The curtain was lifted today on the finalists of the 2023 Australian Technologies Competition (ATC), revealing a diverse range of innovative businesses based in Australia. One of them uses hydrogen to fuel reusable, hypersonic scramjets, meaning it’s part of arguably the most important industry in the history of humanity on account of it providing the potential, emission-free replacement to fossil fuels.
Now in its 13th iteration and under the stewardship of technology investment and advisory firm Scalare Partners, the ATC casts a spotlight on the varied enterprises Scalare seeks. This year’s contenders span a gamut of innovations – from sustainable coal alternatives to cutting-edge space suits and eyewear that grants vision to the blind.
The selection process was rigorous. From a pool of nearly 100 entries, judges selected 32 semi-finalists. That number was then further distilled to 21 after a two-day masterclass and business plan presentations. These chosen ventures have been recognized not only for their innovation but also for their potential to transform entire sectors and catalyze societal progress. Through ATC, these companies are primed to engage with a network of investors, mentors, and industry gurus, all committed to fostering their growth.
The finalists are:
Adiona Tech : converging technological advances to provide real time, dynamic decision support for mobility, transportation and logistics whilst lowering the impact that transport and logistics has on cities and its people.
Alcolizer Technology : globally respected drug and alcohol testing driven by world-leading R&D, innovation and manufacturing, testing and analytics, and emerging trends.
AloxiTec Pty Ltd : a game-changing challenger to traditional fresh food packaging that extends shelf life, improves freshness, and is recyclable.
Aria Research : glasses which delivers a sense of vision to people who are blind via technologically enhanced human echolocation
BlueKee Pty Limited : a new standard of privacy protection app that safeguards business and individual identities through use of biometrics and three layers of trust.
Brauz : technology connecting customers to retail staff in-store to reserve, find in store, click and collect, and book appointments.
Byte25 : complete network observability through comprehensive monitoring to increase security and performance across entire IT infrastructures.
CXEX Pty Ltd : leveraging the latest advances in AI and machine learning to help businesses to better understand their customer base, through conversational analytic solutions designed to extract insights and drive data-driven decisions.
EVX Australia Pty Ltd : creating reliable, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and future-proof EV charging solutions that are 100% powered by renewable energy.
Fluger Pty Ltd: industry standard online booking and patient management systems for the health industry.
FootprintLab Pty Ltd: providing easy to use and credible carbon data to empower businesses to deploy climate solutions by establishing what businesses need and how it should be integrated into data workflows.
Hypersonix Launch Systems : an aerospace engineering design and build company specialising in hydrogen powered reusable scramjet engines and hypersonic flyers that have no CO2 emissions.
Loopit Car Subscription : an all in one platform for car subscription management, able to be white labelled with an entirely configurable purpose-built solution.
MentorKey: offering world-class mentoring, sponsorship and coaching programs for large corporate powerhouses via a digital platform that delivers real impact for employees.
Metakosmos (Vyom Tech Pty Ltd) : next generation spacesuit design and production to provide greater access to spaceflights and astronaut experience.
Octopusbot Pty Ltd : AI powered predictive analytics that reduce risk and maximise profit for commodity market players through high accuracy yield and production estimates, global supply and demand estimates, and interactive price modelling scenarios.
ON VOL Pty Ltd : turning movement into electricity to supply endless power, solving the problem of battery dependency and powering IoT and wireless sensors.
Pyrochar: in conjunction with research partner CSIRO, is scaling a proven commercial technology that has been researched & developed over 13+ years to produce net zero emission metallurgical char (MetChar) that will replace coal/coke in the primary metals industry.
Realta Logic : end to end compliance tool that enables real time assessments, full traceability, and live monitoring to enable real-time compliance across organisations.
RoboMotion Pty Limited (trading as Verbotics) : robotic automation for welding that eliminates the need for costly manual programming to make robotic automation accessible for all manufacturers, regardless of size.
Zondii Pty Ltd : global technology that instantly verifies and validates food and fibre through a smartphone to transform supply chain traceability and product verification globally.
The journey for these finalists is far from over. They will soon be stepping onto the stage, presenting pitches and fielding live questions from the judges. By next month, 10 of these firms, culminating in one being crowned ‘Technology Company of the Year,’ will be recognized in ceremonies in Melbourne and Sydney.
“The level of talent and innovation that we’ve seen this year is truly commendable,” stated an ATC spokesperson. “Australia continues to be a fertile ground for technological advancements, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of showcasing these game-changers.”
The Australian Cleantech Finals & Awards is set for 12th September in Melbourne. The ATC National Finals & Awards will culminate the events on 28th September in Sydney.
