Emesent, a Brisbane-based autonomous mapping and robotics company, has raised A$25 million in new funding to accelerate development of its AI autonomy platform and cloud software offering, and to scale manufacturing at its Wacol, Queensland, production facility. The raise comprises a A$10 million venture debt facility from the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC), Australia’s sovereign investor in advanced manufacturing, and a A$15 million equity round backed by a syndicate including Main Sequence, QIC Ventures, Orion Resource Partners, Hostplus and NGS Super.
The NRFC investment marks the organization’s first venture debt deployment to a deep technology company, reflecting a deliberate expansion of the fund’s mandate toward flexible, non-dilutive growth capital for Australian businesses with demonstrated commercial traction. Emesent was spun out of Australia’s national science agency CSIRO in 2018, and the NRFC frames its backing as support for the commercialization of Australian-developed intellectual property at the intersection of robotics, autonomous systems and physical AI—sectors the fund considers critical to Australia’s sovereign capability and economic future.
Emesent’s flagship product, the Hovermap STX LiDAR payload, is deployed across more than 200 mine sites globally and is considered mission-critical by some of the world’s largest mining operators, including Rio Tinto, BHP and Glencore. The system enables drones, vehicles and backpack-mounted units to map and navigate GPS-denied and hazardous underground environments without human guidance, providing operators with detailed 3D spatial data in conditions where traditional survey methods are unsafe or impractical. Alongside Hovermap, Emesent’s product portfolio includes the Emesent GX1, an all-in-one SLAM, RTK and 360-degree imagery scanner designed for faster field deployment, and serves clients across mining, architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), defense and critical infrastructure in more than 40 countries.
The new capital will be deployed across two strategic platform initiatives. Cortex AI is Emesent’s onboard autonomy intelligence layer, enabling fully autonomous operations in GPS-denied and hazardous environments by processing sensor data in real time and making navigation and mission decisions without cloud connectivity. Aura is its cloud-based platform for 3D data processing, visualization and analytics, designed to extend the value of hardware deployments through continuous software intelligence and cloud-enabled services. Together, Cortex AI and Aura represent a shift from hardware-led sales toward an autonomous intelligence platform model that generates recurring software revenue alongside physical deployments. The funding announcement follows strong commercial momentum from the Emesent GX1, which completed a global AEC Solutions roadshow spanning the Americas, Europe and Asia.
The equity syndicate reflects deepening institutional confidence in Australian deep technology at the intersection of hardware, AI and autonomous systems. Main Sequence, an early backer that invested in Emesent’s Seed and Series A rounds, returns alongside Queensland investor QIC Ventures, resources-focused Orion Resource Partners and superannuation funds Hostplus and NGS Super. The inclusion of large superannuation funds is notable, signalling that Australian institutional capital is increasingly willing to back hardware-intensive deep tech companies with global ambitions. Emesent currently employs 109 people across its Australian operations and plans to scale to meet growing demand from overseas markets.
KEY QUOTES:
“This investment accelerates everything we’re building at Emesent. Our clients operate in some of the most demanding environments on the planet, and they rely on our technology to make those environments understood. NRFC’s support means we can scale our manufacturing, push our AI and autonomy capabilities further, and deepen our presence in the sectors that matter most to Australia’s future, including mining, defense, and critical infrastructure. We’re proud to be building this from Queensland, Australia.”
Charles Miller, CEO, Emesent
“Emesent’s pioneering physical AI technology was spun out of the CSIRO in 2018, and we are proud to be supporting the commercialization of Australian-developed intellectual property. Robotics and autonomous systems are emerging as critical segments of the Australian economy, and this investment will help anchor these capabilities in Australia — creating highly skilled jobs while strengthening our sovereign capability in sectors that underpin the nation’s future.”
David Gall, CEO, National Reconstruction Fund Corporation
“Since 2018, Emesent has been pioneering how clients map, understand and operate in some of the most complex, dangerous environments around the world, with millions of missions in hundreds of mines and worksites. We’re proud to continue supporting Emesent as they scale and make their world-leading autonomy and analytics platforms available to even more clients.”
Mike Zimmerman, Partner, Main Sequence
