From creating synthetic fertilisers that efficiently grow more food on less land to developing an online platform that can create Canva-like diagrams for scientists, 10 innovative startups have been selected for Startmate’s 2024 Summer Accelerator.

As part of the program, each startup will receive an investment from Startmate to the tune of $120,000 at a $1.5 million post-money valuation for founders that haven’t raised a prior round. The accelerator matches the latest valuation of founders who have raised before.

The funding includes investment from the program’s mentors, who personally pump anywhere between $10,000 to $500,000 into the cohort as an incentive to provide quality support.

The 12-week program comprises a mix of sessions, ranging from cohort check-ins to one-on-one mentor sessions, helping founders set up short-term goals in addition to mapping out a year-long plan. In order to be eligible for the program, one co-founder must be working on the start-up full-time.

At the end of the program, every start-up is asked to rank their top 10 most valuable mentors throughout the program. For those who do not get ranked in at least one company’s top 10, they are not invited back to participate in future cohorts.

Of the ten start-ups selected for this round, six included a female co-founder or founder, and the vast majority (80 per cent) of the companies selected came from direct referrals within the community.

The latest cohort comes almost a year after Startmate announced its tech-driven Summer ’23 cohort, which featured innovative start-ups that aimed to address issues in health, agriculture, energy, and more.

This year, women in the cohort include Chris Pymble, who founded Graphics et al. in 2021 to help healthcare professionals, medtech companies, laboratories and science researchers create Canva-like science diagrams within minutes. The start-up was also previously part of the 2022 UQ Ventures ilab cohort.

Another participant is Rachelle Dunstan, who is working alongside her co-founders Matthew Morrison and Gregor Whyte to slash the cost of early intervention therapy by connecting families with experienced therapy coaches online to develop a custom care plan.

These participants come after Startmate unveiled the organisation’s progressive Winter ’22 cohort, which for the first time contained a majority of females, including Steph Skevington and Cassie Bell, who are the founders of insure-tech Butter Insurance.

Other previous female alumni include Lauren Humphrey and Melissa Miller, who co-founded managerial skills accelerator The Mintable, in addition to ULUU co-founder Dr Julia Reisser – who secured $8 million to combat plastic waste with biomaterials made out of seaweed in late 2022.

Meet Startmate’s Summer ’24 cohort:

Carbonaught (Brisbane)

Founded by Andrew Pedley, James Lyons and Scott Keenan

Carbonaught is revolutionising the global food system. By utilising basalt as a synthetic fertiliser replacement, they're making food growth far more efficient, not only growing more food but also doing it on less land, at lower cost, and with lower emissions. Carbonaught reduces fertiliser costs by up to 50 per cent, and emission intensity by up to 80 per cent. They aim to reengineer the way we grow food while helping farmers deliver profitable, low-emission agriculture. With a team boasting expertise in data science, engineering, machine learning, and geophysics, Carbonaught is set to make a significant impact.
 

Everbility (Newcastle)

Founded by Angela Mariani and Mani Batra

Everbility is here to solve the time-consuming pain of report writing for allied health professionals. By cutting down report-writing time by a staggering 80 per cent, this AI-powered co-pilot allows professionals to focus on what matters most. With a mission-driven founder and a team combining years of experience in disability support, occupational therapy, and product engineering, Everbility is the solution to streamline and improve the healthcare system.

Graphics et al. (Brisbane)

Founded by Chris Pymble

Graphics et al. brings simplicity to healthcare information. With this novel software, health professionals can create accessible diagrams and animations within minutes. Think of it as Canva for medicine, empowering professionals to improve health literacy and prevent unnecessary hospitalisations. Founded by an anatomist and graphic designer, Graphics et al. serves the specific needs of the healthcare industry.

Keeyu (Sydney)

Founded by Jevon Le Roux, Tahir Rauf and Tracy Godtschalk

‍Keeyu is here to revolutionise the e-commerce post-purchase experience. Their centralised dashboard uses real-time data analytics to predict if an online shopper’s order will arrive on time or not, empowering customer support teams to prevent delayed orders and reduce customer complaints proactively. With a leadership team that brings together expertise in retail, technical development, and customer support, Keeyu is changing the way we shop.

Kite Therapy (Melbourne)

Founded by Rachelle Dunstan, Matthew Morrison and Gregor Whyte

Kite Therapy’s mission is to reduce the cost of early intervention therapy by a whopping 99 per cent, allowing families around the world to access timely support. With founders who are experts in the NDIS system and a team driven by passion and personal experience with autism, Kite Therapy is on a mission to change lives.

KiwiFibre (Christchurch, New Zealand)

Founded by Ben Scales and William Murrell

KiwiFibre turns plants into racecars. This is made possible through their regenerative fibre composite material that solves technical and ecological problems across global industries. From aerospace to sports equipment, they partner with manufacturers to turn KiwiFibre into products that perform better, at a fraction of the CO2 footprint. Their vision: to build a world where natural, renewable resources solve environmental problems and drive humanity forward.

Learna (Melbourne)

Founded by Lisa Lie

Learna is the go-to microlearning app for essential workplace skills and creating a culture of learning. By leveraging platform data, Learna provides valuable insights into an organisation's workforce, enabling individuals and organisations to learn and evolve. With the solo founder's impressive hustle and a user-centric approach, Learna is already generating revenue, proactively building its business, and is on a mission to transform how people learn, grow and engage at work.

‍NOA The Brand (Sydney)

Founded by Arvin Bayat and Christel Hadiwibawa

‍NOA The Brand is disrupting the industrial Internet of Things (IoT) space with its next-gen wireless charging technology. By enabling wireless charging for industrial devices, NOA aims to reduce cable dependency and contribute to the global e-waste problem. With a highly skilled technical team and innovative patent-pending technology, NOA The Brand is set to transform how devices are powered.

Telemattica (Sydney)

Founded by Tim Vale and Tom George

Telemattica is revolutionising the management of critical infrastructure through real-time data. Heavy industry customers can now detect problems early and deploy proactive maintenance immediately, all thanks to Telemattica's data-as-a-service product offerings. Their impressive pace, high margins, and customer retention rate make them a true standout in our cohort.

Venu (Queenstown, New Zealand)

Founded by Kieran Gardiner and James McArthur

‍Venu is simplifying the world of rewards programs for the hospitality industry. By seamlessly linking payment cards directly on merchant terminals, Venu offers a hassle-free experience for customers and businesses alike. Through Venu, customers can earn rewards effortlessly while indulging in their favourite restaurants, bars, or cafés. The founders possess a deep understanding of loyalty strategies in the hospitality space and clear-eyed technical expertise.