SparkLabs Cultiv8, a leading Agri-Food Tech accelerator in Australia, has announced its support for cleantech, investing in and providing guidance to ten startups through its newly established SparkLabs Cultiv8 CleanTech Accelerator.
Founded in 2017 in collaboration with Asia’s largest accelerator, SparkLabs Group, SparkLabs Cultiv8 has been at the forefront of addressing climate change through innovation. Agri-Food Tech veteran and SparkLabs partner Malcolm Nutt stated that incorporating cleantech into their portfolio is a strategic response to Australia’s escalating climate change concerns.
“As a pioneer in Agri-Food Tech, Australia deserves global recognition,” Nutt said. “The Australian Agri-Food Tech industry has consistently proven its ability to innovate, and it’s only accelerating. Agriculture plays a vital role in climate change discussions, so we’re eager to contribute through innovation and collaboration with leading Australian research institutions.”
The startups, mainly from New South Wales (NSW), will be based at The GATE, located at the Orange Agricultural Institute, where SparkLabs Cultiv8 was launched 2017, for the next six months. The selected startups include:
- AusBioEnergy produces scalable, competitively priced, and sustainable biomethanol through a closed-loop manufacturing system.
- Blue Carbon S2C is focused on developing and financing projects that restore large-scale nature-based ecosystems in blue, teal, and green carbon areas.
- Carbonaught, developing organic fertilizer from enhanced rock weathering to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and promote sustainable agriculture.
- Clean Eyre Global is a seaweed production business focusing on accelerating the commercialization of ruminant animal feed supplements to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
- DownForce Technology provides a novel platform for precisely calculating natural capital and ecosystem services, assisting farmers and land stewards.
- ExoFlare offers a real-time platform for the food and agricultural industries to monitor and manage biosecurity hazards.
- NanoSoils, using silica nanoparticles for direct agrochemical delivery to plants, decrease pesticide residues in the environment.
- Packamama is reinventing the wine bottle to reduce carbon emissions in the supply chain through energy, space, and weight savings.
- Ten Carbon Chemistry, trialing unique antimicrobials on fresh produce and packaging to extend shelf life, improve safety, and reduce emissions.
- Wollemi provides a platform that automates climate vulnerability assessments and scenario analyses, enabling the integration of climate risk into decision-making for land-based and agricultural assets.
The accelerator is powered by Cultiv8 Funds Management, an Agri-Food Venture Capital Fund established by Malcolm Nutt and Jonathon Quigley in association with the Challenger Group. The new program builds on the success of the SparkLabs Cultiv8 Accelerator and benefits from the support of several organizations, including the Department of Primary Industries, Meat and Livestock Australia, Grains Research and Development Corporation, Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Agriculture Innovation Australia, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Hort Innovation, and Science and Technology Australia.
Jonathon Quigley, Partner of SparkLabs Cultiv8, emphasized the significance of this initiative: “Our globally recognized program highlights NSW and broader Australia’s innovation, providing industry expertise to assist these companies on their path to commercialization. This year’s participants focus on biodiversity, resource efficiency, and renewable energy. We’re thrilled to collaborate with these businesses in their pursuit of a more sustainable planet.”
Photo by Jamie Davies on Unsplash
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