Here’s a recap of recent funding developments from Australia and beyond.
Phasio raises $3.8M to revolutionize manufacturing
Phasio, a pioneering manufacturing technology startup, has secured AUD$3.8 million in a seed funding round led by AirTree Ventures. This capital infusion aims to drive innovation in the manufacturing sector and enhance global productivity. Investors in this round include 500 Global, Entrepreneur First, and Michael Sorkin’s Gattaca Ventures.
ALIAVIA Ventures closes $13.5M Fund I for women-led tech startups
ALIAVIA Ventures, a California-based venture capital firm dedicated to investing in female-led tech startups in Australia and the United States, has successfully closed its inaugural Fund, raising AU$13.5 million (US$8.7 million). Notable investors include Carol Schwartz (Trawalla, EQT, and Climate Council), Tattarang (the Forrest Family Office), Robyn & Victoria Denholm (Wollemi Capital Group), Dom Pym (Euphemia, Founder of Up Bank), and Cynthia Scott (Zip Co).
KX Pilates announces $20,000 travel grant for Aussie entrepreneurs
Leading Reformer Pilates provider KX Pilates, along with its Founder Aaron Smith, introduces the KX Entrepreneur Travel Grant, offering emerging entrepreneurs a $20,000 opportunity to explore, define, and nurture their business ventures. The grant recipient will also benefit from one-on-one mentorship from Aaron Smith to refine and shape their business idea.
Orion Capital Asia achieves first closing of Fund III for direct lending
Orion Credit Capital Asia, a Singapore-based private credit investment manager specializing in direct lending across the Asia Pacific region, has reached the initial closing of Fund III with up to US$205 million in subscriptions. This new fund is already in the process of deploying its capital.
Grok Ventures Supports Gridmo, a renewable energy startup, in $500,000 seed round
Gridmo, a renewable energy software startup that emerged from the Startmate program, has secured $500,000 in its first external funding round. Co-founded by power systems engineers Jarman Stephens and Damien Vermeer, Gridmo is focused on expediting renewable energy grid connection studies.
AstraZeneca awards funding to eight innovative research projects
AstraZeneca announced today eight winners of the 2023 R&D Postdoctoral Challenge and agreed to fund their postdoctoral positions at one of the Company’s strategic R&D centres in either Cambridge, UK, Gaithersburg or Boston, US or Gothenburg, Sweden. The R&D Postdoctoral Challenge stands out among traditional industry postdoctoral initiatives which usually offer pre-defined projects.
Early childhood workers given $12 million boost to strengthen sector into the future
NSW’s early childhood sector workforce has been given a welcome boost of more than $12 million as the Minns Labor Government delivers its election commitment to provide scholarships to the educators of the state’s littlest learners.Funding of $12.2 million to provide scholarships to the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce was secured in the NSW Budget, beginning the practical work to create a pipeline of educators for this vital sector.
A target of 1,700 scholarships will be made available from today, to those already working in the sector wanting to upskill, those wanting to become early childhood educators, and those wanting to gain Outside School Hours Care (OSCH) skills, growing the workforce. These incentives will expand the ECEC workforce and help retain those already working as early childhood educators.
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