Led · Equity · Jul 2023

Nomad Atomics was founded by atomic physicists from the Australian National University and is commercializing compact quantum sensors — including field-ready absolute gravimeters and zero-drift accelerometers. Its co‑founders are Kyle Hardman (CEO), Paul Wigley and Christian Freier (CTO). The company says it has reduced size, weight and power so its survey-style absolute gravimeter fits in a 20x20x30 cm enclosure. Nomad targets industries such as resources, energy, defense and space and estimates gravity exploration is roughly a US$1 billion market within a US$50 billion-plus resource mapping and monitoring sector. The business expects double-digit growth in many end markets and plans to expand into CO2 sequestration monitoring and navigation applications. To scale a field-ready sensor fleet it plans to hire 20+ roles and build two new prototype sensors for airborne exploration and inertial navigation.

Participated · Seed · Jul 2022

Black.ai is a Melbourne-based computer vision software startup founded in 2016 by Keaton Okkonen and Karthik Naarayanan. The company offers automated computer vision and privacy-first modeling algorithms that create highly granular, non-identifying datasets to improve management and planning of physical environments. Black.ai is building advanced systems that use computer vision and high-performance data organization to make human behaviors searchable through software. In June 2022 the company raised $5.4M in a Seed+ round led by Jelix Ventures, with support from Right Click Capital and several angel investors. The funding brings Black.ai's total raised to $8.55M. Proceeds will be used to double local headcount, expand industry reach, and build out insights-driven infrastructure. Black.ai develops robotics and AI sensor infrastructure using 3D depth sensors and tracking systems that recognise shopper movement and which items are picked up or put down. Initially focused on supermarket deployments, the system aims to reduce self-checkout errors (the article cites 3–8% incorrect fresh-food items) and could save stores an estimated $400,000–$600,000 per year through theft prevention and improved stock management. The company is in partnership talks with a major Australian supermarket chain while also pursuing broader applications in city streets, construction sites and fleet robots. Black.ai is building a shared sensor infrastructure so robots can plug in and share data, allowing each bot to sense beyond its own sensors. The founders say large-scale fleet robot adoption is three to five years away and they are positioning the company to capture that market. The startup raised $1.2 million in seed funding to fund hiring, faster product development, scaling and testing of new technologies.

Participated · Equity · Mar 2022

Cydarm builds a platform that enables fast, consistent incident response by coordinating people and processes across distributed teams and automating time-consuming tasks. The platform supports teams with different levels of experience and trust and is used by customers in federal and state governments, Defence, financial services, higher education, and managed security services. In 2020 the platform was used on a Defence cyber training trial as a command-and-control system. Co-founded in 2017 by Dr Vaughan Shanks and Ben Waters, Cydarm was one of the first graduates of the CyRise accelerator program. The company plans to use new capital to recruit staff, add further integration and automation features to the platform, and pursue international expansion. Cydarm recently completed a $3 million second equity round led by InterValley Ventures. Cydarm Technologies builds a software case‑management system that automates manual work in cyber incident response and helps security teams communicate internally and with external organisations. The product is designed to relieve skilled staff from repetitive tasks and improve coordination during incidents. Cydarm was an early graduate of Melbourne’s CyRise cyber security accelerator and was founded in 2017. The company plans to use its recent funding to accelerate market validation and work toward product‑market fit while building a technical team. In the near term it will focus on local distribution and identifying the most relevant sectors and features. The team intends to consider overseas expansion within nine to 12 months once the product is validated.

Participated · Equity · Feb 2022

Reejig builds an HR skills analytics platform to help organisations optimise hiring, retention and reskilling. The company was founded in 2019 by CEO Siobhan Savage, CTO Mike Reed and data scientist Dr Shujia Zhang. Its team has grown roughly 1000% over the past 12 months, and it has opened offices in APAC, North America and the UK. Clients include AWS, Compass Group, Woolworths Group, John Holland and Allianz. Reejig said the latest capital will be used to develop the platform's technology and expand its global team. The startup was named a 2022 Cloud 100 Rising Star. Reejig is a workforce intelligence platform that gives companies visibility into people’s skills, potential, passions and experiences to inform talent decisions and reduce "wasted potential." Founded in 2019 by CEO Siobhan Savage, CTO Mike Reed and data scientist Dr Shujia Zhang, the product has mapped more than 400 million career paths and predicts skill adjacencies and gaps. Its client list includes AWS, KPMG, John Holland, Woolworths and Transport for NSW. The company says it is experiencing hyper-growth, has opened an office in Silicon Valley and is building a team for the US market. Reejig positions its platform to help organisations hire, retain and reskill staff and to create more engaged, agile workforces. Reejig, launched in 2019, is a workforce intelligence platform powered by the world's first independently audited Ethical Talent AI. The platform gives management an overview of the skills base within a company's workforce and benchmarks that data by aggregating from existing enterprise HR systems. Reejig is trusted by large organizations including Woolworths, KPMG, NSW Government, John Holland, MYOB, and UTS. In October 2021 the company raised $6.0M in a Series A to bolster expansion into new markets. The funding is intended to support the rapid growth of the business and further rollout of its AI-driven talent analytics for enterprise customers. The company emphasizes audited ethical AI to enable smart, informed talent decisions. Reejig provides a next‑generation SaaS that connects existing HR systems, cleanses and aggregates talent data, and unifies workforce data across the enterprise. Its platform applies audited AI and gender‑balanced boost algorithms to strengthen talent pipelines and surface predictive, personalized insights. Reejig delivers actionable intelligence on gender bias, talent sourcing, attrition timing, alumni engagement, competitor talent movements, referral connections, salary benchmarks, and future skills gaps. Customers include large global private enterprises, governments, and academic institutions with complex workforces. The company says its technology reduces time and cost of hiring, improves staff mobility, productivity, retention and succession. Reejig will use the funds to scale its SaaS offering and expand deployment with existing enterprise customers.

Participated · Series A · May 2020

Beam is a Singaporean shared micromobility operator that provides e-scooters and e-bikes. The company currently operates in 35 cities across Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand and plans to expand into Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Turkey. Beam is developing a fifth-generation Saturn e-scooter that will include an updated Micromobility Augmented Riding Safety (MARS) platform and an onboard AI camera called Beam Pedestrian Shield, developed with Drover AI. The Saturn will feature 12-inch wheels, hydraulic suspension and fully swappable batteries with a quoted 110 km riding range; Beam plans to begin rolling it out in the second half of the year and to scale onboard cameras by Q3. Beam also plans to add an e-moped called the Pluto in the second half of the year and expects e-mopeds to comprise up to one-third of its fleet over the next two years. Financially, Beam says its revenue has grown 15x since 2020 and the company has raised a total of $135 million to date following the recent Series B. Beam builds shared electric scooters and virtual docking systems for micromobility fleets. Its Beam Saturn Generation 3 scooter is custom-built for sharing, with swappable batteries, an aviation-grade aluminium frame, 25cm tubeless safety tyres, high-grip rear-wheel drive, and dual mechanical and electronic braking. Beam is rolling the scooter out in Auckland and will be in Christchurch soon, and plans broader deployment across APAC including Korea, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Taiwan. Rather than a fully dockless model, Beam is introducing a “virtual docked” model that incentivises riders to park in predetermined spots via the Beam mobile app to reduce scattered scooters and minimise vehicle losses. The company plans to expand its virtual docking systems and grow its APAC fleet while enhancing its Beam Safe Academy with online tools and expanded real-world rider training. Beam has implemented stringent cleaning and operations practices to limit virus transmission and is Climate Neutral Certified after measuring and offsetting its 2019 carbon emissions.