Fusion Growth Labs, a new commercialisation lab spun out of venture capital programs from the University of Queensland, is being backed by backed by QIC’s $130 million Queensland Venture Capital Development Fund to focus on digital health, space, defence and cybersecurity.
The new entity, founded by startup veterans Yazz Krishna and James Skinner, is designed to provide a structured commercialisation program that enables early-stage ventures to validate their technologies with a clear pathway toward national and global scale.
“The well-worn start-up path is for ideas to try and find funding and a home, whereas we turn the concept on its head and ask industry what they need and what they will buy first, then reverse engineer the process and derisk the venture process,” says Krishna, who describes the dedicated labs as the first of their kind.
“The cybersecurity lab is our first to launch with the appointment of Jason Murrell as entrepreneur-in-residence along with 12 chief information security officers (CISO) from major Australian industry bodies supporting it.
“Our mission is simple, build real globally scalable companies that solve real problems by anchoring innovation in Australia and ensuring founders have the support, capital, and pathways to thrive.”
Krishna is director, co-founder, and venture architect of healthtech AICarer, while Skinner, his co-founder at Fusion Growth Labs, is credited with building and exiting multiple startups, completing more than 15 stock exchange listings in London, Paris, Frankfurt and New York.
Fusion Growth Labs estimates that across its team the organisation has built, backed and delivered 40 successful exits, $1 billion in annual recurring revenue and secured $400 million in startup capital.
The Cyber Lab areas of focus emerged from a closed-door roundtable in July, where participating CISOs identified the two priority focus areas of third-party risk and incidence response.
QIC private equity partner Nick Guest says the programs are well positioned to strengthen Queensland’s sovereign capability across a range of priority industries. “The lab model of involving corporate clients at the outset will create more targeted solutions and pathways for growth,” he says.
“It’s a step change for accelerating commercialisation, building capability, creating jobs, and fostering the development of new sectors.”
The labs involve selected founders participating in a 12-week program that includes direct access to enterprise guidance and mentorship, real-time commercial validation and first investment, followed by international market entrance support.
Founder-in-residence applications targeting founders and researchers for the Digital Health lab will open before the end of the year, with Space and Defence labs opening in 2026.
Read more here: https://www.businessnewsaustralia.com/articles/fusion-groth-fund-launch-backed-by-130m-qic-fund.html
About Fusion Growth Labs
Fusion Growth Labs is a Brisbane based venture studio advancing scalable innovation to solve complex challenges in Australia’s sovereign industries.