Accelerator

Scared of heights? ‍A career as a rope access engineer will not be for you. ‍Those are the folks you see rappelling down high-rise buildings, checking the facade for safety and maintenance issues. ‍But for Defy-Hi Co-Founder Dr Abbie Widin, the best way to keep people safe at heights is to eliminate the risk entirely. This helps property owners meet their safety obligations.

‍For a long time, humans’ relationship to space has been characterised by NASA astronauts, high-tension countdowns and once-in-a-lifetime, billion-dollar missions.‍That’s ‘old space’, say Astrix Astronautics founders Max Daniels and Will Hunter.

Every now and again you hear about a technology that has so much transformative potential that it’s hard to wrap your head around it. ‍The team from Ubiquetherm humbly refers to their invention as ‘the next generation of heating and cooling.’ What they are actually creating, is a breakthrough product that could have dramatic and brilliant ramifications for virtually every human on earth - and give us an almighty leap towards solving our climate, energy, and economic challenges. 

When Dr. Anushi Rajapaksa was just 7 years old, she was so terrified of needles that she had to be sedated to receive a simple injection. Now, after 15 years of dedicated research, she and her team have created a breakthrough technology with world-changing potential. ‍“Misti is a multi-award winning, novel and non-invasive lung delivery system that uses ultrasound waves to turn life-saving biomolecules into a mist that can deliver treatments to the deep lungs.” No needle required. 

‍The first rule of business is to find a big hairy problem in need of a grand solution, so when Eric Fan and his team discovered a way to solve a challenge that plagued virtually every marketing manager on the planet, they knew they were onto something epic. ‍

Take a third-generation farmer with three startups under his belt and a serial innovator who’s turned algae into medicine and developed an AI mental health app for an A-league football team, and what you get is a recipe for magic. 

‍As co-founder Robhy Bustami puts it, BioticsAI sits at “the intersection where humanity and technology meet”. ‍Specifically, it integrates artificial intelligence with ultrasound imaging tech, to help detect and diagnose foetal abnormalities in unborn babies.‍

In an industry of shooting stars, tractors, dragons, and unicorns say hello to self-driving rocketship, Empathix. An AI-driven recruitment platform, founded by Olivia Dyet, this start-up transformed from idea to business in Startmate’s Launch Club in a matter of weeks. ‍Next, Empathix was announced as one of Startmate’s Winter23 Accelerator companies. Since then the company has only continued to grow. ‍

‍Imagine a billion-dollar idea that completely shakes up an industry. Typically, you might picture fancy new inventions or super complex tech stuff, right? But sometimes, the next big thing is just a clever and straightforward solution that revolutionises the way things work. That's exactly what Nomad Fleet is all about. ‍Will Smith, a civil engineer, and Mourad Kessas, a computer scientist, teamed up to create Nomad with one goal in mind: to be the iOS for the construction industry.

‍Imagine this: It’s 11:45 p.m. and a dedicated lawyer finds themselves deep into their nth document as they conduct due diligence for their client. Having sifted through masses of information all day, and knowing what is at stake, they ask themselves: what if there was a better way?

‍In the heart of the Amazon rainforest, a butterfly flaps its wings, and across the globe a poor business decision is made. Good decisions are at the heart of business success, however today most businesses cannot afford to spend hours contemplating the “right” decision. 

Sobering research from the Black Dog Institute has revealed that nearly half of Australian teachers are considering leaving the profession in the next 12 months, with workload and burnout post-COVID cited as critical concerns. ‍Ange Alcock, a former head of English at MacRobertson Girls School, says the average teacher spends about 6.5 weeks (WTF) of unpaid overtime on marking per year. Not only is this outright wrong, but the burden of extra work threatens to affect student outcomes, too. ‍

What if we realise that a traditional 9-5 career path isn’t for us? What if we're hungry for something more?

Revolutionary climate-tech startup Kelpy is on a mission to eliminate plastic packaging, replacing it with sustainably sourced, marine degradable seaweed bioplastics. 

If you haven’t personally experienced the horrors of renting, chances are you know someone who has. Renting is a painful experience further exasperated by the fact that a whole generation of renters have been excluded from the prospects of homeownership. But don’t despair. Leesy’s vision is to make renters love renting. 

We can debate over timelines or whether the movie ‘Transformers’ was in fact a documentary, but in the meantime, the future of self-driving transport is here and knocking at our door. Founders Tim Snell, Joe Bullock and Pat Ivory have been answering some of these knocks, launching Pitcrew AI in 2020.

It’s not everyday you meet a founder who has spent the last 20+ years solving some of the world’s greatest humanitarian issues. Cameron Higgins is a neuroscientist and the founder of Resonait, a med-tech startup innovating the treatment of depression. 

While Australia has wind and solar farms in abundance, getting that power into the main electricity grid is a tad more challenging than one might have thought. gridmo is a software platform tackling that challenge, and ramping up the rate at which renewable energy can be connected for regular, everyday use. 

AI-NC’s technology is revolutionising the software infrastructure of automated manufacturing – and if that doesn’t mean much to you, you’re not alone. But a big shake-up in this niche industry could have far-reaching effects in all manner of other sectors, all over the world.

Kiwi power-couple Sophie and Christian Silver are on a mission to rebrand mathematics for kids, through their app making learning engaging, personalised and genuinely fun. Polymath turns maths questions into games tailored to the individual, using situations kids might be familiar with.

If you asked Raj Bagri six years ago what her life’s purpose was, she would have told you it was to build an impactful company that will change the world. Today, she is the founder of Kapture, a climate tech startup that is decarbonising diesel generators to fight climate change. 

Mark is a serial entrepreneur with more than 15 years’ experience in the alcohol sector and two startups already under his belt. And while he didn’t necessarily set out to start a business this time, he realised that through tinkering in his Auckland garage, he’d stumbled across a global opportunity.

SplootCode founders Katie Bell and Mattia Fregola are on a mission to make coding simple, widespread and accessible to everyone.

It’s not uncommon to see founders solving problems they’ve faced themselves. Jessica Dove London is doing just that – and founding stories don’t get much more personal, emotional and passion-fuelled than hers.

Agtech startup Flux is here to drive efficiency with precision farming and weed-busting robots.

The problems these 21 founders are solving are systemic, far-reaching and incredibly pressing — from treating depression and ensuring worker safety to democratising access to medical information and reducing CO2 emissions.

Crunchbase News recently reported that overloaded families are turning to famtech — but this isn’t news to Eggy founders Kate Morgan and Kirk Reynoldson. 

“In hindsight, I wish we had taken more time to celebrate our wins as we had them. It’s been a big journey to get here," says SoundSmith co-founder Gajan Nagaraj.

Billy Jeremijenko and Nelson Smith want to create an entirely renewable and global energy system. Take a moment and think about that.

Joey Moshinsky, Sonny Moshinsky and Richard Mathieson are on a mission to optimise STEM education.

Dennisson Technologies is "creating a muscle that you can wear on your body" which can move up to 900 times its weight.

A whopping 60% of children aged 6-17 are becoming infrequent readers — and Meena Tharmarajah is fighting this statistic head-on.

In 20 years, humanoid robot companions will be as common as the humble robot vacuum cleaner.

Alex Pan and the Storipress founding team are on a mission to build the future of culture. 

Let Phoebe Pincus introduce you to our motley, inspiring, ambitious and bullish Winter22 founders.

When Jack Philips kick-started Dexta’s growth trajectory in June 2022, he already had 10+ years of media experience under his belt. 

Xylo Systems is a conservation-tech startup fighting species extinction with tech and augmented intelligence.

We're proud to invest in Aquila as part of our Winter22 Accelerator cohort. Here's why.

We're proud to invest in Andromeda as part of our Winter22 Accelerator cohort. Here's why.

We're proud to invest in Butter as part of our Winter22 Accelerator cohort. Here's why.

We're proud to invest in Dexta as part of our Winter22 Accelerator cohort. Here's why.

We're proud to invest in Eggy as part of our Winter22 Accelerator cohort. Here's why.

We're proud to invest in Dennisson as part of our Winter22 Accelerator cohort. Here's why.

We're proud to invest in Femmi as part of our Winter22 Accelerator cohort. Here's why.

We're proud to invest in Xylo Systems as part of our Winter22 Accelerator cohort. Here's why.

We're proud to invest in Tutero as part of our Winter22 Accelerator cohort. Here's why.

We're proud to invest in Storipress as part of our Winter22 Accelerator cohort. Here's why.

We're proud to invest in SoundSmith as part of our Winter22 Accelerator cohort. Here's why.

Revolutionary insurance startup Butter is the brainchild of two powerhouse, reformed lawyers who were thrown together by fate and bonded over red wine, broken laptops and a very archaic industry. 

If we were to nominate a theme for our Winter22 cohort, it would be ‘game-changing, fresh thinking’.

Curious about how the Startmate Accelerator works and how to get the most out of it? Cara Davies has you covered.

"My deep work schedule allows me to enter a flow state, complete key tasks, and solve challenges with more focus and energy."

No more Minimum Viable Product for us. We're all about building a Minimum Lovable Product for our target users. 

When Tash Jamieson made it her mission to make studying fun for her stepson Drake, she had no idea she was building the first iteration of edtech startup Lockpick Games.

From art licensing and plastic waste transformation to chemical procurement and social fitness for Gen Z, Startmate’s Summer22 Accelerator cohort is one of our most impressive yet.

How many times have you promised yourself that you’ll sort out your finances, exercise, sleep or diet when things aren’t so busy? 

When Alisha Geary googled “Go To Market Strategy Template”, Google let her down.

They say you won’t recognise your company and product by the end of Startmate’s Accelerator. When my co-founder and I heard first this, we had a little laugh to ourselves...

From Culture Amp’s origin story and first product to long-standing focus on community and decision to bootstrap, there are insights galore in this AMA with Rod Hamilton.

LiGR Co-Founder Luke McCoy might be playing the sportstech game, but he isn’t worried about his competitors. 

When Mentorloop Co-Founders Lucy Lloyd and Heidi Holmes embarked on their first capital raise, they planned to find a lead investor. “But that’s not how it worked out.”

When Mike and Tracie sold their consulting business in 2017, they realised they were hungry for a different kind of professional challenge.

Tractor Ventures Co-Founder Matt Allen is on a mission to help founders hold onto as much of their equity as they want to, for as long as they like. 

Opvia Co-Founder and CEO Matt Hollis reflects on his Open House experience.

If Muso's founding story was a movie, “Hustlin’” by Rick Ross would lead the soundtrack.

Underlying all of Ajay Prakash’s success (and failure) is a commitment to “rapid prototyping and testing”.

One month before Demo Day, we ask our founders to tell us the Good, Bad and Ugly about their Accelerator experience thus far.

Matthew Tracey likes political podcasts, is passionate about simplifying the employee equity process, organises his day thematically and is a Startmate Mentor.

Startmate has been touring Australia, meeting teams to help find our next batch of great Australian startups.