Osborne Clarke advises Founders Factory on two joint ventures to establish Australian operations

International legal practice Osborne Clarke has advised global venture builder and early stage investor, Founders Factory, on two of its latest joint ventures: firstly with leading global mining group, Rio Tinto, to accelerate technologies that will shape the future of mining; and also with the Western Australian Government, to accelerate nature & biodiversity start-ups.

Joint venture with leading mining group Rio Tinto

Osborne Clarke assisted Founders Factory on the formation of a joint venture with Rio Tinto to accelerate the development and commercialisation of breakthrough technologies in Western Australia's mining industry.

The partnership will see Rio Tinto (via the joint venture) invest A$14.4 million in global pre-seed and seed stage start-ups over the next three years. The venture's focus will be on technologies in the fields of safe mine operations, decarbonisation, exploration processing and automation.

Each selected start-up will receive a cash investment and also participate in a four-month accelerator program run by Founders Factory, to support product development and commercialisation.

Partnership with Western Australian Government

Osborne Clarke has also assisted Founders Factory on its partnership with the Western Australian Government to establish an innovation hub in Perth, supported by A$7.2 million in Cook Government funding.

The Cook Government's investment over a three year period will see the establishment of the Founders Factory Nature & Biodiversity Tech Accelerator in the region. This accelerator will help drive diversification and decarbonisation goals, with a focus on nature and biodiversity start-ups.

Founders Factory is a longstanding and valued client of Osborne Clarke. The firm has previously advised Founders Factory on (amongst others) its partnerships with Reckitt Benckiser, M&S, Aviva, Deutsche Telekom, Nesta, Mediobanca and Fastweb, the launch of Founders Factory Africa, and in relation to previous investments in Founders Factory including by Guardian Media Group, L'Oreal, easyJet, Aviva and Holtzbrink Publishing.

Partner Ken Wilkinson led the Osborne Clarke team assisting Founders Factory, with support from corporate Senior Associate John Jarvis, tax Partner Mathew Oliver and commercial Associate Odhran Lusby.

As always it was a pleasure to work with the technically excellent and highly-commercial team at Osborne Clarke

Frank Webster, Head of Corporate Development at Founders Factory

Frank Webster, Head of Corporate Development at Founders Factory, commented: "As always it was a pleasure to work with the technically excellent and highly-commercial team at Osborne Clarke, who have been indispensable to FF as we have built complex international partnerships in recent years."

Ken commented: "We are delighted to have supported Founders Factory again on their further international expansion into Western Australia. We have now worked together for many years, and have built a strong partnership as a result, and it is great to see the concept and business go from strength to strength." 

Osborne Clarke advises team is a go-to practice for many companies in the tech, media and comms sectors, working with global businesses to fast-growth start-ups and market challengers. It is widely recognised for its corporate expertise in these dynamic markets, and its track record advising on M&A deals across Europe, North America and globally, and at every stage of company development across all corporate issues.