An augmented television system, a financial tool for contractors and STEM-teaching robots are among the latest projects included in the University of Queensland program.
Ten startups have been selected for the ninth summer intake of The University of Queensland's ilab Germinate accelerator program.
The equity-free program, which has run twice a year since 2012, is focused on supporting UQ students, researchers and alumni looking to commercialise an idea or technology they’ve developed.
Throughout the three-month program, each participating team will have access to a $7500 grant, plus business mentoring and access to coworking facilities.
In past years, high-profile Queensland tech startups such as Movus, which is working on what it describes as a ‘Fitbit for industry’, have participated in the program.
In recent months, ilab has also expanded its physical footprint, with the program opening a new space in building 41 at UQ’s main St Lucia campus, while its existing space will be used to host later-stage startups.
This year’s cohort includes RAW Robotics, which is developing a modular, scalable and all-encompassing robotics platform designed to help teach STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects in schools.
The participants also include VIVI, which is developing augmented comment to add extra details to TV shows; online vinyl record marketplace Wax River; plus a tool called Backyard Coach that helps schools and sporting clubs find qualified coaches.
“We have been inspired by the creativity and diversity of startup opportunities being developed and nurtured at UQ, and these selected startups are a great example of that,” ilab director Bernie Woodcroft said.
“To have the opportunity to apply startup approaches focused on rapid execution and customer centricity together with the game changing ideas from UQ founders is extremely rewarding.”
“We are also able to overlay ilab’s extensive network of mentors, industry and startup ecosystem connections to ensure the journey of these new UQ founders is grounded in a practical, customer centric entrepreneurial experience.”
Alongside the Germinate program, ilab also organises events aimed at growing the broader Queensland startup community, including the Mentor Blaze event that this year offered around 600 sessions across eight startup hubs.
The 10 startups selected for the program are:
- Sea Eagle Safety: Inflatable swim vest that automatically inflates when you need it.
- Oseyeris: Bridges the gap between the sighted and the visually impaired, with a mission to use technology to benefit both sides of the prism of senses.
- Feathersome: A startup social enterprise that promotes female leadership by publishing authentic stories with the collaboration of a grassroots and global community, developing partnerships and investing profits into tech solutions to aid the provision of shelter and resources for women affected by violence.
- AccuSpray: A research-based agrochemical decision support system to enable farmers to increase profits by maximising chemical spray efficacy, whilst minimising losses associated with spray drift, such as non-target crop damage, chemical losses and statutory penalties.
- Microba: Enables people to explore, understand, and compare the function and identity of their unique microbiome (the micro-organisms living in the human body) to help maximise their health.
- RAWrobotics: Brings REAL robotics to classrooms everywhere with a complete platform for application driven education in robotics, coding, mathematics, and physics.
- Wax River: Uses sophisticated computational algorithms to provide an unrivalled shopping experience for lovers of vinyl records.
- Backyard Coach: Creates a marketplace connecting athletes to private coaches.
- VIVI: Augments the viewing experience by blending scene-relevant information with every point in time within videos, whether on TV, streaming or at the movies.
- Finlit: Makes it easy for contractors and independent traders to register a business, issue invoices, and handle their finances.
