In order to support investment in deep technologies deemed essential to the nation’s national interests, Main Sequence, the venture capital firm formed by Australia’s national research agency, raised A$450 million ($305 million) from international investors for a third fund.
According to a statement released on Wednesday, the company received the funding from Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Temasek Holdings Pte, The Grantham Foundation, LGT Crestone, and NGS Super in addition to its current investors. According to firm executives, the Australian federal government contributed an additional A$75 million through the ‘Economic Accelerator’ program, and an additional A$15 million was given at the last minute by an unidentified investor.
Main Sequence was established to aid with the commercialization of cutting-edge research in fields vital to Australia’s national interests. Some of the portfolio companies it manages were built with its assistance.
Decarbonization of all kinds, in food and agriculture, industrial technology, and other areas, is where we see the greatest opportunities and the greatest needs on the globe, said Mike Zimmerman, partner at Main Sequence, in an interview. The company will also concentrate on advanced semiconductor technology, quantum computing, and cybersecurity. The world needs extremely specific solutions to these significant issues.
With more than $1 billion in assets under management since the company’s first fund was introduced in 2017, Main Sequence has backed 53 firms.
Some of them have spread internationally. They include Advanced Navigation, which was founded to commercialise co-founders Xavier Orr and Chris Shaw’s research into navigation technology used in robotics, aerospace, and vehicles, as well as Regrow, which assists food and agriculture companies like Cargill Inc. and General Mills Inc. in decarbonizing their supply chains.
Samsara Eco, a company that created an enzyme-based technology to break down complicated plastics into their original chemical ingredients for recycling, and Q-CTRL, a startup in quantum computing, are two of its other stakes.
