“Largely untapped” synthetic biology industry could be worth $30 billion, 50,000 new jobs by 2040: report

Synthetic biology could be an industry worth $30 billion to the nation annually and create 50,000 new jobs by 2040, according to the new Synthetic Biology National Progress Report, with the greatest activity expected to be in food and agriculture, followed by health and medicine industries.  The report was written by CSIRO Futures, with support…

Arkeus secures seed funding to scale optical radar manufacture

Defence manufacturer Arkeus will scale manufacturing of its hardware-enabled software platform for search, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The optical autonomy company raised $4.45 million in seed funding from technology investors Main Sequence, Beaten Zone Venture Partners and Salus Ventures. The funding will help Arkeus scale manufacturing and enhance the capabilities of its core product…

Plotlogic raises cash for push into minining technology

US and Australian venture capital climate and sustainability heavyweights have led a $US28 million Series B funding round for deep-tech mining company Plotlogic. In the five years since its inception, Queensland-based Plotlogic has fast become a leader in ore characterisation. Their technology helps customers, including BHP, Vale, South32 and leading lithium company Pilbara Minerals, increase…