Deep Tech Adventures #5
Main Sequence
Australia’s deep tech investment fund tackling the world’s biggest challenges
Welcome to the 5th edition of Main Sequence's 'Deep Tech Adventures' LinkedIn Newsletter, an update for?#founders,?#researchers?and?#investors?in the world of deep tech venturing. Take a read below for events on our radar, our most up-to-date ecosystem news and job opportunities calling your name.?
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Have questions or feedback? We want to hear from you!?Get in touch.
Researcher Office Hours
If you are a #scientist, #engineer or #researcher trying to commercialise your work, we’d love to invite you to join us for a virtual coffee and chat. Our team are running weekly Researcher Office Hours, book a time?here.?
In The Lab
Welcome to ‘In The Labs’! Here we share some exciting insight into what’s happening behind the scenes in our portfolio companies ??
Swoop Aero 's Drone Production?
Take a look at Swoop Aero’s Production Line in Port Melbourne! Their new long range autonomous?Kite Aircraft?are now shipping around the world.
Portfolio spotlight?
It’s been a big month for Main Sequence portfolio companies. Celebrating milestones, welcoming new team members and sharing exciting news with the world.?
?? Loam Bio
As our planet only gets hotter, climate tech is becoming a hot commodity. The team at Loam Bio are part of the solution to helping to cool our planet, having turned their attention to how the Earth below us can help.?
Founders Tegan Nock and Guy Hudson have built their business from the ground up, and have successfully raised $105 million in a #SeriesB round.?
With the company poised to revolutionise #carbonsequestration with its microbial technology, the new funding will see the team grow their product availability and expand to the US in 2024 ??
Find out more?here?via Startup Daily .?
??? MGA Thermal
#alternativeenergy solutions are becoming the way of the future, with businesses and organisations searching for ways to build become more #sustainable and #environmentallyfriendly.
A big part of this is answering the question of how we can preserve and store #energy in an effective and efficient way. The MGA Thermal team are making waves, having developed a unique thermal brick that works like a?chocolate chip muffin?(yes, really).?
The team were awarded $560,000 in funding from 壳牌 ’s GameChanger fund, to help build their commercial pilot and demonstrate the future of #thermalenergy battery efficiency.?
Find out more?here.
The Big????
How we can encourage more women-led startups?
While the Australian #VC industry is making moves when it comes to investing in female-founded #startups, there is still a long way to go.?
Recent figures from the?State of Australian Startup Funding Report?by Cut Through Venture found that while deal participation for #womenfounders hit record levels, this trend especially rings true in early-stage deals.?
However, the share of total capital that went to women founders declined in 2022.
As we celebrate #IWD's theme of #embracingequity this month, we’re looking closely at how we can help become the catalyst of change and champion #diversity, #equity and #inclusion in our industry and across our #founder pool.?
Speaking to SmartCompany , Partner Gabrielle Munzer had some insights into what needs to be done.?
“Despite improvement, we’ve still got a long way to go in providing women in Australia with the opportunities to unlock their full potential. To improve the situation and create a fairer and more thriving, female-empowered startup ecosystem, we need to look at how we can help architect the pathway for more women to become founders of the next generation of valuable companies we are creating.”?
“What this means is building diversity from day dot — it is far easier to build a diverse organisation from the ground up. In addition, from an investment perspective, we need to empower future female leaders at very early stages, engaging with potential founders when they are still in research roles, as coaches and mentors and holding office hours to provide advice to the deep tech community.”
Read more about the state of funding for women?here.
Portfolio News?
?? ?? Loam Bio , v2food , Regrow Ag , Eden Brew and our very own Phil Morle :?Attended and spoke at AgriFutures evokeAG 2023 in Adelaide, discussing the future of our #agriculture industry from #alternativeproteins to #decarbonisation.?
?? Castlepoint Systems :?Were named as finalists in the?Telstra Best of Business Awards?for Canberra!?
CEO Rachael Greaves also spoke on the?Scottish AI Alliance?podcast on the future of cyber security.?
领英推荐
?? Coviu Global :?Founder Silvia Pfeiffer PhD GAICD was interviewed on the?Fear & Greed?podcast, speaking about the future of #telehealth.?
The team also attended the 12th Australian Healthcare Week , putting pen to paper about the experience?here.
??? Prospection :?Was named one of the?Top 10 Data Analytics Solution Providers of 2023?by CIOReview APAC.?
?? Regrow Ag :?Was named the #1 Most Innovative Agriculture Company for 2023 by?Fast Company!
Founder and CEO, Anastasia Volkova, PhD was profiled in talent.ai ’s?Founders in Focus series.?
?? Samsara Eco :?Celebrated being members of?two amazing organisations, The Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) ?and Charitable Reuse Australia , and presented at the?Climate Investor Forum.?
The team also?welcomed?MP David Pocock to check out the #infiniterecycling lab in person.
?? Q-CTRL , Quantum Brilliance & QuintessenceLabs :?All attended The Quantum Australia event in Sydney, sharing their insights and thoughts with the industry.?
Q-CTRL founder Michael Biercuk ?shared his thoughts?with InnovationAus.com on how #quantum is Australia’s chance to sit at the “big kids’ table”.
?? Eden Brew :?CSO Claudia Vickers spoke to Dr Karl on his?Shirtload of Science Podcast?about all things animal free.
Co-founder Jim Fader also spoke to?9 News?and?ABC Rural Radio?about their plans to launch Ice Cream with Norco at their plant in Labrador, just out of the Gold Coast.?
?? Kasada : CTO Nick Rieniets spoke at?AWS’s Cloud Sales Kickoff?about how to provide protection from automated threats.?
?? Q-CTRL :?Welcomed?MP Paul Fletcher?to their labs to demonstrate and speak about the future of #quantumtechnology.?
The team also announced a boost to its?Boulder Opal Software Suite, and touched down at the American Physics Society in early March to speak to those looking to revolutionise their outputs with quantum.?
They were also featured in?Gizmodo Australia?talking about their work?making quantum computing useful through infrastructure software.
?? The EVERY Company :?Spoke to?Food Dive?about their innovative animal-free eggs.?
The team also celebrated the official launch of the Precision Fermentation Alliance!?
?? Gilmour Space Technologies :?Brought some of their Australian-made space hardware down to the?Avalon International Airshow.
They also announced an?MoU with US-based Atmos Space?to enable more business in Low Earth Orbit.
Want to keep up with the exciting developments across our portfolio? Follow them on Twitter?here.
News From The Home Base???
What Australia’s Quantum future looks like.?
#Quantumtechnology is on the tip of everyone’s tongues. From its potential to revolutionise healthcare, security, GPS technology and everything in between, it’s no wonder that Australia has been investing in the future of the industry for the last 25 years.?
As a pioneer in the industry, we have an opportunity to become the big kids at the table and lead the globe in the sector — becoming the next silicon valley of quantum.?
But quantum as a field can be complex. It's important to recognise the issues and challenges the industry faces, alongside its immense potential.?
With this in mind, Main Sequence Partner Bill Bartee has penned his thoughts on the sector, breaking down its future and sharing his insights.?
We’ll leave you with his final words on the topic:
“Those who question whether a globally significant quantum company can be built from Australia must examine their belief systems. Of course it can! The evidence is already clear that Australian quantum businesses, drawn from a world recognized base of Australian quantum research, are shaping the global quantum industry.?
There are enough pathologically optimistic Australian founders bent on quantum success to ensure this opportunity is captured. This ambition, combined with private sector and governmental support similar to what we’re seeing in the US and Europe, should help us deliver on the opportunity. We are optimistic and working hard to back those intent on making a dent. And with your help we hope to see you in the quantum future."
To read Bill’s thesis, take a look?here.
Deep Tech Jobs?
There are?hundreds?of exciting job opportunities available within our portfolio.
Find your next career adventure on our?jobs board?or?sign up for our weekly jobs and opportunities newsletter.
Highlights include: