Sicona Battery Technologies

🇦🇺 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.

Australia's Sicona buys New Orleans battery firm Advano, backs drones for demand

Dealroom reports Australian battery materials startup Sicona acquired Louisiana-based Advano, taking its New Orleans facility, and recalls Advano's earlier $45 million raise backed by Tony Fadell and Peter Thiel.

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #176, 30th August 2026

Weekly roundup: Blackbird confirms a record fund close and Galileo reaches a first close, Genesis merges with Proudi, IREN secures massive debt, and several startups report raises, grants and program wins.

ARENA backs next-generation battery technology to boost EV performance

ARENA announced funding of up to $45 million for Sicona Battery Technologies to build a commercial-scale plant for its silicon-carbon anode material in the Illawarra.

Also Dealroom·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

Startmate CEO Michael Batko calls time after 8 years, Phoebe Pincus takes the helm

Startmate chief Michael Batko departs following an eight-year stint; COO Phoebe Pincus steps up. The piece credits his tenure for the accelerator's growth, returns and alumni, and notes his exits from two side ventures.

Startmate CEO Michael Batko steps down after eight years, COO Phoebe Pincus takes top spot

Long-serving Startmate chief Michael Batko departs the accelerator's top job, with operations lead Phoebe Pincus promoted to CEO; the piece also recalls two side ventures Batko previously exited.

From 0 to 4.5 billion: how the Startmate pay-it-forward mentorship model built a startup powerhouse

Startmate reflects on a decade of backing founders, profiling breakout alumni across its cohorts and describing how its mentors reinvest in newer startups, alongside its fund model and returns.

2025 state of raising: $1.8 billion in – as late-stage deals boom

Tracxn figures show Australian tech funding reached $1.8 billion by mid-2025, powered by large late-stage rounds at Protecht, Airwallex, Harrison AI and Advancell, while seed and early-stage raising fell away sharply.

Wollongong battery startup charges up with $15 million from Indian investor

Wollongong battery materials maker Sicona has secured AU$15 million from existing backer Himadri Speciality Chemical, which will license its silicon-carbon anode technology and fund an Indian production plant.

Also Forbes Australia·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

Queensland R&D finance fintech raises $2.3 million

Equity raise of $2.3m by Advanced, a Sunshine Coast R&D finance startup building a $25m lending fund; backers include Wayne Gerard and Phil Cummins, who joins the board.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

R&D finance firm Advanced launches with $25m for Aussie startups

A Sunshine Coast R&D finance provider has launched, having secured mostly debt funding plus some equity to lend against startups' future tax refund claims, with several client companies already named.

Also Startup Daily

Startmate’s top 20 most valuable investments

A profile of Startmate ranking the twenty most valuable companies it has backed, noting their valuations, past raises and founders, plus Bugcrowd's newly announced purchase of Informer and its climate focus.

FUNDED June 2023 – Including a Teaser of Funded FY23

Techboard's June 2023 roundup of Australian startup funding, led by Pet Circle's $75m Series D, lists raises by Stacked Farm, Lyka, In1Bank, Splend, ImmVirX, Midnight Health, Sicona and Nutromics, and teases its FY23 review.

Eight Aussie startups that have raised $75.6 million in the past two weeks

Roundup of eight Australian startups that together raised $75.6 million across two weeks, spanning health, batteries, EV fleets, edtech and equity crowdfunding campaigns.

Also The Mandarin·SmartCompany·Techboard·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia

Battery materials startup Sicona charges up with $22 million Series A

Wollongong silicon anode developer Sicona has closed a Series A backed by Himadri, Artesian and other investors, its second raise after a 2021 pre-Series A, with US expansion plans.

Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·Techboard·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy

FUNDED May 2023

Techboard's May 2023 roundup of Australian startup funding: 42 private raises topped by Fleet Space's $50m round, two $40m acquisitions, multiple grants, accelerator intakes, and fund news including GiantLeap's $50m fund raise.

Also Forbes Australia·Startup Daily·RenewEconomy

Renewable Metals wins ‘Supercharge Challenge’

A Perth company that recycles lithium batteries has won the inaugural Supercharge Australia Innovation Challenge Award, finishing ahead of Sicona and Roev, and now plans a NSW plant feasibility study with state fund support.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Roundup covering an SME sentiment survey, Renewable Metals winning a Supercharge Australia award, a new Queensland trade commissioner, an FFI green hydrogen power deal, a Siemens emissions pilot, and a CDU drones grant.

EnergyLab is backing these 11 Australian lithium battery startups with plans to change the world

EnergyLab's Supercharge Australia initiative has selected eleven startups for its first Innovation Challenge, covering lithium batteries, EV conversion and recycling, with experts judging a Sydney pitch event in March.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Manufacturing roundup covering Cyclopharm's tax incentive payment, Carbon Revolution's government grant payments, CEFC's wind farm debt commitment, Adbri's land sales, a Monash energy report and a Wollongong research showcase.

Also RenewEconomy

Novalith sets sights on global lithium industry with backing of the CEFC

Novalith raised a $2.5 million seed round backed by the CEFC's Clean Energy Innovation Fund and a Grantham trust vehicle, funding a Sydney pilot plant for its low-carbon lithium extraction technology.

Also RenewEconomy·Startup Daily·Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany

The startup funding round: Hospitality tech, Kiwis going global, and Blumenthal's bet on plant-based meat

Roundup of recent raises: a New Zealand legaltech Series A, plant-based meat seed funding with a celebrity chef tie-in, hospitality software capital, and battery materials funding, plus board additions.

Also TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·TechCrunch Venture·Startup Daily

Here are the 18 startups from Startmate's Summer 2021 program

Startmate's Demo Day unveiled its largest cohort of 18 ANZ startups, and the accelerator also raised a $2 million fund through its mentor network to invest in this intake.

Hypersonic engine, battery manufacturing get support

Canberra's Accelerating Commercialisation scheme hands out eight million dollars in grants, with manufacturers Hypersonix, Sicona Battery Technologies, Ker Ker and Microbio among fourteen recipients developing new technologies.

Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·RenewEconomy·@AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing

Sydney battery materials start-up raises $1m towards possible “EV game-changer”

Sicona, a Sydney battery materials startup, raised $1 million led by Artesian, its second round after a June Seed-1 raise also led by Artesian with Kemplant participating.

Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily