The University of Sydney

🇦🇺 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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Dementia biotech Kinoxis raises $6.75 million with a $2.5m grant as cherry on top

Melbourne dementia drug developer Kinoxis secured $6.75 million equity led by Main Sequence plus a $2.5 million Medical Research Future Fund grant via CUREator+, funding trials of its agitation and pain drug candidates.

From solar cells to solar farms: Quest for ultra-low cost PV gets $100 million federal boost

ARENA will spend up to $105.6 million on 20 solar research projects, including grants for Sunspence, Proa Energy and a University of Sydney tandem-cell team working with panel maker Unison Solar.

Also Mirage News

ARENA invests $105.6 million in next wave of solar innovation

ARENA has announced $105.6 million in grants for twenty solar research projects, mostly at Australian universities, plus two companies, targeting cheaper cells, modules and solar farm operations.

Also Fintech News Australia·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy·Dealroom

Sampling cattle helps 'superbug' battle

Queensland feedlot cattle are being swabbed for BRD bacteria to support AgriCureX's phage and genomics research into antibiotic alternatives, a project MLA co-funds, with a first trial planned for mid-2027.

BioScout raises A$6.75 million to take its agricultural technology global.

Uniseed announces portfolio company BioScout's A$6.75 million round co-led by Demea Sustainable Investment and Astanor to scale its crop disease sensor network internationally.

BioScout raises $4.8m for early warning system for fungal pathogens

BioScout, an Australian maker of AI spore-detection sensors for crops, has raised a seed round from Demea Sustainable Investment, Astanor and others to expand its sensor network and European presence.

Also Dealroom·agritechdigest.com·app.fundz.net·This Week in Australian Startups·winssolutions.org·agroempresario.com·finsmes.com·agrospectrumasia.com

Green fertiliser startup PlasmaLeap lands $28 million Series A

Sydney cleantech PlasmaLeap raised a US$20m Series A to build fertiliser hubs and expand green ammonia reactor technology for farmers.

Seven ANZ startups that raised $71.8 million this week

Weekly roundup covering seven raises across the Tasman: Phonely's Series A, Pay.com.au's private placement, and rounds for Atomic Tessellator, Caruso, Deteqt, Clean Slate Clinic and Earthletica, worth roughly $72 million combined.

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Dentroid raises $32 million for needle-free dental technology

Canberra medtech Dentroid has banked $32 million at a $265 million valuation, with Septodont both investing and signing a worldwide licensing deal for its light-based device that eases dental pain without needles.

Also Dealroom

Birth monitoring startup Oli kicks with $6.5 million in round 3 Series A

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Deteqt Featured Across Defence and Technology Media Following A$5 Million Seed Raise

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Sydney uni dropout behind $432M startup teams up with Beckham to outsmart aging

Superpower, the health-testing startup of Sydney law dropout Max Marchione, valued at $432 million after a Series A of $43 million, has bought two diagnostics firms and is negotiating a supplements deal with IM8.

Six Aussie startups that raised $123.2 million this week

A weekly roundup detailing new funding rounds for six Australian startups: Lyka, PlasmaLeap, Firmable, Veyor, Lumonus and Future Minds Network, with investors and round details.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

PlasmaLeap raises $28 million to scale green fertiliser tech

PlasmaLeap, a Sydney maker of emissions-free fertiliser technology, has closed a US$20m Series A backed by Gates Foundation, Investible, Yara Growth Ventures and other investors.

Also SmartCompany·RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

Welcoming Adam Taylor to Tenacious: Q&A

Q&A introducing Adam Taylor, Tenacious Ventures' new insights lead, covering his engineering and consulting background, his interest in agrifood, and plans to expand the advisory offering.

Federal government slips $12.7 million to 8 quantum projects tackling energy, minerals and health

Eight university- and company-led Australian quantum projects share $12.7 million in stage-two Critical Technologies Challenge Program grants, funding prototypes for data-centre cooling, medical imaging and rare-earth detection.

Infleqtion lists on the NYSE

Breakthrough Victoria's release marks Infleqtion's New York Stock Exchange listing, the investor's first portfolio listing, and notes further quantum backing of Quantum Brilliance plus Infleqtion's Victorian operations and partnerships.

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This 19-year-old CEO just raised $1.2m to automate one of farming's toughest jobs

GrazeMate, a cattle-mustering drone startup founded by 19-year-old Sam Rogers, has raised $1.2m in a pre-seed round led by Y Combinator, with NextGen Ventures, Antler and Meat & Livestock Australia also taking part.

Also AgFunderNews·AgFunderNews·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Ferronova raises another $6 million to advance image-guided cancer surgery

Adelaide medtech Ferronova has banked another $6 million from returning backers to advance its surgical tracer for cancer, lifting Series A funding to $17.5 million; backer parent UltraGreen.ai floated in Singapore this month.

Also movefm.com.au

Manufacturing leader says prospects for hydrogen tech remain solid, provided it doesn't rely on subsidies

Podcast interview with SolidHydrogen chief executive Philippe Odouard on hydride-based hydrogen storage, why the sector must compete without subsidies, and a $2.5 million grant for pilot projects.

Wise Repro launches state-of-the-art semen processing lab

A Queensland cattle genetics business has opened a laboratory to process bull semen at Glen Aplin with government grant support, and a partner will sort sexed semen there from early 2026.

Uniseed boss Peter Devine calls time on 20 years leading Australia's OG VC

Uniseed chief executive Peter Devine departs after two decades; Monash's Alistair Hick takes over in 2026. The piece recounts Uniseed's fund history and recent stakes in ENA Respiratory and Morse Micro rounds.

Australian battery innovator raises $A20m to help commercialise its “remarkable” lithium-sulfur tech

Battery maker Gelion, which began at the University of Sydney before relocating to London, has raised fresh funds from shareholders to commercialise its sulfur battery technology, after winning US patents and a manufacturing deal.

Also RenewEconomy·RenewEconomy

Breakthrough Victoria and Infleqtion: Powering Victoria’s Quantum Future

Breakthrough Victoria reflects on its 2022 investment in quantum company Infleqtion, part of a larger raise, detailing Victorian operations, university partnerships, workforce programs and a planned US listing via SPAC.

NASA is sending an Australian-made lunar rover to the Moon by 2030

NASA confirmed the Australian-built Roo-ver will reach the Moon by 2030 under its Artemis program. The ELO2 consortium, technically led by Lunar Outpost Oceania of Melbourne, has $42 million in Australian Government backing.

Eyes of AI to lead $6.7m project to speed up gum disease screening

From lab to launch: How CSIRO ON Accelerate 9 is powering the next big deep tech startups

CSIRO's ninth ON accelerator cohort of eleven research teams has completed the program, with three members winning grants, two filing patents, and individual awards announced.

Also Business News Australia

Here are the 11 deep tech startups to emerge from CSIRO's ON Accelerate

CSIRO's ON Accelerate program presents its ninth intake of eleven research startups, drawn from universities nationwide and the agency itself, spanning biotech, healthcare and sustainability, at a Melbourne showcase.

Q-CTRL is offering free online quantum computing masterclasses

Sydney quantum software company Q-CTRL has launched free webinars teaching quantum computing basics, built on its Black Opal education platform, with more sessions planned across 2025.

Earth AI finds rare critical mineral in rural NSW

Earth AI's discovery of indium at a New South Wales tenement, with context on critical-mineral supply and a recap of its $20m Series B from Tamarack Global and Cantos Ventures.

University of Sydney launches $25 million pre-Seed fund for its home-grown startups

The University of Sydney has launched a $25 million pre-seed fund to back ventures spun out of its research, naming five initial investments across carbon capture, diabetes treatment, inhaled medicines and cardiovascular devices.

DeteQt clutches $750,000 pre-seed raise for 'diamond-on-silicon' approach to quantum

Quantum sensing startup DeteQt, spun out of the University of Sydney, has raised $750,000 in pre-seed funding from Main Sequence and Austin's ATP Fund, and holds a $3 million defence contract.

University of Sydney quantum sensing spinout lands $750,000 pre-Seed

University of Sydney spinout DeteQt raised $750,000 pre-seed from Main Sequence Ventures and ATP Fund, appointed Rupal Ismin COO, and counts a $3 million defence contract as first revenue.

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

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.

Skip to the Moon: the team behind a $42 million Australian Space Agency project to build Australia’s first lunar ‘Roo-ver’ revealed

DroneShield makes high-profile appointments of defence, government strategists

DroneShield has appointed four seasoned national-security figures — van Haren, Osley, McLachlan and Lam-Evans — to strategy, advisory and government-relations roles as the counter-drone company scales.

Hostplus commits another A$125M to IP Group Hostplus Innovation Fund

Hostplus has tipped an additional A$125 million into the deep-tech fund IP Group runs, taking its overall backing to A$435 million across companies spun out of Australian universities.

Ammonia production tech startup believes it can cut nation’s fertiliser bill by a tenth

HPA processing, ‘4D digital twins’ and breakthrough hydrogen storage among newly-funded CRC-P projects

Round 16 CRC-P grants, about $55 million across 23 projects, fund work involving CPC Engineering, ZiP Diagnostics, Emesent and Rux Energy across minerals processing, diagnostics, drone mapping and hydrogen storage.