Second Fit, Ferronova, Airspeeder, Bluethumb and more – SA’s 22 hottest start-ups
From flying cars to AI-made beer, vaccines to satellites and speakers – even a social network for parents with a disability – we look at 22 of SA’s most intriguing start-ups.
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Today we profile some of the state’s most exciting and innovative start-ups (in no particular order).
From exploring the frontiers of space, to changing the way we treat serious illness, to safeguarding our communities and protecting our environment, to aiming to build the highest quality loudspeaker known to humankind, they all started with an idea, a passion and a belief they could make a difference
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BIOTECH/MEDTECH
GPN VACCINES
GPN Vaccines is developing a broad-spectrum vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes life-threatening pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis, as well as otitis media in children. Up to two million deaths worldwide are attributed to S. pneumoniae each year, killing more children than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
The best vaccine available only protects against 20 of the 100 known strains. GPN Vaccines is therefore developing a novel, whole-cell vaccine to provide adults and children with broad-spectrum protection against S. pneumoniae, regardless of the strain. Preclinical studies have shown the vaccine is safe and effective. It is manufactured locally and a clinical trial in Adelaide is planned for early 2023.
FERRONOVA
Ferronova is applying magnetic nanoparticles and fluorescence to image-guided cancer surgery and therapies. Their innovations are designed to improve surgical accuracy and enable the detection of the early spread of cancer that would otherwise be missed by the current standards of care.
ALYRA BIOTECH
Alyra Biotech is an Adelaide-based biopharma company developing intra-uterine devices to change the way the uterus talks to the brain. Excess immune activation in the uterus translates to excess stimulation of the central nervous system and symptoms that can include pain, fatigue, mood disorder, bowel symptoms, food intolerance, headaches and brain fog.
Alyra Biotech’s devices are designed to normalise the immune environment in the uterus to reduce these symptoms. In 2023, its first device will enter first-in-human clinical trials in Adelaide.
BIOMEBANK
BiomeBank is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of microbiome-based therapies to treat what it describes as unmet medical need. Its mission is to treat and prevent disease by restoring gut microbial ecology.
Backed by a world-leading team of translational microbiome experts, BiomeBank’s platform uses a combination of machine learning and microbiology to identify bacterial strains that influence disease, leading to the discovery and development of new therapies.
ADD-LIFE TECHNOLOGIES
Add-Life Technologies is developing a customised exercise program to help people recover from stroke and brain injury using a virtual reality headset, which helps them improve their neuroplasticity, mobility, and dexterity through a series of immersive games.
HI-TECH
FLUX ROBOTICS
Flux is building robotics designed to reduce the need for pesticides in food production. Developed by farmer and entrepreneur Jordy Kitschke, the robots use AI to detect weeds in crops and then can either precisely spray them or remove the weeds from the ground mechanically. Flux has had the support of some of the most innovative farmers in the country to help bring the cutting-edge technology to the paddock. The robots are being trialled on vegetable farms around Australia.
AIRSPEEDER
Airspeeder and sister company Alauda Aeronautics are pioneering innovation for the development of performance flying electric cars, with a vision to create the world’s first racing series for manned flying cars. Airspeeder was founded by Matt Pearson, who is also a co-founder of nano satellite company Fleet Space Technologies, and its staff include former employees of motorsport icons Ferrari, Brabham, Rolls Royce and McLaren.
SPACE/SATELLITES
NEUMANN SPACE
With a team of more than 10 skilled engineers, Neumann Space is developing and manufacturing the trademarked Neumann Drive, an in-space electric propulsion system for satellites and spacecraft.
Their patented Centre-Triggered Pulsed Cathodic Arc Thruster (CT-PCAT) technology converts solid conductive propellants into plasma to produce thrust. Solid metallic propellants present many benefits and Neumann Space demonstrated with US partners that they can use metal recycled from space debris as fuel. After years of research and development, they are now ready for flight, with several launches scheduled on SpaceX Falcon 9, starting in 2023.
INOVOR TECHNOLOGIES
Inovor Technologies is a South Australian-owned-and-operated space and defence technology company that designs, manufactures and operates small satellites for government, defence and commercial customers from Lot Fourteen.
These satellites deliver services for climate science, Earth imaging, communications, AgTech, scientific experimentation, and more. It also has two missions of its own: “Hyperion”, for the delivery of space traffic management services to detect, track and identify objects in orbit, and “Skyris”, for the delivery of “smart” Earth imaging services to perform real-time applications from space like bushfire detection and building damage assessment following a natural disaster.
FLEET SPACE TECHNOLOGIES
Billed as Australia’s leading space company – with a mission to connect Earth, moon and Mars – has rapidly grown in past months with a team now of more than 80 employees. Fleet designs, builds and operates a constellation of micro satellites which deliver universal connectivity across the globe.
Recently, Fleet launched ExoSphere, a solution for the exploration industry providing lightning-fast, highly scalable 3D mapping solutions to pinpoint minerals and increase accuracy in drilling targets. This technology creates a faster, more sustainable and less expensive route to finding critical mineral deposits.
CYBER
FIVECAST
Fivecast is delivering cutting-edge digital intelligence technology developed in its Adelaide headquarters, designed to help global customers explore masses of data, uncovering actionable insights to protect global communities.
After launching in 2017, the company has grown to more than 80 employees and now has offices in the US and the UK. Supporting cases ranging from counter-terrorism, human trafficking and organised crime to fraud detection, protective security and anti-money laundering, Fivecast technology is deployed with law enforcement, defence, national security and corporate security customers around the world.
Entertainment/Retail
BLUETHUMB
Bluethumb represents more than 20,000 emerging and established artists from Australia and has sold more than 70,000 original Australian artworks directly from Australian artists. Started by South Australian brothers Edward and George Hartley and friend Philip Slusarski in 2012, they were initially told that selling art online wouldn’t be possible.
Ten years later, Bluethumb is Australia’s biggest online art gallery and marketplace. Priding itself as the “Home of Australian artists”, it’s celebrating its 10-year anniversary by launching Australia’s richest art prize at the sum of $250,000.
Winners will be announced on October 27 by a judging panel including Tamara Dean, Kathrin Longhurst, Loribelle Spirovski, Del Kathryn Barton, and the reigning Archibald Prize winner, Blak Douglas.
SECOND FIT
Second Fit is a female-based online marketplace for preloved fashion. SF provides a judgment-free space for women to buy, swap, sell and hire clothing and accessories, which is built to empower the circular fashion movement to reduce textile waste, while members receive brand partner rewards.
KYRON AUDIO
Kyron Audio design and manufacture world-class, high-performance hi-fi systems for the home. Their high-definition music systems use cutting-edge technologies to bring the sound of the recording studio into the home in 3D.
Founded by two musicians and designed and built in Adelaide, Kyron has won national and international awards for both sound quality and design. The product is geared towards the ultra-premium luxury markets. Pricing for its latest design, Phoenix, starts at $489,000, making it the most expensive home theatre system in Australia.
DEEP LIQUID
Developed by Denham D’Silva from Barossa Valley Brewing (who developed the first Australian beer using AI), it uses machine learning to help craft brewers engage, connect and thrive with their customers. Along with AI-augmented recipe creation, a QR code encourages customers to review the beer.
HEALTHCARE
CONSULTMED
Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN), the largest paediatric health service in Australia, has formally announced the system-wide deployment of Consultmed as part of a new initiative to end its dependence on fax machine referrals.
Launched in Adelaide in 2021, Consultmed is a leading health-tech service which has successfully established an innovative digital referral and consent platform to streamline the specialist referral process.
Their web-based solution facilitates secure, digital communications between healthcare providers and automates administrative workflows. Referrals are tracked and users notified when the referral has been received, triaged and an appointment scheduled.
PERSONIFY CARE
Personify Care started eight years ago with the aim to give people the best possible care before and after surgery. Its digital health platform allows nurses and clinicians to create digital patient pathways to support patients’ preparation for and recovery from surgery with a personalised digital checklist, instead of paper forms and phone calls.
Personify works with the likes of the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Monash Health and St John of God Health Care to reduce administrative burdens. Over the past 12 months, it has been used to deliver more than 8.6 million patient interactions of care.
DEFENCE/AI
SILENTIUM DEFENCE
Silentium develops complex passive radar systems that allow customers to detect targets for observation from ground to space without, unlike conventional radar systems, revealing its own system location.
CROPIFY
Cropify is driving the evolution of pulse and grain classification by eliminating subjective testing. Artificial intelligence and machine learning is being used to solve a long-standing challenge for growers, grain handlers, marketers and end-users. Cropify describes itself as an objective, repeatable and highly accurate solution.
ECOJET
EcoJet is an Adelaide-based engineering company developing next-gen microturbine generators (MTGs) with cutting-edge technology to meet emerging needs. EcoJet’s MTGs offer high electrical power output at a fraction of the size/weight of conventional combustion engine generators, while offering high efficiency, low noise, minimal maintenance and fuel flexibility for almost any fuel.
COMMUNITY/COST OF LIVING
KINDSHIP
Kindship has seed funding to develop a business around the first social networking app built with, and exclusively for, parents with a disability in Australia.
SHERLOK
Sherlok is an AI-driven, high-end intelligence platform for mortgage brokers that monitors a client’s home loan rates, automatically reprices the rate with their current lender, detects refinancing opportunities, and delivers this via email.
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