Schneider Electric

SQC among 6 startups sharing $12.3 million in quantum grants

Six Australian quantum startups, including Silicon Quantum Computing and QuantX Labs, have received federal grants totalling $12.3 million under the Critical Technologies Challenge Program for projects in energy, health, biosecurity and logistics.

Gratifii acquires Simplicity Australasia

ASX-listed rewards firm Gratifii has announced a deal taking over Auckland-based points specialist Simplicity Australasia, backed by a freshly secured $10m placement that also funds a stake in marketplace business Marketplacer.

Also Dealroom·grafa.com

Sydney Angels sidecar fund raises $3.5m in a week on VentureCrowd

Sydney Angels' third sidecar fund raised $3.5 million on VentureCrowd in a week to back early-stage startups, while the article recalls past fund wins including Clarity Pharmaceuticals, Instaclustr and Aurtra.

Pioneering VC fund Uniseed doubles its backers as five universities, including Monash, UTS and Macquarie, chip in

Uniseed adds Monash and a four-university NSW collaboration, lifting its third fund by $6.75 million to $56.75 million; the article recalls past portfolio sales to Novartis, Shire and Schneider Electric.

Queensland mining tech startup unearths $43 million in Series B

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

Utilising local power poles for street-side EV charging

The renewable energy agency funds a company's trial putting fifty electric vehicle chargers on street power poles across nine New South Wales council areas, with partners supplying hardware, charging services and green power.

Leading Edge DC secures $30M for regional network rollout

Leading Edge Data Centres has received a 30 million dollar equity investment from DigitalBridge Group to speed up its regional Australian edge data centre expansion over the next two years.

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Manufacturing roundup: 3D Metalforge raises funds via placement, Recce Pharmaceuticals lands an R&D tax rebate, CoDeAc unveils a nuclear detection solution, A2EP plans a webinar, and Varley Rafael advances local missile production.

UniSuper tips $75 million into early stage VC Uniseed

UniSuper commits $75 million to Uniseed, the research commercialisation fund owned by four universities and CSIRO, its first venture investment; past portfolio sales to Schneider Electric, RTP Co and Novartis are recalled.

Schneider Electric completes acquisition of Australian IoT company

Schneider Electric has finished buying Aurtra, a University of Queensland power-asset-monitoring spinout. Its sensor technology and team, including co-founder Terry Woodcroft, now sit inside the French group's digital transformer services business.

Also ARN (ARNnet)·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·Business News Australia

“Heavy hitter” industrial decarbonisation project awarded $3 million funding from ARENA

ARENA has granted $3 million to the Australian Industry Energy Transitions Initiative, a ClimateWorks and Climate-KIC-led project whose 16 corporate members will model pathways to decarbonise heavy-industry supply chains.

Start-up behind Ikea microgrid gears up for strategic shift to London

The Brisbane clean-tech firm behind the technology in Ikea's Adelaide microgrid has closed a A$6.55 million raise, mostly from Australian and UK investors, to open a London base for global expansion.

Also Wholesale Investor

Accenture acquires Aussie OT player Electro 80

Accenture has bought Perth-based operational technology specialist Electro 80, reportedly for $30 million, with three of its leaders moving into managing director roles at the acquirer.

Also ARN (ARNnet)