# Ivor Frischknecht

> Ivor Frischknecht is a grant investor at Australian Renewable Energy Agency backing Energy. See 2 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [Australian Renewable Energy Agency](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/australian-renewable-energy-agency)
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Total investments: 2
- Last investment: Dec 2017
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivor-frischknecht-a4b25

Ivor Frischknecht is a former Investment Director of Starfish Ventures Pty Ltd, a venture capital firm that manages $400 million, primarily on behalf of Australian superannuation funds. His key activities included responsibility for the firm’s clean tech investment activities in areas such as energy, water and environmental technologies.Ivorwas previously Director, New Ventures, of Idealab, a company involved in developing and investing in technology start-up companies, including renewable energy companies. He was also previously the CEO of H2OnSite, a company involved in the commercialisation of clean energy generation technology, and a senior executive and adviser to a range of venture capital and energy companies.Ivor holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from the University of Sydney, and a Master of Business Administration and Public Management Certificate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Energy | 1 | 50% |
| Renewable Energy | 1 | 50% |
| Environmental Consulting | 1 | 50% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Greatcell Solar | Greatcell Solar is creating lower cost renewable electricity that can compete with all forms of energy production, both renewable and conventional.Greatcell Solar is at the forefront of the global development of 3rd Generation Perovskite Solar Cell energy production.Greatcell Solar is the global leader in 3rd Generation Perovskite Solar Cell (PSC)technology. | $6M | Grant | Dec 11, 2017 |  |
| BioPower Systems | BioPower Systems is a renewable energy company that fouces on the extraction of energy from ocean waves. | $16.1M | Grant | Jun 29, 2015 |  |

2 of 2 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [State Government of Victoria](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/state-government-of-victoria) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## About Australian Renewable Energy Agency

VC Fund · Canberra, Australia

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency is a government agency that provides funding and knowledge sharing to accelerate renewable energy innovation in Australia. ARENA is an independent statutory authority established under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997, tasked with the objectives of improving the competitiveness ofrenewable energy technologies and increasing the supply of renewable energy in Australia. ARENA has approximately $3 billion to invest in renewable energy projects.From its commencement on 1 July 2012, ARENA has become responsible for the administration of committed projects and measures from initiatives formerly administered by the Australian Centre for Renewable Energy and the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism (RET). ARENA became responsible for the activities of the Australian Solar Institute (ASI) on 1 January 2013.

5 contacts available at Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chris Twomey | Investment Manager | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/chris-twomey |
| Craig Chambers | Investment Director, Businesss Development & Transactions | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/craig-chambers |
| Ian Kay | CFO | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ian-kay-d281 |
| Ivor Frischknecht | CEO | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ivor-frischknecht |
| Philip Cohn | Strategy Consultant | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/philip-cohn |

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## FAQ

### What does Ivor Frischknecht invest in?

Ivor Frischknecht invests primarily in Energy, Renewable Energy and Environmental Consulting startups, most often at Grant stage. Most of the 2 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Australia. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Ivor Frischknecht last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Ivor Frischknecht closed in Dec 2017. Shizune tracks 2 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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