South Australian Government

🇦🇺 This Week in Australian Startups #179, 26th September 2026

Weekly roundup recording a dozen raises and acquisitions, Firmus's scheduled float, a new $50m venture fund, a founder share sale, grant winners, an accelerator intake, and an AI agent's government breach.

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DroneShield announces official opening of Adelaide research and development facility

Counter-drone technology firm DroneShield has opened an Adelaide R&D hub, growing its national engineering footprint; South Australia's defence industries minister marked the occasion.

Cancer research heads to space aboard European rocket on Adelaide-led microgravity mission

Adelaide's Cambrian Defence & Space partners with Adelaide University cancer researchers to fly human stem cells on a European research rocket from Sweden, studying microgravity's effects, with South Australian government fund support.

Australian nanomaterial takes first flight as Ablano targets lower-cost reusable spaceflight

Ablano's boron nitride nanomaterial flew on a suborbital rocket and its coated panels were recovered for analysis in Australia; partners Research Sat and Implement Space helped run the test toward commercialising durable components for reusable launch vehicles.

WA Government Backs Space Industry With $6.5 Million In Funding

Western Australia's government is putting $6.5 million into the local space sector, dividing it between the AROSE consortium and Curtin University's Binar satellite program, with South Australia's bigger spend cited for comparison.

Zen Energy sinks despite 11th-hour rescue efforts, blaming volatile market as banks and networks get cold feet

Renewable utility Zen Energy has entered voluntary administration despite regulators clearing Gunvor to buy its retail business; McGrathNicol is administrator and customers moved to AGL.

Also RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

DryFlow Magnetics: Investment Notes

Virescent Ventures announces it co-led DryFlow Magnetics' $10m seed round with Orion Industrial Ventures and Taronga Group, funding a demonstrator for the startup's dry ore-beneficiation technology.

Also Startup Daily·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

AI allied health platform Splose raises $46 million Series A

Splose, an Adelaide maker of practice software for allied-health clinicians, has landed a $46 million Series A from Spectrum Equity and Athletic Ventures to speed product development and push into the UK.

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

Seven ANZ startups that raised $93.1 million this week

Roundup of seven trans-Tasman raises worth $93.1m this week, headlined by IND Technology's $50m round, with LawVu also acquiring ClauseBase.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

ANDHealth proves Australian commercialisation capability

ANDHealth reported portfolio metrics including patient impact and job creation, while securing additional MRFF funding to expand its digital health commercialisation program.

Equity Clear is building national standard for investment diversity reporting

Equity Clear, an initiative of Scale Investors, Giant Leap and Alberts, wins Investment NSW sponsorship and UNSW academic partnership to build a national investor-diversity reporting standard, led by Noga Edelstein.

Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, July 14 – 18, 2025

Weekly roundup of readers' five favourite stories: a precast factory opening for a Sydney tunnel, a grants panel, Circuitwise's agreed New Zealand acquisition, NSW clean-tech grants, and BlueScope's Whyalla bid position.

South Australia has a new early-stage VC fund to back B2B startups

Eastend Ventures, a VC based in Adelaide, has locked in $10 million for its $50 million debut fund — South Australia's first ESVCLP — and has already backed three startups with it.

Also Startup News (WA)

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Manufacturing roundup: two hydrogen aircraft developers register cryogenic hydrogen tanks, a new WA Chief Scientist begins, a battery recycler wins a state grant, and the steel lobby seeks US tariff relief.

Also @AuManufacturing·@AuManufacturing

Govt announces $9.6 million sub supplier qualification pilot

The federal government has awarded US shipbuilder HII's Australian subsidiary $9.6 million for a two-year pilot that will qualify local SMEs to supply submarine programs, delivered via H&B Defence, HII's venture with Babcock.

Breakthrough Victoria Portfolio Companies Celebrate Milestones and Global Growth

Breakthrough Victoria highlights recent achievements of portfolio companies including funding, awards, and expansions for firms like Liquid Instruments, Quantum Brilliance, and Samsara Eco.

“Lost confidence:” Government takes control of Whyalla steel works, as hydrogen plan hangs in balance

South Australia has appointed Korda Mentha administrator over OneSteel Manufacturing, taking control of the Whyalla steelworks from GFG Alliance, while the state's promised hydrogen funding stays uncommitted and sale options are explored.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Manufacturing roundup: Convergence Medical hires Dr Kevin Plancher after its Series A; Patties buys National Pies; GFG Alliance's unpaid water bills surface; ARENA grants EVX Australia $2.4 million for kerbside chargers.

AICRAFT – from research to innovation for the customer

Profile of edge computing maker Aicraft and its founder, recognised among Australia's most innovative manufacturers; its products serve space and defence, with work progressing under a state government grant.

Paladin Space aims to clean up satellite debris

Paladin Space has received a $100,000 South Australian Government Seed-Start grant to develop AI debris-identification with AIML, and will pitch SpaceX and NASA during a US trade delegation.

Also @AuManufacturing

Manufacturing news briefs: stories you might have missed

Roundup of Australian manufacturing briefs: Provaris bids for a hydrogen tank production cell, Lithium Australia wraps a share purchase plan, QEM launches a rights issue, and Laronix hires a speech pathologist.

Australian champion of two-way smart grid technology that won Arena funding placed in liquidation

Queensland smart-grid company Elexsys Energy, trading as Planet Ark Power, won federal and state grants and partial Series B backing before being wound up on a tax office application.

Hendon Semiconductors grant for defence microelectronics

South Australia's Economic Recovery Fund has granted Hendon Semiconductors $605,561, matched by the company, to lift defence electronics production capability; it earlier received a 2023 sovereign capability grant.

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Manufacturing sector roundup: Whyalla steelworks resumes production, Maggie Beer Holdings' chief executive to depart, ReNu Energy secures hydrogen funding, Defence names grant recipients, Orthocell gains Canadian approval, and AEA appoints its advisory board.

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Manufacturing roundup: Australian Vanadium and entX land government grants, Hexagon Energy Materials completes a $1 million round, Australian Dairy Nutritionals appoints a CEO, Aurora Labs adds a director, plus vessel, export and research briefs.

Myriota secures Moon to Mars funding

Myriota has received a $1.5 million grant from the Australian Space Agency's Moon to Mars Initiative, announced at the opening of its Adelaide experience centre, to fund a communications payload for use off Earth.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany

New round of grants open for SA industry and researchers

The Defence Innovation Partnership opens applications for a $2.4 million Activator Fund grant round, and recalls Acacia Systems leading a $1.6 million government-funded undersea surveillance project for the Navy, announced in January.

Seeley to expand air conditioning manufacturing

Seeley International is scaling up Adelaide air-conditioner production for California, backed by South Australian Government support; its earlier Climate Wizard project drew a $1 million Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre grant.

SA AgTech Growth Fund winners announced

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.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Roundup of manufacturing news: Hino picks SEA Electric drivetrains, a hydrogen grant for Nyrstar's Port Pirie plans, Imagion's funding facility, K-TIG's raise, and Quantum Brilliance's CEO change.

Holiday defence industry news briefs – stories you might have missed

A roundup of Australian defence industry items: submarine build plans reaffirmed, missile supply contracts for Kongsberg and Lockheed Martin, DroneShield purchase orders, an F-35 warehouse deal, and questions over a shipbuilding college closure.

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

News roundup: Elsight locks in $8 million through convertible notes; Northrop Grumman extends its Quickstep supply agreement; Titomic grows US sales; Fleet Space to survey for Core Lithium; Venture Catalyst Space applications open.

Medtech startup Splose raises $1 million for Allied Health workers to help more people on the NDIS

Adelaide medtech Splose has raised $1 million for its allied health practice management software serving NDIS providers, having earlier received South Australian government funding, and now plans international expansion.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Stone & Chalk-based Splose raises $1 Million in capital to strengthen NDIS and Allied Health delivery

Splose secured one million Australian dollars to expand its practice management software for allied health providers, aiming to automate administrative tasks and improve NDIS service delivery efficiency.

South Australian zinc mine to be converted into Australia’s first compressed air facility for renewable energy storage

ARENA grants Hydrostor $6 million for Australia's first compressed air energy storage project at a disused South Australian zinc mine, which also received $3 million from the South Australian Government's Renewable Technology Fund.

Helping fleets to switch to electric vehicles

The government agency announces a grant to an EV software firm launching a program helping Australian vehicle fleets and electricity networks plan their transition to electric vehicles.

World’s largest scale battery set to get even bigger

ARENA commits $8 million toward expanding the Hornsdale big battery in South Australia, with state government storage funds and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation also supporting the project.

Vast Solar reboots Port August solar thermal plans, with $110m federal funds

Vast Solar has won $110 million in federal finance to revive a 20MW solar thermal plant with storage at Port Augusta, five years after SolarReserve won the same support then abandoned the project.

Also @AuManufacturing·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

SAAB combat systems centre backed by $22 million MMI grant

Federal and state ministers announce government backing for a Saab Australia defence combat-systems hub in Adelaide, presented as an election sweetener ahead of the March state vote.