Sydney aerospace startup Mako raises $28M Series A, $700k pre-seed
Mako Aerospace, a Sydney startup developing shark skin-inspired drag reduction film for aircraft, closed a $28 million Series A led by Virescent Ventures. Previous investors include IAG, Zero Infinity Partners, Grok Ventures, Skip Capital, IP Group, and TreeArc.
The funding timeline tells the story: Mako raised $700,000 in a pre-seed round in May 2022. No subsequent rounds until this Series A. That is a 40x capital jump after a four-year gap.
The company makes Flightfilm, a surface coating that cuts aircraft drag by roughly 4%, reducing fuel consumption and costs. They have tested it on a US Air Force C-130J Super Hercules and secured commercial partnerships with Delta Air Lines and IAG subsidiary Vueling. Pilots with Asia Pacific carriers are pending.
Mako (previously MicroTau, founded 2015, rebranded in recent years) received a $3.07 million federal government grant three months ago for manufacturing equipment and certification. The Series A will fund regulatory approval in Australia, Europe, and the US, plus manufacturing for pre-orders from commercial and defence clients.
What this means for sales teams
Headcount is unknown. Sales team structure is unknown. There is no publicly available org chart, no VP Sales or CRO listed, no comp data. The company is headquartered in Sydney with manufacturing partnerships in Australia, but ANZ-specific office details and employee count remain undisclosed.
This is a climate tech hardware play with a long sales cycle: regulatory approval, airline pilots, defence contracts. If you are tracking ANZ aerospace or climate tech hiring, Mako is worth watching. The $28 million will likely fund expansion, but specifics on roles, territories, or quotas have not been announced.
Blair Pritchard, partner at Virescent Ventures, said Mako "has the potential to be the biggest Australian aviation story since Qantas." That is investor speak, not a hiring plan. When the roles get posted, we will cover them.