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UNSW

Venture studiooperating company · company profile

Sydney · Pre-Seed–Series A

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Investment thesis

UNSW commercializes university research by founding and investing in spinouts and startups emerging from its entrepreneurial research base. The portfolio focuses on deep-science ventures across clean energy, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, medical technology, precision medicine, and defence and dual-use applications, all supported by industry partnerships. Through its UNSW Founders accelerator, launched in 2017, the university has backed 163 early-stage startups, and over ten years it has founded or invested in more than 190 companies that collectively attracted roughly US$5.6 billion in capital. The program positions itself as Australia's leading platform for university startups and spinouts, aiming to turn Australian research into companies with global impact.

Source: firm website, verified Oct 11, 2026.

Stage
Pre-Seed–Series A
HQ
Sydney, AU
Founded
2017
Last 12 months
1 investment
Tracked investments
3

What they invest in

from 3 of 3 portfolio companies

Deep Tech ×2New Materials ×2Advanced Manufacturing ×1AI & Machine Learning ×1Cloud Computing ×1Creator Economy ×1Developer Tools ×1E-commerce ×1

HQs:United States×1

Investments · 3 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2026 · 12024 · 12 dated

A1Zap by A1Basea1zap.comin𝕏Seed

A platform where users create and share AI-powered tools, games, chatbots, and interactive experiences with others in their social network.

Developer ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSan Francisco, US

Pasha Rayan(CEO)inPennie Huang(Founder)in

Co-investorsPioneerY CombinatorFundersClubLiquid VenturesOurCrowdRice Capital+1 more

Bandicoot Imagingbandicootimaging.cominFeb 2024

Bandicoot offers a scanning and digitization service that converts physical fabrics into high-quality PBR texture maps and digital materials for fashion and furnishing textiles.

Advanced ManufacturingCloud ComputingCreator EconomyDeep TechE-commerceNew MaterialsSaaS

Co-investorsSydney Angels

Silicon Quantum Computingsqc.cominMar 2026

Silicon Quantum Computing develops fault-tolerant quantum processors using atomic-scale manufacturing techniques, targeting applications in AI acceleration, quantum simulation, and quantum computing.

AI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardwareNew MaterialsQuantum Computing

Michelle Simmons(Professor)

Co-investorsTin Alley VenturesTitanium Ventures

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

What stage does UNSW invest at?
UNSW invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
What sectors does UNSW focus on?
UNSW focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Cleantech, Deep Tech, Defense Tech, Energy, Enterprise Software, Medical Devices, Quantum Computing.
Where is UNSW located?
UNSW is headquartered in Sydney, AU.

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