Accelerator · 10 deals
Orange, NSW
Every published round SparkLabs Cultiv8 took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted, and a place in one of its own programs is under Cohorts.
Everyone SparkLabs Cultiv8 has named to a program in published coverage. A place in a program is not a raise: the cheque is the figure recorded with the place, which is the program's standard terms where we hold them, and a blank is one we don't.
Companies SparkLabs Cultiv8 has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agrinet | 16 May 2019, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Bovotica | 2024, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Downforce Technologies | 2 Jun 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| ExoFlare | 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| InnerPlant | 15 Jul 2019, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| James Tyler | 2018, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Leading Edge Data Centres | 20 May 2020, Accelerator | 1 | 0 | |
| Levur | 2024, Accelerator | 2 | 1 | |
| Moisture Planting Technologies (MPT) | 15 Jul 2019, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| NanoSoils | 2 Jun 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Oaesis | 15 Jul 2019, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Packamama | 2023, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Ripe.io | 2018, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| SIPP | 15 Jul 2019, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Training Paddock | 4 Dec 2019, Accelerator | 1 | 0 | |
| Traive | 15 Jul 2019, Accelerator | 1 | 1 | |
| Zetifi | 2019, Accelerator | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for SparkLabs Cultiv8, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies SparkLabs Cultiv8 has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal SparkLabs Cultiv8 did.
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Graham Bougen | Program Director | Startup Daily |
| Jonathon Quigley | Partner | Startup Daily (Tue 21 May 2024), Startup Daily (Thu 22 Apr 2021) |
| Guy Hudson | Managing Director | SmartCompany, Startup Daily (Mon 15 Jul 2019), Startup Daily (Thu 16 May 2019) |
Stories naming SparkLabs Cultiv8. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
QUT spinout Bovotica has secured seed funding to commercialise probiotic feed supplements and drenches that cut cattle methane emissions; the agtech was also in SparkLabs Cultiv8's 2024 accelerator cohort.
Also SmartCompany
Sydney startup Levur has banked $1.2 million in a pre-seed round, with Main Sequence and GrainCorp Ventures leading, to brew palm oil alternatives; its KPMG prize win and 2024 accelerator stint are recalled.
Levur, a Sydney biotech making a yeast-based substitute for palm oil, has taken out KPMG's Nature Positive Prize, with four other Australian startups sharing the advisory prize pool.
ExoFlare, cofounded by ex-Data61 chief Adrian Turner, has banked $5.3 million in seed funding led by Salus Ventures to help food producers manage biosecurity risks.
Also SmartCompany
Nine startups join the latest intake of SparkLabs Cultiv8's Orange accelerator for sustainable food and agriculture technology; a past participant praises its ecosystem, and alumni have raised heavily.
Profile of Packamama, maker of flat recycled-PET wine bottles that trim freight emissions; the London-headquartered startup, with a Melbourne office, just finished SparkLabs Cultiv8's Orange accelerator and counts big Australian wine retailers as partners.
SparkLabs Cultiv8 has picked ten cleantech startups for the first intake of its new accelerator, run from Orange with backing from Cultiv8 Funds Management and several agricultural research bodies.
Startup Daily reports SparkLabs Cultiv8 is seeking ten agri-food tech startups for its NSW cleantech accelerator, a half-year program offering seed backing, mentoring, workspace and investor links; applications close 17 April.
Zetifi, a regional NSW farm connectivity startup, raised a $12m Series A led by Telstra and GrainCorp's ventures fund, with existing backers returning; it earlier won accelerator places, government grants and a Grow-NY prize.
Weekly digest of agrifoodtech deals: numerous venture rounds including Apeel, Knowde and Cirkul, several acquisitions such as Kalera buying &ever, and Barramundi Group's Oslo listing.
Weekly agrifoodtech funding roundup covering raises by Nourish Ingredients, AlgiKnit, Allergy Amulet, Bluu Biosciences, Deep Branch, VFC, Waycool, Deliciou and MeliBio, plus Hanegal's acquisition of ready-meal maker Fairdig.
Ecosystem restoration startup Dendra Systems has raised a $10 million Series A co-led by Airbus Ventures, At One Ventures, Future Positive Capital and Lowercarbon Capital, with three further investors joining the round.
CSIRO and partners launch FutureFeed, raising A$13 million to commercialize a seaweed livestock feed additive that cuts cattle methane emissions by up to 80%.
Also Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·Beef Central / Grain Central·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing·Beef Central / Grain Central·Beef Central / Grain Central·AgFunderNews
Leading Edge Data Centres secured $20 million from Washington H. Soul Pattinson and joined SparkLabs Cultiv8's 2020 accelerator, funding a national rollout of regional edge data centres starting in NSW.
Also @AuManufacturing
Profile of an Orange soil-moisture planting startup whose sensor-equipped seeder adjusts seed depth using AI, with a patent pending and a product still in testing, plus praise for its accelerator experience.
An agtech accelerator will showcase its newest startup cohort at an upcoming Sydney demo day, while also recapping earlier graduates' funding rounds and commercial deals.
Agtech accelerator SparkLabs Cultiv8 selects seven startups for its 2019 program, profiling each venture, while recalling last year's participants' progress, including Ripe.io's completed seed round backed by Maersk Ventures.