Cicada x Tech23

Australia’s biggest deep tech event

10th September 2025, Sydney

As the biggest deep tech event in the country, Cicada x Tech23 is not just a showcase but a movement. A movement to champion 23 visionary founders, connect them with the right people, and accelerate their journey from lab to market, from startup to scale.

The 2025 Tech23 cohort is tackling challenges from cancer diagnostics and green steel to synthetic biology, precision agriculture, and quantum satellite navigation. These ventures represent the best of Australian deep tech: bold ideas backed by world-class science, and a mission to build a more sustainable, secure, and sovereign future.

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Meet the 23

From carbon to cancer, textiles to flight, meet 23 bold startups using science and engineering to solve the world’s toughest problems.

Algenie

Making algae biomanufacturing more scalable and cheaper

Built with Biology

Banksia Minerals

Redefining the future of copper production

Re-Sourcing the World

BioCarbon

BioCarbon produces sustainable, net zero carbon for industry

Built with Biology

Burl Aerospace

Next-generation vertical lift to better connect the world

Engineering New Capability

CatQ

Scaling reliable quantum computing

Engineering New Capability

ConryTech

Revolutionising air-conditioning

The Built World, Upgraded

Cool Engineering

Transforming carbon dioxide into aviation fuel

Re-Sourcing the World

DeteQt

GPS-free navigation, guided by diamonds

Engineering New Capability

EPCA

Retrofitting diesel mining trucks to 100% electric

The Built World, Upgraded

Facet Amtech

Fueling the energy transition with clean ammonia

Re-Sourcing the World

Humble Bee Bio

Combining nature with biotechnology to create products that restore biodiversity

Built with Biology

Kardinia Energy

Sustainable energy, accessible for all

The Built World, Upgraded

Liora Neurotech

Predicting psychiatric relapse before it happens

A New System of Care

MTE

Reclaiming value from industrial wastewater

Built with Biology

Nutromics

Save lives through Continuous Diagnostic Monitoring

A New System of Care

OncoRevive

Detecting cancer earlier, from a single drop of blood

A New System of Care

One Kidney

Developing a future beyond Dialysis: Because everyone needs One Kidney

A New System of Care

Powered by NOA

Powering the future of autonomy

Engineering New Capability

Pretect Devices

Safer intravenous infusion for premature babies

A New System of Care

PuraLink

Robots for pipe inspection, mapping & repair

The Built World, Upgraded

Sprout Materials

Sustainable materials to drive a circular plastic economy

Built with Biology

Terria

Advanced maps and digital twins to see the bigger picture

The Built World, Upgraded

X-Centric Sciences

Soil intelligence for a more resilient planet

Engineering New Capability

Themes for Cicada x Tech23 2025

The Built World, Upgraded

From self-monitoring infrastructure to energy systems that respond in real time, these startups are embedding intelligence into the physical world - redesigning how we live, move, and power a planet under pressure.

Re-Sourcing the World

Startups in this session are redefining where value comes from transforming carbon, waste, and critical minerals into the raw materials that will power a climate-conscious, resource-constrained future.

A New System of Care

This session reveals how healthcare is shifting from reactive to preemptive, with sensing, diagnostics, and monitoring systems that act before symptoms appear, building a future where health is continuous, ambient, and engineered.

Built with Biology

These ventures are using biology as infrastructure, harnessing living systems to grow, fabricate, and regenerate everything from industrial materials to ecosystem intelligence.

Engineering New Capability

This is deep tech that enables the impossible: sensing, navigating, and operating in environments beyond the reach of legacy systems, from autonomous flight to quantum-scale perception.

Global Innovations. Made In Australia

Everyone has a role to play at Cicada x Tech23. We bring together the deep tech village—investors, industry leaders, and policymakers—to connect with the founder solving the world’s biggest challenges. Great ideas don’t scale alone. Tech23 is where you meet the founders, forge partnerships, and shape the future of deep tech in Australia.

Be Part of the Deep Tech Village

2024 Event

Highlight Talks of the Tech23 of 2024

A Waste Free World | Panel Discussion

A Waste Free World

Stefan Mazy

Microscopic and painless: how DermR Health transforming skin biopsies | DermR Health

Shifting the Mindset on Medicine

Chris Jeffery

Serial Founder Transforming The Future of Surgery with Robots | Convergence Medical

Shifting the Mindset on Medicine

Dr Anushi Rjapaksa

Tripledemic Threat, How Misti is Solving Respiratory Infections | Misti

Urban Ecosystems Reimagined

Thanks to our sponsors

Major sponsor

Vanguard sponsor

Ecosystem Sponsors

Deep Tech: Australia's Critical Technologies

Explore our Cicada x Tech23 2024 Insights Report, which highlights the growing momentum of Australia’s deep tech sector and the innovators driving it forward.

The report examines the critical role of collaboration—from universities to SMEs and industry partners—in turning breakthrough technologies into real-world solutions. It also unpacks the persistent challenges of scaling deep tech businesses, including funding gaps and limited procurement pathways.

A systems-wide approach is needed to ensure Australia remains competitive, with stronger investment, infrastructure access, and strategic support for deep tech ventures.

Read the Report

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Cicada X Tech23 2024 Insights Report

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