Top 10 Life Science Startup Investors in Australia
A list of 10 angel investors and VC funds that invest in Life science startups based in Australia. We rank investors based on the number of investments they made in Life science companies from Australia. We update this investor list every month.Top 10 Life Science Startup Investors in Australia
Investor | Life Science Australia investments |
---|---|
Uniseed Ventures | 1 |
Alium Capital | 1 |
Accelerating Commercialisation - AusIndustry | 1 |
AbbVie Biotech Ventures | 1 |
Possible Ventures | 1 |
Main Sequence Ventures | 1 |
OneVentures | 1 |
Skalata | 1 |
Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF) | 1 |
Bioplatforms Australia | 1 |
Uniseed was established in October 2000 as a $20 million joint venture between the University of Melbourne (UM) and the University of Queensland (UQ). This proof of concept fund (Fund-1) operated with significant input and support from the commercialization offices of the two universities (UniQuest and Melbourne Ventures Limited), with staff ofthese organizations making up the majority of the Investment Committee and leading due diligence and management of most investment opportunities. Over 20 investments, typically of $250,000 - $500,000 were made from this fund.A new $40 million venture fund (Fund-2) ran from 2005-15, with the addition of a third leading university, the University of New South Wales, and a major private institutional investor, the Westscheme superannuation fund. The founding universities (UQ & UM) also committed further funds. Australian Super took over Westscheme's essets and commitments in July 2011.With the start of Fund-2, an independent management team was established, consisting of the CEO and three Investment Managers; one at each university catchment. The Investment Committee was restructured, with dedicated committees established for biotechnology or other technologies. The nominal investment limit was increased to $2.5 million to allow participation in follow-on funding rounds so as to preserve Uniseed's equity position.On 1 November 2015, Uniseed started its third and largest fund (Fund-3) with the addition of the University of Sydney and the CSIRO to the Universities of Queensland, Melbourne and NSW. This followed three high profile exits in the preceding 14 months (Fibrotech; Spinifex & Hatchtech). Each of the five partners committed $10 million over 10 years to the new fund (total fund $50 million).Uniseed’s partner research organisations spent nearly $4 billion on research, making up over 40% of the total research spend at 67 research organisations in Australia. Together, these organisations accounted for nearly 500 invention disclosures (34% of total) and 500 new registered IP rights filed (45% of total) over the same period(2013 National Survey of Research Commercialisation). Unlike private venture capital funds, Uniseed is dedicated to the needs of its research partners, and committed to servicing them consistently over the long term, irrespective of the short term conditions in external capital markets. It works in very close partnership with the research partner commercialisation companies and staff, providing a valuable adjunct to the capabilities these companies and staff provide. They in turn provide a best-practice commercialisation service tailored to their respective organisations. These companies are able to leverage to great effect the scale of operation and expertise of the Uniseed network.The fund is run with commercial discipline, ensuring independence and financial rigor in its investment decision-making processes. Success is measured by a balance of return on investment (including the flow of funds for research to further the commercialisation of intellectual property generated within the research partner catchments), the establishment of viable start-up companies, the generation of research income for research partners and the improvement of partner commercialisation processes.
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Investment focus
- Biotechnology, Manufacturing, Health Care
- Series A, Seed, Funding Round
- Australia, United States, United Kingdom
Portfolio highlights
- BioScout — Welcome to BioScout, your partner in revolutionizing the agriculture industry with cutting-edge automated disease detection technology for crop growers and viticulture. Our high-level introduction and detailed insights into our innovative solutions, exceptional collaborations, and dedicated team make it easy to understand WHO we are, WHAT we do, and HOW we do it. Stay updated with valuable resources, customer portal, and regular content via our blog. Contact us today to collaborate and optimize your farm's productivity and sustainability.
- Ferronova — Ferronova is a medical device company that offers imaging and surgery products.
- Morse Micro — Morse Micro Breaks RecordWorld's Longest Wi-Fi HaLow Connection at 3 KilometersWatch Now Smarter, farther, better. Meet the latest Wi-Fi, HaLow, 802.11ah.
Alium Capital focuses on listed and unlisted technology investments to generate out-sized returns. The company invests in technology, innovation, and early-stage businesses, all the way through to publicly listed assets.
It specializes in the fields of finance, investing, innovation, and capital.Alium Capital was founded in 2016 andheadquartered in Sydney, New South Wales.
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Investment focus
- Software, Financial Services, FinTech
- Series A, Series B, Seed
- Australia, United States, Singapore
Portfolio highlights
- Beforepay — Beforepay understands that traditional pay cycles are a form of financial stress. So we set out to find a better way, giving Australians the control and confidence that comes with managing your own money, on your terms.That’s why we created Pay On Demand™ - a service that allows you to access the money you have earned at work, when you choose todo so. After all, it is yours!The app also automatically predicts when your bills are due, shows you how much is OK for you to spend, and automatically creates budgets for you, effortlessly.
- Academy Xi — At Academy Xi, we help APAC's largest and most sophisticated organisations optimise performance with concise, actionable training solutions.
- DesignCrowd — Crowdsourced logo, freelance graphic and web design at DesignCrowd. 1,219,508 freelance designers compete to create amazing designs for your business. Start Today!
A grant program offered by AusIndustry as part of the Australian Government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda
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Investment focus
- Software, Mining, Hardware
- Grant, Pre-Seed
- Australia
Portfolio highlights
- Neuromersiv — Neuromersiv empowers stroke and brain injury survivors with clinically designed virtual reality-based neurological rehabilitation solutions.
- Tiny Bright Things — Melbourne-based company Tiny Bright Things was cofounded in 2020 by long-time research collaborators Ray Dagastine and Chris Bolton. We invented Halo microscopy to transform the way researchers and manufacturers look at small or transparent things. This helps manufacturers in areas like agrichemicals and pharmaceuticals (where the size and shape ofpowders are critical) and researchers at every stage of discovery— particularly in nanotechnology (where samples are especially tiny) and life sciences (where samples are often also transparent).
AbbVie is a global, research-based biopharmaceutical company formed in 2013 following separation from Abbott Laboratories. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to develop and market advanced therapies that address some of the world's most complex and serious diseases. Togetherwith its wholly-owned subsidiary, Pharmacyclics, AbbVie employs ~29,000 people worldwide and markets medicines in more than 175 countries.
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Investment focus
- Biotechnology, Health Care, Therapeutics
- Series A, Series B, Series C
- United States, China, Italy
Portfolio highlights
- Mozart Therapeutics — The company intended to focus on developing novel immune engagers.
- Quanta Therapeutics — Quanta is a biotechnology company uncovering novel cancer therapeutic candidates using allosteric modulation to target driver oncogenes. The company was founded in 2018 and is based in San Francisco, CA.
- DISCO Pharmaceuticals — DISCO Pharmaceuticals is a firm that specializes in large-scale surfaceome unlocking of cancer cells.
Possible Ventures backs ambitious teams building frontier technology to positively impact society. We invest globally in the early stages, actively supporting founders via our collective of global entrepreneurs.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, Biotechnology
- Seed, Pre-Seed, Series A
- Germany, Australia, United States
Portfolio highlights
- Insempra — Origin.Bio creates synthetic microorganisms that can make many of the same ingredients as traditional chemical industrialization processes today, but with significantly fewer energy requirements and waste produced while eradicating the need for petrochemicals.The company drives the convergence of engineering with biology, using DNA as theprogramming language. Rather than editing genetic material only in or out of DNA, engineers can hack entirely new organisms that have never existed — all powered by computing, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI)/machine-learning while leveraging millions of years of evolution. Operating at an atomic level, the company farms organisms with microscopic precision and integrates them into existing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) manufacturing processes. This asset-light approach enables Origin.Bio to generate sustainable materials at speed in a cost-effective way, without compromising on performance.
- Sumday — Non - financial accounting software. Start carbon accounting, properly, with the support of your existing advisors
- InSpacePropulsion Technologies — ISPTech is a Spin-Off of the Institute of Space Propulsion at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It offers non-toxic, green propulsion solutions
We work with inventors who are building something hard from their unique expertise in science. These inventors are building the industries that will thrive for the decades to come. We have a unique working model to accelerate a company's pathway to scale.
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Investment focus
- Software, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology
- Series A, Seed, Series B
- Australia, Philippines, United States
Portfolio highlights
- Xefco — Xefco is a company that develops novel textile and coating technologies. It uses a global network of research partners to develop advanced manufacturing solutions and apply cutting-edge materials science, with an emphasis on functional enhancements, sustainable manufacturing, and decreased resource consumption.
- MGA Thermal — MGA Thermal, specialists in thermal energy storage technology. Renewable, high-power, economical, modular, safe and sustainable thermal storage solutions.
- Cauldron Ferm — Cauldron is sustainably delivering the precision fermented prototypes of today to the supermarket shelves of tomorrow.
OneVentures is one of Australia’s leading venture capital firms, with over $330M in funds under management. But they do more than invest. They take companies to that all important next stage, by actively shaping their future. They apply their years of international experience, operational and executional expertise to accelerate the growth of theirportfolio companies. A global growth focus drives their investment selection with their current portfolio including companies with truly innovative products tackling multi-billion-dollar problems, from needle-free vaccinations to virtual communications to adaptive e-learning.
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Investment focus
- Software, Health Care, Biotechnology
- Series A, Debt Financing, Funding Round
- Australia, United States, Israel
Portfolio highlights
- Hometime — At Hometime, we provide Airbnb property management solutions for homeowners and rental management business owners that help them scale and earn more.
- StrongDM — Manage access to any server, database, or Kubernetes instance in minutes. Fully auditable, replayable, secure, and drag-and-drop easy.
- Employment Hero — Employment Hero is Australia's top cloud-based HR, payroll and benefits platform for employers & employees. FREE trial for...
Giving Australian founders access to the education, capital and networks needed to build significant, sustainable, global businesses of the future.
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Investment focus
- Software, Education, Apps
- Pre-Seed, Seed
- Australia, United States, United Kingdom
Portfolio highlights
- humii — Humii provides actionable insights to companies by tracing customer interactions.
- SupplyScope — Revolutionise the way you manage your product development lifecycle with SupplyScope's all-in-one AI-driven platform.
- Switchboard — Switchboard is the fastest, easiest, most affordable way to integrate your supply chain and connect to all of your customers and suppliers. We can connect any supply chain system, including managing EDI.
Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF) provides dedicated, investment funding to support the commercialisation of early-stage medical research discoveries that originate from its member institutes. The collaborative nature of the MRCF seeks to foster best practice in the commercialisation of medical innovations.
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Investment focus
- Biotechnology, Health Care, Medical
- Series A, Seed, Series B
- Australia, United States, United Kingdom
Portfolio highlights
- Glyscend — Glyscend develops a revolutionary approach to treating type 2 diabetes. The company began with the insight that bariatric surgery can lead to the immediate remission of the disease, and has since been engaged in the development of a non-invasive approach which will act on the same mechanism as surgery but fit within the current care pathway. Thecompany's technology is an orally ingestible intestinal coating that prevents the stimulation of duodenal mucosa and inhibits key neurohormonal pathways in the proximal gut. Glyscend is devoted to providing patients with an effective strategy to keep glucose levels under control and eliminate potential side effects like weight gain and hypoglycemia. Meanwhile, the company aims to provide endocrinologists and primary care physicians with the innovative tools they need to treat the disease instead of merely managing it. It was founded in 2014 by co-founders Ashish Nimgaonkar, Michael Parlato, and Pratik Patel.
- Currus Biologics — Currus Biologics is a biotechnology company that develop CAR-T cell therapies for the treatment of solid tumour cancers.
- Azura Ophthalmics — Azura Ophthalmics is a clinical-stage company that develops an innovative portfolio of compounds to advance treatments for MGD, the leading cause of DED. By targeting the root cause of MGD, Azura brings the promise of improved health and well-being to millions of people worldwide who suffer from MGD and other ocular surface diseases where treatmentoptions are currently lacking. Azura is underpinned by an experienced management team with an established track record of successfully developing and commercializing novel treatments for ocular surface diseases. The company headquartered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel with operations in Australia and the U.S.
Bioplatforms Australia is a non-profit entity that supports life science research in genomic, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics.
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Investment focus
- AgTech, Farming, Agriculture
- Pre-Seed
- Australia
Portfolio highlights
- Number 8 bio — Number 8 bio objective is to decarbonize agriculture while feeding the world's rising population. This can be accomplished by harnessing the power of trillions of carbon-hungry bacteria that feed on harmful greenhouse gases and turn them into profitable animal feeds.
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