Startmate has unveiled its Summer23 accelerator cohort, a week after news that mining billionaires Andrew and Nicola Forrest are investing in female founders in the cohort.

CEO Michael Batko believes this year’s group is on track to make a disproportionate impact in terms of both ambition and global presence.

“This cohort has been global from day one and is already meaningfully changing lives around the world,” he said.

Batko says the problems they solve are “systematic, far-reaching and incredibly urgent — from treating depression and ensuring worker safety to democratizing access to medical information and reducing carbon emissions.”

Some innovative startups are making waves in various fields.

Kapturefor example, is working on membrane technology that captures CO2 emissions before they enter the atmosphere.

Kelpyon the other hand, has developed seaweed-based packaging that can be mass-produced using existing equipment.

To democratize the housing rental process, corner also came up with an interesting solution.

In care, Resonate is working on a wearable medical device to help treat depression at home.

At the same time, Turn to has emerged as the go-to source for reliable information on various health issues worldwide.

“Startups are born when people become obsessed with a problem that haunts them at night and that they are determined to solve at any cost,” said Batko.

Batko believes that startups are born when people are obsessed with a problem that haunts them at night and they are determined to solve it at any cost.

“But entrepreneurship is a road full of failures, experimentation and hardship – which is why the Startmate Accelerator exists to increase the likelihood of success by providing access to expert advice, mentorship, capital, talent and credibility.

“To date, the Accelerator has invested $14.8 million in 207 companies now valued at more than $2 billion,” he said.

Here are the 12 startups in Startmate’s Summer23 cohort and short pitches about their ideas.

AI-NC founders George, Tom and Max

AI-NC

AI-NC is a Melbourne-based startup that is changing the way machined parts are designed and manufactured.

By adding spell-checking to engineering designs, AI-NC provides engineers with manufacturing expertise and manufacturers with automated quoting and communication tools, reducing inefficiencies and costs at every stage.

Founders: George Juliff, Max Myer + Thomas Miles

Kapture founder Raj

Kapture

Kapture is a Melbourne-based startup with a mission to decarbonise diesel generators.

Kapture has developed a low-cost, easy-to-use membrane technology that captures CO2 emissions before they are released into the atmosphere – the by-product can be used as a low-cost fertilizer to boost soil carbon levels.

Founder: Raj Bagri

Flux robotics

Flux founder Jordy

Flux robotics is an Australian start-up that builds farm robots that can sense and activate in a millimeter-scale paddock.

Flux’s first product uses AI to detect and spray weeds in vegetable crops, reducing pesticide use for the farmer. Flux is developing an ecosystem of robotic products that use the same Sense-Think-Do technology to manage weeds in various farming systems worldwide.

Founder: Jordy Kitschke

gridmo founders Jarman and Damien

schedule

schedule is a Melbourne-based startup accelerating the connection of renewable generation to the grid.

gridmo is a software platform that standardizes and automates the engineering process required to connect generation to the grid. Currently, this process can take several years, but gridmo aims to reduce the time and cost of this process by an order of magnitude.

Founders: Damien Vermeer + Jarman Stephen

Kelpy founder Finn

Kelpy

Kelpy is an Australian startup developing planet-friendly seaweed biopackaging solutions capable of mass production on existing equipment.

Kelpy already has a global network of seaweed farms that provide regenerative supply of a circular product and provide economic and social support to coastal communities and women.

Founder: Fionnuala Quin

Nook founders Nick Michael and Eddie

corner

corner is a Sydeny-based start-up that makes renting a home as easy as booking an Airbnb, without disappointing open houses or frivolous applications, helping renters get a home they love without the stress and the appreciation of our partner agencies increases.

Founders: Edward Dostine + Nicholas Ruzhnikov + Michael Watson

Pit crew AI

Pit crew AI founders Joe, Tim and Pat

Pit crew AI is a Newcastle-based autonomous vehicle technician who inspects fleets of on-road, off-road and rail vehicles.

Pit crew uses thermal imaging to identify major maintenance issues earlier than human inspectors, keeping workers safe and avoiding unplanned downtime.

Founders: Joe Bullock + Patrick Ivory + Tim Snell

polymath

Polymath founders Sophie and Krinn

polymath is an Auckland-based startup that is changing the way children learn math with a gamified, personalized and enjoyable learning app for students.

Polymath provides parents and teachers with valuable insights, enabling them to help their young students achieve the future they dream of.

Founders: Sophie Silver + Christian (Krinn) Silver

Reactor limited

Founder of the reactor Mark

reactor is an Auckland-based startup building a scalable reactor platform that can efficiently age liquids, particularly spirits such as whiskey.

Reactory’s technology will bring rapid product testing to the spirits industry for the first time, reducing carbon footprint and lowering production costs.

Founder: Mark Eltom

Resonate

Resonate is a Sydeny-based startup accelerating the path to recovery from depression.

Resonait founder Cameron

Complementing the work of clinical psychologists, Resonait is developing a new wearable medical device that will help people recover faster from depression from the comfort of their own homes.

Founder: Cameron Higgins

SplootCode

SplootCode is a Sydney-based startup that makes building with Python really easy.

SplootCode is a development platform where building real-world software is accessible and efficient without sacrificing the capabilities of what can be built with code.

SplootCode founders Mattia and Katie

Founders: Katie Bell + Mattia Fregola

Turn to

Getting a serious health condition sucks. Subsequently, it is impossible to find the best, cutting edge treatments and people to turn to and it largely depends on luck.

The Brisbane-based startup, Turn to solves this problem by building the house for all voices and insights for every health condition. Turnto is on a mission to build a global health conversation and accelerate breakthroughs for everyone.

Turnto founder Jess

Founder: Jessica Dove London

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