Discover the 23 Australian ventures building tomorrow’s critical technologies at Cicada x Tech23.
What’s happening: Cicada x Tech23 2025 has selected 23 science-based startups from across Australia to showcase critical technologies spanning artificial kidneys, emission-free mining trucks, and GPS-free navigation systems. The annual event, scheduled for Wednesday 10th September at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont, will spotlight ventures developing innovations in health, energy, infrastructure, and industry.
Why this matters: These ventures represent Australia’s push toward technological sovereignty, combining world-class science with bold commercial ideas to build a more sustainable, secure, and sovereign future. The event serves as a crucial platform for deep tech startups to connect with investors, partners, and industry leaders who can accelerate the development of technologies essential to national capability and economic resilience.
Twenty-three Australian science-based startups developing everything from artificial kidneys to emission-free mining trucks have been selected for Cicada x Tech23 2025. the country’s premier deep tech showcase event.
These ventures, spanning five key categories from biological innovations to advanced engineering capabilities, represent the cutting edge of Australian research commercialisation and the nation’s drive toward greater technological sovereignty.
The built world, upgraded
Three ventures are revolutionising how the world processes critical materials. Banksia Minerals Processing has developed a clean electrochemical alternative to copper smelting that “uses room-temperature electrolysis to cut emissions and cost,” offering “a scalable, low-impact path to decarbonise copper production, just as copper demand accelerates.”
COOL ENGINEERING has built a compact system that “captures carbon dioxide from the air and industrial sources, and converts it into drop-in hydrocarbon fuels.” Their process “requires no fossil inputs or high pressure, and mimics the carbon-capturing power of trees in minutes,” with patents secured across major markets.
Facet Amtech has cracked one of industry’s toughest challenges, developing “a catalyst that enables ammonia synthesis at room temperature without high heat or pressure.” Their innovation “bypasses the 100-year-old Haber-Bosch method, slashing emissions and costs” for this essential chemical used in food and fuel production.
Built with biology
Five companies are harnessing living systems for industrial applications. Algenie’s “patented helical photobioreactor grows cyanobacteria using light and wasted renewable energy, with no farmland or added CO₂.” Their system “absorbs two kilograms of carbon for every kilogram of product, and is up to 50 times cheaper than existing photobioreactors.”
BioCarbon is “replacing coal with a renewable alternative made from forestry waste,” turning “wet, unprocessed wood into GreenChar, a high-grade carbon product that powers electric furnaces for steelmaking.” The process “requires no external energy and has completed industry trials.”
Humble Bee Bio has created “a bioinspired peptide that restarts elastin production, delivering visible results in 12 hours and 500% better performance than existing ingredients” for anti-ageing applications.
Membrane Transporter Engineers (MTE) has developed “nature-inspired membrane technologies that recover high-value materials like lithium, cobalt, and phosphorus from complex industrial wastewater” by “mimicking how plant cells selectively transport nutrients.”
Sprout Materials has solved packaging’s recycling problem with “a chemically recyclable alternative that performs like conventional foam and works with existing manufacturing systems,” built on “patented ANU chemistry.”
Engineering new capability
Five ventures are pushing the boundaries of advanced engineering. Burl Aerospace is “building an aircraft that doesn’t” require runways, with their “mono-wing rotor system separates lift and thrust, enabling extreme payloads to be deployed from rooftops, remote terrain, or disaster zones.”
CatQ has developed “a way to correct optical quantum errors before they happen, improving performance up to 1,000x” for quantum computers, delivering “near-perfect efficiency” and solving “a key barrier to real-world quantum applications.”
DeteQt has created “a compact quantum magnetometer that uses diamond electron spin to detect magnetic anomalies, enabling precise, drift-free navigation without satellites.” Their innovation is “already backed by a $3.4 million Australian Defence contract.”
Powered by NOA has developed “rugged, wireless charging systems for drones, robots, and mobile machinery” with “no plugs, no downtime, no human intervention,” enabling “seamless, self-directed charging in real-world conditions.”
X-Centric Sciences has built “a handheld device that delivers lab-grade analysis on-site in minutes, including carbon and full chemical profiles,” replacing “weeks-long delays with instant insights for farmers, agronomists, and sustainability teams.”
A new system of care
Five healthcare innovators are shifting medicine from reactive to preventative. Liora Neurotech is developing “Lumara, a wearable biosensor that tracks biomarkers like cortisol, inflammation, and melatonin to detect relapse risk in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder,” helping “patients and clinicians take proactive steps earlier.”
Nutromics has created “lab-on-a-patch” technology that “delivers continuous diagnostic insights, replacing delayed lab data with minute-by-minute visibility” for ICU teams. The system is “already tested in humans and backed by $20 million.”
OncoRevive has developed “a blood test that’s over a billion times more sensitive than standard methods,” analysing “DNA, proteins, and sugars in a single sample” with “AI-driven platform spots cancer early, with results in hours.”
One Kidney is developing “a fully implantable artificial kidney” to “restore natural function, with no machines, no donor waitlists,” using a “bioinspired membrane system” created after founder Alur Saguinsin “witnessed her father’s struggle with kidney failure.”
Pretect Devices has created “Vedette, a wearable monitor that continuously checks for early signs of fluid leakage” in neonatal care, alerting “clinicians in real time to prevent harm” from IV complications.
The built world, upgraded
Five companies are embedding intelligence into infrastructure. ConryTech’s “BullAnt platform delivers heating and cooling exactly where and when it’s needed, using up to 70% less energy,” transforming “buildings into grid-responsive assets.”
Electric Power Conversions Australia “retrofits existing fleets with 100% battery-electric powertrains, retaining up to 80% of original parts while eliminating fossil fuels,” achieving “world-leading battery energy density and better performance than diesel.”
Kardinia Energy’s “printed solar is lightweight, flexible, and recyclable, printed roll-to-roll for rapid, low-cost deployment,” already “touring with Coldplay and used in remote communities.”
PuraLink has developed “autonomous robots that travel inside complex underground pipes to map, inspect, and detect issues without excavation,” designed to “navigate sharp bends and variable diameters.”
Terria’s “open-source platform” lets “anyone build interactive maps and digital twins without specialised skills,” used for “State digital twins and Digital Earth Africa” to help “governments and businesses visualise data to inform decisions.”
These ventures represent more than promising technologies, they embody Australia’s commitment to solving global challenges through world-class science and engineering innovation, building sovereign capability while creating competitive advantages in emerging global markets.
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