According to The Australian Financial Review, Graham Jenkin, a Brisbane-born entrepreneur who began his career making websites for centrist political party the Australian Democrats, has hit the big time with his four-year-old crypto start-up CoinList, after raising $US100 million ($138 million) in a deal that values it at $US1.5 billion ($2 billion).
CoinList is both a cryptocurrency exchange and a new token listing platform, and aims to be the Goldman Sachs of crypto initial coin offerings. Its new funding round brings on board a raft of global investors, who can help its international expansion plans.

https://www.afr.com/technology/this-brisbane-techie-left-politics-to-create-a-2b-crypto-unicorn-20211119-p59ae5

 

According to The Australian Financial Review, MJH Group, the largest home builder in NSW, has outlined a new name, NXT Building Group, that reflects plans to become a national operator with its own land development, manufacturing, building and financing arms, and to double output to 8000 homes annually within the next four years.
The Newcastle-based company – which is now 80 per cent owned by Japan’s Asahi Kasei Homes – will keep its operating names, including McDonald Jones, MOJO, Brighton, Wilson and Weeks Homes.
“The NXT Building Group name reflects our ambitions and our plans for the future rather than the past,” Mr Helmers said. “The MJH Group was very much NSW-dominated. We want to be considered and will be considered a national player.”

https://www.afr.com/property/commercial/mjh-group-changes-name-ahead-of-national-growth-push-20211122-p59b2s

 

According to The Asahi Shimbun, Japan is putting together a package worth about 800 billion yen (US$ 6.9 billion) to support the domestic semiconductor industry, with the highlight being construction of a Taiwanese chip plant in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Local business leaders and researchers hope the factory of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) will resuscitate the main southern island of Kyushu into the “Silicon Island” of Japan.
In the supplementary budget to be submitted to the Diet next month, the government plans to include relevant items that will be used to establish a foundation of about 600 billion yen to support the nation’s semiconductor industry.
Most of the money in the foundation will go toward the construction of the TSMC plant.
Additional funds will be used as subsidies for research and development, and the total package will reach 800 billion yen.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14488773

 

According to The Asahi Shimbun, Japanese researchers primarily from the Institute of Medical Science of the University of Tokyo (IMSUT) developed a strain of rice with a protein that works as a vaccine to prevent the onset of cholera symptoms, including diarrhea.
Cholera is spread mostly as a result of ingesting water contaminated with the cholera bacillus, although undercooked seafood is also another source.
The disease, which particularly plagues developing nations, affects up to 4 million people each year with up to 140,000 deaths.
Oral cholera vaccines are already available for practical use, but there are obstacles to widespread use, such as the need for refrigeration.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14479828

 

According to the Queensland Government statement, in a further boost to Queensland’s growing hydrogen industry, Greater Springfield will soon be home to Australia’s first hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing facility.
Australian energy technology company LAVO Hydrogen Technology Limited will establish the $15 million facility, backed by the Palaszczuk Government’s Invested in Queensland program, part of the $3.34 billion Queensland Jobs Fund.
Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick said construction of the new facility will begin in early 2022 and is expected to be delivered by the end of the year.

https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/93886

 

According to The Australian Financial Review, Neoen Australia chief executive Louis De Sambucy says utility-scale batteries will be the “game changer” to help Australia move towards net zero by 2050.
The owner of the Hornsdale battery project in South Australia as well as the Victorian Big Battery near Ballarat – with three other projects in the pipeline in Queensland, the ACT and NSW – said battery prices were falling so rapidly consumers were voting with their feet.
“Australia is unique. We have a very large electricity network that has been finely tuned to supply small regional cities that are hundreds of kilometres apart,” he said.
“The flexibility and support functions of utility-scale batteries are a game changer for Australia and its unique grid.

https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/energy-storage-a-game-changer-on-path-to-net-zero-by-2050-20211101-p5951i

According to The Australian Financial Review, demand for new Sydney apartments rebounded to its highest level in four years in the September quarter, as surging house prices shifted attention back to the more affordable unit market.
Off-the-plan sales tracked by Urbis show 15 per cent of apartments available for purchase exchanged over the quarter, the highest rate of sales in Sydney since 2017, almost double the 8 per cent figure recorded in the second quarter and nearly four times higher than the 4 per cent sales rate recorded at the start of the year.
“Sydney is showing signs of post-lockdown recovery,” Urbis director Mark Dawson said.
“House prices are putting pressure on affordability and [together with] tighter lending restrictions, apartments will be an attractive option for many in the market.”

https://www.afr.com/property/residential/demand-for-new-sydney-apartments-rebounds-to-four-year-high-20211117-p599n1

According to The Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese biotechnology startup is drawing major attention from investors for its development of spider silk for use as a synthetic fiber.
Spider silk, utilized by the protagonist in the movie “Spider-Man,” is a protein fiber said to be stronger than steel and more elastic than nylon.
Startup Spiber Inc., which is producing the fiber, raised 31.6 billion yen (US$2.77 billion) last year, well beyond the scope a typical fledgling company can hope for. This year it even topped that, raking in 39.9 billion yen.
With these funds, the company is trying to bring its factories in Thailand and the United States to operation in the coming months. The company is raising funds for investment in facilities to mass-produce its material.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14484145

According to The Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese startup company here developed a 3-D printer that can create chairs, benches and other items measuring up to 3 meters by 3 meters by 3 meters.
Slab Inc.’s printer is called Chashitsu, which means “traditional tea house” in Japanese, and it is among the world’s largest.
The device forms a shape by piling layers of plastic melted at 200 degrees or higher at the print head. Various plastic materials can be applied.
Although it can print out small boats and doors for automobiles, extra reinforcement and treatment processes will be required for their practical use.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14469348

 

According to The Australian Financial Review, fuel cell enhancement technology company Titan Hydrogen is getting ready for a run at the ASX in 2022, appointing a team of advisors to start the early preparations.
The company, which is creating a low temperature, high-performance hydrogen fuel cell designed to convert old vehicles to modern hydrogen hybrid engines, has enlisted Sydney broker Barclay Pearce Capital and law firm Hamilton Locke.
Research by the University of Queensland published earlier this year found that in the lab, Titan Hydrogen’s fuel cell produced higher voltage than a standard Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell operating at the same current density. This means Titan Hydrogen’s cells can deliver more power than traditional PEM cells.
More power means an extended driving range for hydrogen-powered electric vehicles, reducing the number of refuelling stations needed.

https://www.afr.com/street-talk/titan-hydrogen-taps-barclay-pearce-for-2022-ipo-20211118-p599z9
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