picks new site for its $940m quantum computer build

PsiQuantum has relocated its $940m government-backed quantum computing project to Moreton Bay after dropping the Brisbane Airport site, with groundbreaking set for June following timeline slippage flagged in Senate Estimates.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

4 deals

Silicon Quantum Computing receives $20 million NRF boost

The National Reconstruction Fund has put $20 million into Sydney quantum chip maker Silicon Quantum Computing via a SAFE note, following its smaller-than-planned 2023 Series A and a similar NRF bet on Diraq.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Unnamed stage $20m

NRF tips $20 million into Diraq for homegrown quantum computing

The National Reconstruction Fund has invested $20 million in Sydney quantum startup Diraq, an equity stake the government fund says will aid domestic production and hiring ahead of a planned 2029 product launch.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·ellty.com

6 deals

AI AI investors: Data centres and artificial intelligence startups fire up Australian VC backing

A quarterly report on the Australian venture market finds Q3 2025 investment passed a billion dollars, led by a Singapore data centre company's raise, with AI drawing premium valuations and bubble warnings.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

2 deals

Quantum chips startup Diraq secures $15 million towards new raise

Quantum computing venture Diraq has banked $15 million toward an unfinished round, with earlier backers joined by two new funds, pushing its cumulative funding beyond US$137 million.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

2 deals

Quantum startup jags $2 million pre-Seed round to team up with PsiQuantum

Nine-month-old Sydney quantum startup Iceberg Quantum raised $2 million pre-seed, led by Blackbird with LocalGlobe participating, to build cheaper fault-tolerant designs for PsiQuantum's photonic platform.

12 deals

From quantum computing to quesadillas: Top 12 biggest capital raises of 2024

Year-end roundup ranking 2024's twelve largest startup raises, headed by PsiQuantum's $940 million government-backed quantum computing round, plus Guzman y Gomez's ASX listing and Betashares' Temasek investment.

4 deals

Synthetic diamond creator Quantum Brilliance shines on with $23 million from National Reconstruction Fund & Breakthrough Victoria

Quantum Brilliance, a Canberra-based maker of diamond-based quantum chips, has drawn fresh equity from the National Reconstruction Fund and more from Breakthrough Victoria to build a diamond foundry, with prior grants and backers recapped.

Funding announcement

Industry and science minister Ed Husic wants you to know something is going to happen, soon

Industry minister Ed Husic told a Tech Council summit the National Reconstruction Fund is close to its first investments after asking for a $300m drawdown; the piece recaps federal tech funding moves including PsiQuantum's.

Grant $760m

Chicago to get PsiQuantum's second computer

PsiQuantum will build a second quantum computer in Chicago with US$500m in tax incentives, after Australian and Queensland government equity in April. Forbes Australia's 30 Under 30 nominations are open.

Also Startup Daily

Unnamed stage $7.5m

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

AuManufacturing roundup of brief industry news: Wide Open Agriculture banks a $7.5 million raise, Liontown adds a lithium offtake partner, Osteopore signs Zimmer Biomet for distribution, plus quantum, defence, rail and recycling items.

14 deals

Eight Aussie startups that raised $118.8 million this week

Weekly roundup of eight Australian funding rounds, led by Samsara Eco's $100m Series A extension; Diraq, 1Breadcrumb, Aquila, NRN, Klean, Bearhug and Sindy Labs also secured capital, and Klean won a Queensland grant.

Also TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Techboard·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia·@AuManufacturing

6 deals

Semiconductor Startup Funding Looks To Bounce Back After Lackluster 2023

Crunchbase's analysis finds venture funding for chip startups rebounding in 2024 on AI demand, recapping large recent deals at Black Semiconductor, Tenstorrent, PsiQuantum, Celestial AI, Recogni and Eliyan, plus Astera Labs' IPO.

Also Crunchbase News

2 deals

‘Record demonstration’: Dark horse in quantum race passes new milestone

Quantum computing startup Diraq announced record qubit control fidelity and chip-making partnerships with GlobalFoundries and IMEC; the piece also recounts its Quantonation-led Series A, early Allectus backing, and PsiQuantum's government funding.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Funding announcement

Nine things startups need to know about the 2024-25 federal budget

Budget-day rundown for Australian startups: a quantum computing co-investment, a green manufacturing fund, AI centre money, offshore landing pads and small business measures, while most sector wishlists went unmet.

3 deals

Labor bets big on quantum with $1 billion deal for PsiQuantum and multimillion-dollar Sydney Uni hub

The Australian federal and Queensland governments are investing $940m in PsiQuantum, which will open a Brisbane regional headquarters; $18.4m will fund a national quantum centre at the University of Sydney.

Also Dealroom·Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·Crunchbase News

4 deals

Quantum Brilliance bags $13.4 million as investors jump on an emerging opportunity in Aussie tech

Diamond-based quantum computing startup Quantum Brilliance has raised $13.4 million in seed capital co-led by Main Sequence and QxBranch's founders, aiming to shrink quantum accelerators to lunchbox size and grow staff past 100.

Also Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia

Series D+ US$450m

Investment Notes: PsiQuantum

Blackbird Ventures announces it joined PsiQuantum's USD450 million Series D round, and sets out why the startup's silicon photonics approach can scale to a useful quantum computer.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia

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