Government · 7 deals
Every published round U.S. Department of Defense 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.
Companies U.S. Department of Defense has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENA Respiratory | Antiviral nasal spray to prevent severe respiratory viral infections | 10 Jan 2023, Grant | 3 | 2 |
| Ellume Health | 2 Feb 2021, Grant | 1 | 1 | |
| Immuron | 22 Jul 2020, Grant | 1 | 1 | |
| Sila | 8 Aug 2026, Venture debt | 1 | 1 | |
| Sunrise Energy Metals | 8 Aug 2026, Venture debt | 1 | 1 |
Fund closes reported for U.S. Department of Defense, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies U.S. Department of Defense has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal U.S. Department of Defense did.
Stories naming U.S. Department of Defense. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Sydney quantum computing company Diraq will station an eight-qubit prototype machine inside an Equinix facility from October, a step toward moving the technology from lab to market.
US battery materials maker Sila has been conditionally offered a defence loan of as much as $1.4 billion; three other materials firms also won Pentagon-backed deals, after a July equity round.
The US Defense Department has conditionally committed a US$400m loan to Sunrise Energy Metals to develop its Syerston scandium mine in New South Wales, announced at a Washington meeting with President Trump.
Also Dealroom
The defence sensing company says its Series A backing from QIC Ventures and Folklore Ventures drew Wall Street Journal coverage of planned United States manufacturing, at a $72 million valuation.
Arkeus' post points readers to Tectonic Defense's write-up of its A$25 million Series A, describing the hyperspectral sensing technology, its defence customers and platform partners, and coming production expansion in Queensland and America.
Crunchbase's 2026 forecast lists fifteen late-stage companies it deems probable or very likely IPO candidates, profiling each with past raises, valuations and secondary sales; Australia's Canva makes the list.
Hypersonix, a Queensland company developing hypersonic planes that run on hydrogen, has secured a Series A backed by a UK fund, government investors and Saab.
Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Business News Australia·Dealroom
Precision fermentation company Cauldron Ferm wins the regional startup category at Startup Daily's tech awards for the second straight year; the profile recalls its Series A, government grants and Mackay biomanufacturing plant.
Also Startup Daily
A profile of ENA Respiratory traces its INNA-051 immune-boosting nasal spray from an accidental lab finding to Phase 2 trials, noting AUD 49 million in funding, a US Defence contract and Flu Lab investment.
Melbourne pharmaceutical company ENA Respiratory has received US$5 million from California's Flu Lab to advance clinical testing of its nasal immune-boosting antiviral candidate INNA-051.
Adelaide 3D metal printing firm AML3D has locked in a $30 million placement to expand its Ohio factory, open a European site and fund R&D as it chases US defence demand.
Podcast conversation marking ten years of cold-spray printer maker SPEE3D, its technology chief discussing the TitanSPEE3D printer for US defence needs, roughly 100 units shipped, and ambitions for off-world manufacturing.
Melbourne's ENA Respiratory has won a further US$3.18 million US Defense Department contract to widen its INNA-051 Phase Ib trial to younger adults, extending the US$8.18 million the agency had already committed.
Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·Brandon Capital portfolio·enarespiratory.com
PsiQuantum will build a second quantum computer in Chicago with US$500m in tax incentives, after Australian and Queensland government equity in April. Forbes Australia's 30 Under 30 nominations are open.
Also Startup Daily
Metal 3D printer maker SPEE3D has launched its first US manufacturing and applications facility at the University of New Hampshire, keeping its Melbourne headquarters as it serves American defence clients.
Roundup of agrifoodtech news: raises across Europe, Singapore and Australia, Collaborative Fund wraps a $125m vehicle, Neutral Foods merges with Zeal Creamery, SCiFi Foods shuts down, and Aleph Farms cuts staff.
Redflow has won its largest flow battery contract, supplying 34.4 MWh for a California children's hospital microgrid backed by a US federal energy storage program whose final funding figure is undetermined.
Redflow banks extra placement money atop its August raise; Flinders University plans a space-cyber forum; VEX Robotics partners with a robotics peak body; a munitions venture wins an award; DXN lands a cable contract.
Queensland drone maker Skyborne Technologies has won a first contract from the US Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory to develop its Cerberus armed platform, with joint-venture Athena AI supplying AI target recognition.
Analysis of the technological singularity concept, covering brain-computer interface work by Neuralink and Synchron, expert predictions about artificial general intelligence, and worries over unregulated AI. Republished from The Conversation.
Adelaide additive manufacturer AML3D has completed a $3 million share placement to fund its US expansion, including new sales bases in Tennessee and Virginia, plus software development for its Arcemy machines.
ENA Respiratory receives a USD 4.38 million U.S. Department of Defense agreement to develop an intranasal dry powder antiviral; its past Series A backers are also recalled.
Lynas's American subsidiary has received roughly US$120 million from the US Defense Department to cover construction of a Texas plant processing heavy rare earths, part of a trend of offshore processing by Australian producers.
Brisbane diagnostics company Ellume signed a US government contract worth US$231.8 million to supply Covid-19 home tests and build a US factory, alongside earlier grants from the NIH and Queensland government.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·@AuManufacturing
Biotech Immuron raised $28 million from US institutional investors after reporting its Travelan product showed antiviral activity against coronavirus in a laboratory study, and holds a US defence grant.
ASX-listed gut health company Immuron has been awarded a $5.5 million grant by the US Department of Defence to develop an anti-microbial oral drug targeting diarrhoea-causing bacteria for military and traveller use.
Also @AuManufacturing