Dr Simon Wilkins
News & Analysis

Australia’s new $40 million biotech incubator, CUREator, is on the hunt for researchers and startup founders

- November 15, 2021 2 MIN READ

Expressions of interest are now open for the first cohort for CUREator, Australia’s first national biotech incubator. CUREator was established with $40 million in funding from the federal government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and the incubator, run by the Brandon Capital-managed Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF), hopes to play a hand in developing up… Read more »

Loam Bio
Funding

Climate change agritech Loam Bio raises $40 million in series A

- October 28, 2021 2 MIN READ

Decarbonisation startup Loam Bio, which uses microbes microbes to sequester carbon in farm soils, has raised $40 million in a series A. The round is led by Marc Benioff’s TIME Ventures. Other investors include Main Sequence Ventures, Horizons Ventures, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Acre Venture Partners, Mike Cannon-Brookes’ Grok Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, and Fiona… Read more »

innovation and science australia
Healthtech

Australia’s first biotech incubator is happening thanks to a $40 million grant

- September 7, 2021 3 MIN READ

A national biotech incubator is being set up in an Australia first following a $40 million grant from the federal government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) The incubator will be run by the Brandon Capital-managed Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF), which received the grant as part of $79 million in MRFF commercialisation grants to four… Read more »

R&D, science
Healthtech

Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation backs $5.4 million raise for cancer biotech startup

- September 5, 2021 2 MIN READ

A biotech startup focused on treating cancer has raised $5.4 million, led by mining billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation. Adelaide-based Carina Biotech will use the cash injection to develop its “CAR-T” cell therapies to treat cancers such as colorectal cancer, which is the deadliest cancer for 25-34-year-old Australians. Carina’s founding shareholders, board and management also… Read more »

Deep Tech

Deep tech incubator Cicada Innovations is helping NSW Health ramp up biotech commercialisation

- July 6, 2021 2 MIN READ

The NSW government’s health department has turned once again to deep tech incubator Cicada Innovations to deliver a free training program to help aspiring biotech and medtech entrepreneurs and academics commercialise their ideas. The NSW Health Commercialisation Training Program aims to fast-track innovative ideas that will revolutionise the healthcare sector, improve patient outcomes, and provide… Read more »

Healthtech

Queensland biotech Microbio has developed a rapid Covid-19 test that can also tell if you are infectious

- October 26, 2020 2 MIN READ

Australian biotech venture Microbio announced this week that it has developed a new type of COVID-19 test with the potential to both determine if someone has the virus and also indicate whether they are infectious. The Brisbane-based startup says its InfectID-COVID-19-R test has been independently validated to identify the presence of the virus when still… Read more »

Deep Tech

CICADA TURNS 20: How deep tech startup SpeeDx is helping the fight against superbugs

- September 8, 2020 2 MIN READ

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Australia’s first ever incubator, Cicada Innovations. To date, Cicada Innovations has incubated more than 100 startups, and helped more than 300 companies raise in excess of $450 million in venture capital and government grants, create hundreds of jobs, build local manufacturing capability, file more than 500 patents and… Read more »

News & Analysis

Chinese investors back $45 million fund for South Australian biotech

- December 11, 2019 2 MIN READ

Emerging South Australian biotechnologies will be accelerated through a Chinese-backed AU$45 million investment fund aimed at commercialising health research for the global market. The Adelaide China Biotech Investment Fund is backed by a group of private investors based in Nanjing, China. The group is led by Mr An LuFan, Executive Director of D&R Pharmaceuticals, one… Read more »

News & Analysis

A biotech startup hoping to vaccinate against gum disease launches with $14 million

- September 26, 2019 < 1 MIN READ

Launching Denteric are: Melbourne Dental School Head of School Professor Mike Morgan, CSL Senior Vice President of Research Dr Andrew Nash, University of Melbourne Vice-President (Enterprise) Doron Ben-Meir, COHR CEO & Director of Research Professor Eric Reynolds, Member for Higgins Dr Katie Allen and Brandon Capital Investment Manager Ingmar Wahlqvist A new biotech company Denteric, which… Read more »

News & Analysis

A new medtech funding program is offering up to $1 million to life science startups

- July 19, 2019 < 1 MIN READ

A new biotech funding program for startups working on new therapies, technologies and medical devices is offering up to $1 million in matching grants to help companies develop their ideas through to the proof of concept stage. The Biomedical Translation Bridge program is an initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund. It’s run by MTPConnect –… Read more »

News & Analysis

Australia’s biggest science investment fund has another $210 million for medical research startups

- May 2, 2019 2 MIN READ

Australian VC firm, Brandon Capital Partners, has just raised another $210 million to invest in commercialising medical research, and is already on the hunt for another $250 million as it edges towards $1 billion in science investments. The 5th Medical Research Commercialisation Fund, MRCF5, raised AU$210 million from existing investors, taking the total in the… Read more »

News & Analysis

The CSIRO is sending two startup founders to Stanford as part of its accelerator program

- May 2, 2019 2 MIN READ

Two Australian scientists and startup founders will head to America’s prestigious Stanford University to study after impressing the CSIRO’s with their ideas during the organisation’s recent ON Accelerate program. Stephen Trowell, founder and MD of Parts Per Billion, and Melanie White, co-founder and director of Inova Medical, will receive $30,000 each towards travel and their… Read more »

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