From seaweed bio-packaging to farm robots: Startmate’s highly technical Summer23 Accelerator cohort revealed

A female-led startup developing seaweed bio-packaging solutions capable of mass manufacturing on existing equipment and a web platform that holds the global source of truth for every single health condition are just two of the Australian and New Zealand startups to be included in Aussie accelerator program Startmate’s first cohort for 2023.

Joining Kelpy and Turnto in the highly technical Summer23 Accelerator cohort are Melbourne startup Kapture, which is developing membrane technology to capture CO2 emissions before they’re emitted into the atmosphere; Nook, which is democratising the process of renting a home, and Resonait, which is developing a wearable medical device that treats depression in the home.

Founder and CEO Jessica Dove London started Turnto after her family were told there were “no treatment options” to help their son living with a rare type of Cerebral Palsy. 

“Our mission is to democratise and accelerate medical breakthroughs and we want to do that by bringing the whole network together. We want to build a global health conversation and accelerate breakthroughs for every single person,” she said.

“We want to create the LinkedIn experience for every condition because I believe that the network has all the pieces of the puzzle.”

Turnto is the first web platform that uses AI to translate academic medical literature in real-time, with London confirming the startup will be releasing a mobile app in the next three months.

Turnto founder Jessica Dove London. Source: supplied

Startmate CEO Michael Batko said this latest cohort is a group on a trajectory to have a disproportionate impact in terms of both ambition and global presence. 

“This cohort has been global from day one and is already meaningfully changing lives across the world,” he said.

“The problems our Summer23 founders are solving are systemic, far-reaching and incredibly pressing — from treating depression and ensuring worker safety to democratising access to medical information and reducing CO2 emissions.

“Startups are born when people obsess about a problem that haunts them at night, which they find themselves determined to solve at any cost.

“But entrepreneurship is a road riddled with failures, experiments and hardships — and so the Startmate Accelerator exists to increase the chance of success by providing access to expert advice, mentorship, capital, talent and credibility.”

To date, Startmate has invested $14.8 million in 207 companies now valued at more than $2 billion.

Batko said applications for the Winter 23 cohort will open in April, with the cohort kicking off in July. Startmate receives more than 500 applications for each 12-week program, said Batko, and the “very tight” selection process involves multiple stages of reviews and interviews. 

The latest Australian Startmate cohort

AI-NC: An online platform that automates the programming of machine tools, reshaping how machined parts are designed and manufactured.

Kapture: A startup creating deeptech carbon capture hardware to retrofit on diesel generators.

Flux Robotics: A robotics company that is building farm robots that can sense and actuate in a paddock at a millimetre-level scale.

gridmo: A software platform that standardises and automates the engineering process required to connect generation to the grid.

Kelpy: A female-led seaweed startup that is developing planet-friendly seaweed bio-packaging solutions capable of mass manufacturing on existing equipment.

Nook: A rental marketplace startup that makes renting a home as easy as reserving an Airbnb.

Pitcrew AI: An autonomous vehicle technician that inspects on-road, off-road and rail vehicle fleets.

Resonait: A medical equipment manufacturing startup aiming to accelerate the pathway to recovery from depression with home-use medical devices.

SplootCode: A development platform where building real-world software is approachable and efficient. 

Turnto: A web platform that uses AI to translate academic medical literature in real-time.

The New Zealand Smartmate cohort

Polymath: A startup that is changing the way children learn mathematics with a gamified, personalised and enjoyable learning app for students.

Reactory Limited: A scalable reactor platform that can efficiently mature liquids — specifically, spirits such as whiskey.