Photo courtesy of UNSW under a CC-BY licence
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney is committing a total of A$35 million to two funds that the institution will officially launch tomorrow.
The majority of the capital, A$25 million, will go to the Pre-Seed Fund, which will aim to back some 50 spinouts over the next five years. Each portfolio company will receive up to A$500,000 to provide them with runway before they can secure external venture capital.
UNSW Sydney is also putting A$10 million into High Street Ventures, an independent venture capital fund that will invest from the series A round. The fund has an A$100 million target. It will be managed externally, though the fund manager has not yet been identified.
“There are multiple gaps that stall new technologies, and UNSW’s commitment is an important step towards expanding the risk capital available to our portfolio, entrepreneurial staff and students.
“This is about more than investment – it’s about building an ecosystem with the talent and commercial expertise to give our most promising discoveries their best chance to succeed and to keep Australia at the forefront of research translation and commercialisation.”
Prof Stephen Rodda, pro vice chancellor of industry and innovation
The two new funds build on the university’s Proof-of-Concept Fund, launched in 2024 with an annual allocation of A$3 million.
UNSW spun out 25 companies last year and topped the table in the annual Survey of Commercialisation Outcomes from Public Research Report, conducted by Knowledge Commercialisation Australasia, for the fourth consecutive year.
