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

Algenie

Unlocks sustainable feedstock for food, fuel, and plastics, by making algae biomanufacturing radically more scalable and cheaper

Built with Biology

Banksia Minerals

Redefining the future of copper production

Re-Sourcing the World

BioCarbon

Produces sustainable, net zero carbon for industry

Built with Biology

Burl Aerospace

Developing next-generation vertical lift to better connect the physical world

Engineering New Capability

CatQ

Developing a high-efficiency, high-quality quantum error correction solution that will make optical quantum computers practical and scalable

Engineering New Capability

ConryTech

Reinventing air-conditioning to radically improve comfort while halving both energy use and emissions

The Built World, Upgraded

Cool Engineering

Transforming carbon dioxide from liability to asset—fueling net-zero aviation

Re-Sourcing the World

DeteQt

Using quantum sensors to capture magnetic signals everywhere, transforming how we navigate, discover resources, and understand the human body

Engineering New Capability

EPCA

Developing electric powertrain retrofit technology upgrades for heavy haulage mining equipment

The Built World, Upgraded

Facet Amtech

Reimagining ammonia production, via a cleaner, cost-effective method using renewable energy, freeing it from the century-old, carbon-intensive Haber-Bosch process that enable wider sustainable applications

Re-Sourcing the World

Humble Bee Bio

Combining nature with biotechnology to create products that restore beauty and biodiversity

Built with Biology

Kardinia Energy

Platforming sustainable energy that is accessible to all

The Built World, Upgraded

Liora Neurotech

Designing predictive biosensing for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to enable relapse prevention and precision care

A New System of Care

MTE

Developing novel membrane separation technologies inspired by nature for the sustainable extraction and recycling of critical resources from waste.

Built with Biology

Nutromics

Save lives through Continuous Diagnostic Monitoring

A New System of Care

OncoRevive

Transforming cancer care with a non-invasive, AI-powered liquid biopsy platform for accurate detection, treatment monitoring, and early relapse identification

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 with wireless charging solutions, so autonomous robots and drones can operate longer, safer, and without interruption

Engineering New Capability

Pretect Devices

Monitoring Intravenous Infusion in infants so that the treatment is delivered safely

Re-Sourcing the World

PuraLink

Creating robots for pipe inspection, mapping & repair

The Built World, Upgraded

Sprout Materials

Developing sustainable materials to drive a circular plastic economy

Built with Biology

Terria

Making it easy to build advanced maps and digital twins so you can see the bigger picture

The Built World, Upgraded

X-Centric Sciences

Designing a comprehensive portable soil measurement spanning beyond carbon

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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