Palm oil is both important to everything from food to cosmetics and detergents, and an environmental disaster, with rainforests being felled for the cash crop. It’s estimated to be in 50% of all Western household and food products, with 75 million tonnes produced annually. It’s also the leading cause of orangutan extinction, with between 1,000… Read more »
An advertising executive. An aerospace engineer. A doctor. Not a punchline – but the profile of Australia’s new generation of innovators. They’re not spinning out of Silicon Valley with SaaS platforms or apps. They’re solving real-world problems: clean flight, robotic surgery, sustainable materials. They’re building deep tech. And they’re doing it in labs, in surgeries,… Read more »
A defence technology startup that helps analyse visual surveillance systems from drones and other optical systems has raised $5 million in new funds from its existing backers. Main Sequence, Salus and Beaten Zone Venture Partners wrote fresh cheques following on from a $4.5 million Seed round in December 2023. Defence expert Simon Olsen cofounded Arkeus… Read more »
An 18-month-old robotics startup that emerged out of the UNSW Founders Defence 10X program in 2023, has raised $2 million in a pre-Seed round led by CSIRO-backed deep tech fund Main Sequence. The raise for Breaker will be used to triple its team over the next six months and further expand its presence in the… Read more »
Australian deep tech inventors have given the world wifi, Google Maps, cochlear implants and the goon bag, but a new report into the state of play for the sector suggests that while there’s no shortage of ideas, that potential is being stifled by limited support from venture capital, industry, and government. Pioneering deep tech incubator… Read more »
Founders by their very nature see things others have yet to realise. Their challenge is to then get others to see that vision, believe in and back it. And then convince their customers to use a solution they didn’t know they need. Seven years ago, Dr Elliot Smith’s Maxwell Plus was just such a startup.… Read more »
Leading investor in university-originated deep tech, IP Group Australia, has announced a new A$125 million contribution from Hostplus to the IP Group Hostplus Innovation Fund. Hostplus has added to its existing A$310m investment to bring its total commitment to $435m, backing companies like green hydrogen pathfinder Hysata, chronic lung disease therapy biotech RAGE and sustainable… Read more »
Two Tractor Ventures OGs have teamed up to help deeptech founders with their funding plans. Warwick Donaldson’s CapXcentric has partnered with GROUP GROUP, the new specialist advisory and storytelling curation firm founded by Garry Williams. CapXcentric helps Australian technology startups access funding on the best terms, from the most appropriate investors. works with a range… Read more »
Autonomous navigation scaleup Advanced Navigation has new US-based Global Head of Defence, recruiting former US Army platoon leader and intelligence officer Wayne Prender to the role. The 12-year-old deep tech hardware venture, chaired by former PM Malcolm Turnbull, with legendary US Army general David Petraeus chairing its defence advisory board, is a world leader in… Read more »
Australia stands at a crossroads. As one of the world’s richest nations, we have the resources and talent to lead in deep tech innovation. The Federal Government’s ‘Future Made in Australia’ policy is also a welcome starting commitment to fostering local innovation, supporting emerging technologies, and building a resilient economy. But to shift our economy… Read more »
I am lucky enough to attend a forum of chairs and directors from deep tech startup companies. Each month we extract from our collective som new ideas to improve our practice. Here are some recent ideas on board pack refinement. #1 – Consider a written narrative instead of slides. Like Amazon’s now-famous six page memos,… Read more »
The annual Cicada x Tech23 event returns to Sydney on August 7, and in the coming weeks, in partnership with the team from Cicada, Startup Daily will profile the 23 deep tech startups selected to be part of the day. They span five key themes – systems, Cicada CEO Sally-Ann Williams calls them – and… Read more »
Deep tech ventures are capable of creating global impact. They bring unrivalled improvements in living standards for citizens, such as lengthening average life expectancy, creating jobs and opportunities, and raising wealth. And they can also generate massive social, environmental, and financial returns for Australia specifically, including building long-term economic growth and resilience. Deep tech currently… Read more »
Cicada Innovations has revealed the 23 startups to take part in this year’s Cicada xTech23 event next month. The 23 were chosen from more than 143 applications nationally and span five categories asking big questions about building the future with systemic solutions to broad-reaching problems. They range from wireless charging startup Aquila, which last month… Read more »
A deep tech startup looking to turn Nikola Tesla’s vision of wireless power transmission into reality has banked $2 million in follow-on funding. The round for Aquila was led by Alua Group, supported by existing investors Blackbird and Icehouse, who backed a $3 million Seed round 12 months ago. Aquila was cofounded by 24-year-old Billy… Read more »
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