Deep dive into deep tech

Cicada’s latest report exposes a deep tech boom and a critical gap in venture and policy support

Scaling a deep tech startup comes with unique challenges - long R&D cycles, capital-intensive development, and complex commercialisation pathways. So, how do we scale deep tech startups with the right partners?

Diego Correa joined our Health Tech Hub, General Manager, Lilly Bojaski for a fireside chat in Westmead. Hear his journey and insights below.

Lessons in Building, Backing, and Believing in Australian Startups

Share Your Stories, Shape Our Legacy: a simple way to collect the stories that have shaped Cicada, direct from our community. 

You can have the best technology in the world, but without the right team, and people with the right skills, experience, and mindset — it’s almost impossible to build a world-class deep tech company. So, how do we build and scale teams? Build great businesses that solve the world’s biggest challenges? And position Australia as a global leader in deep tech innovation?

The NSW Health Commercialisation Training Program is this week celebrating its 3,400 participants raising $134.8 million in total while creating 40 new companies, launching 64 cutting-edge products, and initiating 31 new clinical trials in 10 years.

Aerospace represents a critical frontier, where innovation is driving advancements in sustainable air transport, uncrewed aviation systems and drones, and national security. These areas are crucial for Australia's defence and economic strategy, and we want to support startups working on breakthrough technologies in these fields.

We are celebrating a remarkable cohort of participants who are helping to create a better health system for people in NSW, Australia and globally. It is a privilege to work alongside hundreds of these innovators who have shown a deep commitment to driving their groundbreaking innovations from an idea to becoming a reality.

What this year's Federal Budget means for individuals, startups and deep tech innovation. "This requires aligning the nation on a bold and visionary future through policy levers focussed on long-term, transformational opportunities while also galvanising short-term action to address our current circumstances", commented Cicada Innovations CEO Sally-Ann Williams.

Get to know Shane Keating, Founder of Ocean Intelligence and participant in Cicada's Space Fast Start Program. Shane is also an Associate Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of New South Wales. His research uses powerful mathematical tools to better understand the ocean and our planet.

John is an Environmental Scientist with more than 30 years of experience in environmental management across three continents. He brings a wealth of knowledge to The Grains Challenge Program, specialising in biological systems, sustainable resource management and managing carbon. John leverages his extensive background as part of the Elevate program, offering valuable insights to scientists and engineers, that help them unlock the potential of their technologies within the agricultural industry.

Get to know Cicada resident and graduate from the National Space Industry Hub Space Elevate and Fast Start Program, Clyde Webster, founder and CEO of Crest Robotics.

Welcome to Deep Tech Origin Stories. In this series of articles, we uncover the backstory of some of the most remarkable deep tech start-up founders from around Australia. This series celebrates the breadth, depth and diversity of Australian deep tech founders, and challenges the stereotypes of who gets to build a game changing global business.

In line with our ongoing commitment to foster innovation and propel emerging space technology companies forward, we proudly acknowledge the achievements of this year's Space Fast Start program graduates.

Rob brings a wealth of experience to the table. As CEO of The Boralis Group, he's spent the last 30 years working in global agribusiness, specialising in driving sustainability, circular food systems and helping businesses scale their production. Rob also has experience spotting promising Climate Tech startups as a Venture Partner at Investible, giving him valuable insight into VC expectations.

In this article, written for the NSW Smart Sensing Network’s The Sensor newsletter, Cicada’s Hebbat Manhy shares her thoughts on the evolving world of smart sensing.

Get to know Cicada resident and graduate from the National Space Industry Hub Fast Start Program 2023, Alexander Ryan founder and CEO of VXB Aerospace. VXB is producing leading-edge electric propulsion systems using novel AI powered inverse design methods, state-of-the art simulation, and in-house manufacturing.

Will Jeremijenko is paving the way for the future of wireless energy-transmission with his company Aquila Earth. This week, we sat down with Will to learn more about his journey as a CEO in the space industry and his work and plans for Aquila Earth going forward.

In May 2023, National Space Industry Hub turned one! Like any proud parent, we threw a party, invited 170 of our friends, and glowed with pride over the progress that has been made by our community and the sector over the past 12 months. Read the full blog for a recap of a fantastic night of collaboration, reflections and insights.

This year, the stars are aligning. It's Cicada Innovations 23rd birthday. It's the year 2023. And we've just announced our custodianship of the long-running event Tech23. 23 is our magic number.

CancerAid is empowering people and organisations impacted by cancer through it's first-to-market, empathy-first support programs. This month, we had the opportunity to chat with their Head of Clinical Product, Dr Dav Sangar and deep dived into her insights on CancerAid's mission, her career transition from traditional medicine to digital health, and her experience across the UK, US, and Australian healthcare ecosystems.