CSIRO ON Accelerate 8 Showcase Full event

CSIRO ON Accelerate 8 Showcase

 

 

[Music plays and a split circle appears and photos of different CSIRO activities flash through in either side of the circle, and then the circle morphs into the CSIRO logo]

 

[Image moves through solar fields, research boats on the water, a pipette in a laboratory, a woman in lab clothing examining a sample, a woman and two men looking at a large screen on a table, a man in an outdoor environment looking at a tablet, close up of the tablet attached to equipment, Speaker 1 in front of a CSIRO banner, a room filled with people at tables]

 

Speaker 1:  There is nothing like this in a university context to start to give you these ideas about how you actually would take ideas from the university into markets.

 

[Image changes to Speaker 2 speaking and then a shot of three people on a stage speaking to people seated at tables and then two people standing on stage with one behind a podium and a closer shot of people talking outside]

 

SPEAKER S2:  These programs are immensely valuable, and the reason for that is because it really does shift the way you think about things and the way you approach problems.

 

[Image changes to text: 9 Ambitious teams then moves through shots of people standing on stage, close shots of people seated at tables talking in teams from different angles]

 

[Image changes to text: 8 Leading affiliate organisations and then changes to new text on screen: Australian Catholic University, Australian National University, CSIRO Manufacturing, James Cook University, University of Newcastle, University of Sydney, University of Western Australia, Westmead Institute for Medical Research]

 

[Image changes to Poppy Sykes standing in front of a CSIRO ON Innovation Program banner]

 

Poppy Sykes:  What excites me most about ON Accelerate is just the calibre of the teams that are coming through this program.

 

[Image moves through shots of people seated around tables in teams in conversation, presentations by two teams and back to the speaker]

 

The scale of the problems that they're trying to solve and the genuine impact they're going to make is enormous, and it's so amazing to be part of that.

 

[Image changes to text: The future of Australian Innovation is here and then moves through team headshots that are labelled: EMU Systems, Dragonfly Thinking, Infinite BioWorks, ErythroSight, Continuous 3D, Jessie Technology, Plasmid Therapy, Wild Yeast Zoo, Cytophenix and then returns to text: ON Accelerate, Congratulations to all the venture building teams.]

 

[Image changes to pan across a group shot of all the teams and then changes to text: ON Accelerate, Unlock your potential. Applications for Accelerate 9 now open]

 

[Image changes to have a pink O enter from the left and a pink N from the right to then flash as ON before changing to the CSIRO logo]

 

[Image changes to a shot of a stage. Behind the stage are large screens displaying the CSIRO logo and text: ON Accelerate 9 Showcase, 5 June 2024. Poppy Sykes walks across the stage from the right to stand in the centre. Image changes to a close up on Poppy]

 

Hello everyone and welcome to the ON Accelerate showcase. For those of you I haven't met yet, my name is Poppy and I recently joined CSIRO to lead the ON Innovation team. And we are so thrilled to have you all here today to, to share some of the groundbreaking ideas and innovations, um, from the incredible cohort of deep tech research teams.

 

Now, I started about halfway through this program, but I have been blown away by the amount of progress that has been made from these teams in just a short few months. In the conversations that I've had from the experts, many of whom are here today, these are some of the strongest teams that we've ever seen in any of our cohorts and so I'm really excited for you to hear from them all today.

 

Before we kick off, I have a few housekeeping items to catch up on, so if you didn't already find the cloakroom and the bathrooms, they are down the hall on the left and if there is an emergency which we hope there isn't, there will be an evacuation alarm. We'll head out of the, out through the doors and will follow the event staff and the um, the ground team, um, to the emergency meeting point, which is out that way towards Spring Street in the Treasury Gardens.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Poppy on the stage. Screen behind is blue with a design on the right and on the left is text: Acknowledgement of Country]

 

Now, unfortunately, um, the traditional elder that we had asked to come along today and do a Welcome to Country was not able to make it. But it is really important that we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land that we're meeting on. And today we're meeting on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nations.

 

[Image changes to a close up of Poppy]

 

They walked these lands for generations. So I pay my respects to the elders of the past, and the speakers of the first words who lived in harmony with this beautiful country. I acknowledge the elders of the present who seek to regain their culture and to teach the elders of of the future the law, history and their language. I honour their spirit and the wisdom, art and science of the world's oldest living culture. Now it's my great pleasure to introduce Tennille Eyre, the executive manager of CSIRO's innovation programs.

 

[Image changes to a long shot of the stage and screen. Screen has pink ON in the middle. Poppy exits the stage to the right as Tennille Eyre walks on stage and moves to the right of the stage. The screen changes to show a headshot of Tennille and text: Tennille Eyre, Executive Manager, Innovation Programs]

 

Tennille Eyre:  Good afternoon everyone and thank you, Poppy, for that lovely acknowledgement of country.

 

[Image changes to close up of Tennille on stage]

 

Hello, I'm Tennille Eyre. My pronouns are she/her and I'm the Executive Manager of Innovation Programs here at CSIRO. I've had the incredible privilege of being involved in the ON Innovation program since its formal inception in 2016, and so incredibly excited to be here with you for our eighth ON Accelerate cohort.

 

Before I begin, I do have a couple of apologies to share however. We, our Chief Executive, Doctor Doug Hilton, and our Deputy Chief Executive, Kirsten Rose, are unable to be with us here tonight. They are going to be in Senate Estimates this evening, so I know exactly where I would rather be. So they do send their genuine apologies but to the teams who will be presenting tonight they do wish you all the best and good luck.

 

So I did think about what I wanted to share, and I've had the privilege of being with this program for over eight years, and I want to share that perspective in relation to our unique role in solving the challenge of research translation and this incredible community. The challenges are both universal and uniquely different ,depending on our institution, our region, our program resourcing.

 

But what I'm continuously inspired by and empowered by is the collaborative spirit of how our joint vision and desire to build solutions together. Over the years, we've seen many Accelerators and Incubators come and go. We ourselves haven't fallen prey to that particular challenge, but we do all have a genuine desire to give researchers the best possible outcomes, experience and opportunities for teams like the ones you'll see today.

 

We've seen first hand the effect that innovations can have when given the right tools to succeed. The stories of Wi-Fi, cochlear, spray on skin to more recently Coviu, a global telehealth platform, MDA thermal, Renewable Energy, Battery Storage or Nomad Atomics and Quantum Brilliance solving the challenges in relation to quantum computing.

 

Imagine if programs like ON existed back in the days of Wi-Fi, back in the days of cochlear, some 20 years ago. And now imagine what it would be like and what the stories of success that we'll be sharing 20 years from now. What an incredible step change we will see and we are seeing today in relation to supporting and implementing those implement, those interventions.

 

But how is it different now? The challenge itself hasn't changed but how we come together to combat it has. For those tech transfer offices who joined us yesterday for our roundtables, this is the first time we've convened over half of the University network in one room to better understand how we can come together to solve this challenge. How can we collaborate? How can we collectively raise all the boats?

 

We all acknowledge this challenge is greater than any one of us can solve, or that of any one of our own programs. It's not something we can solve alone and that's the conjoined approach we all have in relation to coming together to shift that needle. While this might have been the very first session of bringing that cohort of people together, it certainly won't be the last and we look forward to continuing that collaboration and that spirit of coming together to solve the challenge.

 

Now what we've found and many of you in the room are the converted, I know, is that the challenge of translating research is incredibly complex. The pathway is unclear and there's so many options available to researchers. But which path should they take? This is one place where ON can be and is a little unique. ON is national, ON is agnostic to a particular science domain, we take no equity and it's free to participate. In fact, there's incredible opportunity for teams to receive further follow on investment.

 

The fact that we foster an incredible national community of expert mentors and industry across all industry sectors, spanning the breadth of the journey all the way from research through to creating a startup. So what does this mean?

 

[Image changes to a long shot of Tennille on stage. The screen behind her has three circles with text in them and statistics underneath. Heading on screen: ON Innovation Program]

So come July this year when this cohort of ON Accelerate graduate and our current on Prime 15 cohort graduate in July, we're going to reach a new milestone.

 

[Image changes to shot of the screen. In three circles from left to right are text: Creating impact, Driving cultural change, Helping Australian researchers and industry realise real-world outcomes through science and technological innovation. Text below: 75 new companies formed, >$361m investment capital raised, 700+ jobs created, >$320m in commercialisation grants secured post completion, >35,789 customer conversations conducted by our participants, Participants from 55 Australian Research Organisations, 5041+ people unskilled in 1354 teams, Uplift in proficiency in entrepreneurship scores across ON alumni (36% Prime, 20% Accelerate) with heading: ON Innovation Program at top of screen]

 

We will be celebrating reaching over 5000 participants through the program, 5000, which is pretty incredible.

 

[Image changes to close up of Tennille]

 

And I do want to say thank you to all of you in how you've contributed to celebrating that with us, but also supporting us achieve that milestone. Imagine the impact of that 5000 people taking back their insights, methodologies, tools back to their institution, back to their lab, back to their office and think of that ripple effect of the others that they influence in that journey,. That changing mindset and the application of those new skills and the reach is incredible and you've all played an incredible part of that and we hope to continue doing so.

 

[Image changes to shot of the screen. In three circles from left to right are text: Creating impact, Driving cultural change, Helping Australian researchers and industry realise real-world outcomes through science and technological innovation. Text below: 75 new companies formed, >$361m investment capital raised, 700+ jobs created, >$320m in commercialisation grants secured post completion, >35,789 customer conversations conducted by our participants, Participants from 55 Australian Research Organisations, 5041+ people unskilled in 1354 teams, Uplift in proficiency in entrepreneurship scores across ON alumni (36% Prime, 20% Accelerate) with heading: ON Innovation Program at top of screen]

 

We've also had over 1500 teams participate in the program. Over 75 companies have been created and six of those have come from the cohort that you'll be hearing from today. Post ON, our alumni have raised over 700 million in capital, investment capital and commercialisation grants and over 700 jobs have been created, what a boost to the national economy.

 

[Image changes to close up of Tennille]

 

We're so proud of you all in the room today, and the collective network that supports the cohorts that are coming through our program and in the past, today and into the future.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Tennille on stage in front of the screen]

 

Now there's one number on here that always is a sticking point for me.

 

[Image changes to shot of the screen. In three circles from left to right are text: Creating impact, Driving cultural change, Helping Australian researchers and industry realise real-world outcomes through science and technological innovation. Text below: 75 new companies formed, >$361m investment capital raised, 700+ jobs created, >$320m in commercialisation grants secured post completion, >35,789 customer conversations conducted by our participants, Participants from 55 Australian Research Organisations, 5041+ people unskilled in 1354 teams, Uplift in proficiency in entrepreneurship scores across ON alumni (36% Prime, 20% Accelerate) with heading: ON Innovation Program at top of screen]

 

We have 35,000 recorded customer conversations on screen, but we know that figure is well and truly over 100,000.

 

[Image changes to close up of Tennille]

 

This represents a significant shift in the researcher mindset how they understand the problem, their connection to industry, understanding their market fit and validating their ideas.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Tennille on stage. Screen image has changed to the CSIRO logo and text: ON Accelerate 8 Showcase, 5 June 2024]

 

Now we all know the potential of, and the power of, a single conversation. That insight and the perspective and the connection that they can have in relation to the trajectory of an idea through to impact.

 

[Image changes to close up of Tennille]

 

Events like today are a hotbed for those kinds of conversations, where relationships can form and flourish. But those conversations and relationships are the intangible, but they are the most impactful part of programs like this.

 

And again, you are part of that incredible community and you help create that incredible impact. I can't tell you how often I hear “we met so and so at this networking event” or “we spoke to someone and they gave us this new perspective and we would never have thought about that particular opportunity.” And many of you, I'm sure, have heard that yourselves. This is the power of a conversation and those connections, they are and can be quite literally life changing.

 

Now Australia ranks 11th globally for high quality research. We know research clearly isn't the issue. It's the translation of this research into practical, impactful solutions. But the science community don't get to follow the same pathway as a traditional startup, it’s just not that easy. The Federal Government have invested many large scale, multi-billion dollar intervention programs and support systems to support research commercialisation. Australia's investment community are now daring to engage with research teams and, uh, those opportunities much earlier in that commercialisation pipeline. Much of this is to the credit of research teams and successful accelerated cohorts and start ups that have gone before them.

 

What this demonstrates is the way a program like ON can de-risk those investment pathways. It's on the shoulders of these success stories that the cohort that will be talking to you today will continue to see a marked shift in collaboration and deep-tech innovations making its way to market.

 

Now this community and those of you that are in the room is incredible and I'm so proud to be a part of it. When the teams are doing their dress rehearsals yesterday, the nerves were starting to get the better of them and it was a really uplifting and powerful moment to share with them. At no point will you have a room that is rooting for you more than the one that you have today. And I just think that's again a testament for who you have and who's here today.

 

So thank you for being such a great community and ecosystem. We're all supporting good people to do great things.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Tennille and the screen has changed to a series of photos. Image rapidly changes to the screen only. Photos are arranged in three rows of three. Heading: ON Accelerate 8 Teams. Photos re labelled left to right, top: Continuous 3D, Cytophenix, Dragonfly Thinking. Photos labelled left to right, middle: EMU Systems, ErythroSight, Infinite Bioworks. Photos labelled left to right, bottom: Jessie Technology, Plasmid Therapy, Wild Yeast Zoo]

 

So speaking of good people, so on the screen now is our current ON Accelerate cohort.

 

[Image changes to close up of Tennille]

 

And I have the pleasure of introducing the first team who will shortly be on stage. But before I do, a very quick snapshot of how the pitching and the presentations will go. The teams will have a short introductory video followed by their presentation. If I could ask you to hold your applause in between, but as they are walking off stage, feel free to be as loud and celebratory as as you can. However, um, this will then be followed by some awards and some networking, which is another great chance to celebrate the cohort that we have here today. Then in the networking, it's another chance to practice some of those life changing conversations but no pressure. However, for now, I do want to thank you for taking taking an um, embellishing me, but I would thank you for joining us, uh, again. And I am going to hand off to Emu Systems.

 

[Tennille exits stage right. Shot turns to close up of the screen]

 

[Image appears of a half circle moving up the screen to eventually show a full white circle, and text appears inside the circle: 2030]

 

Narrator: Climate change is here.

 

[Camera zooms out to show the circle above a city, and then the image changes to show melting footprints, and text appears inside the circle above the city: $2.3 trillion]

 

By 2030 extreme heat will cost the global economy more than $2.3 trillion dollars annually, all because people are overheating.

 

[Images move through to show a traffic cone, a person playing tennis, and a tennis racquet and ball on the tennis court]

 

Working outside or playing sport in hot weather causes body temperatures to rise which can lead to dehydration, heat stroke and death.

 

[Music plays, and the image changes to show a thermometer showing a red line gradually moving up to 45C and then the red line exploding out the top of the thermometer, and text appears: 45C]

 

Existing technology can tell us how hot it is but can’t help us mitigate problems before they happen, until now.

 

[Image changes to show the EMU Systems logo on a blue screen]

 

EMU Systems is a frontline defence in the fight against heat stress.

 

[Image changes to show the EMU Systems device showing various linked sensors and symbols, and text appear around the device: Wind, Humidity, Radiant Heat, Temperature, Pollution]

 

A patented plug and play device that uses high accuracy IoT sensors to measure critical environmental data in real time.

 

[Image shows the device moving down the screen, and text appears above: Measure, Integrate, Action]

 

The data is run through proprietary thermo-physiological models and machine learning algorithms,

 

[Image changes to show a desktop computer showing various diagrams provided by the device]

 

then presented in easy-to-use software that displaces specific heat stress risk score,

 

[Image changes to show a view looking down on a tennis player, and then the camera pans up and over looking down on the tennis court, and then showing a side view of the tennis court]

 

plus evidence-based strategies to keep everyone safe and performing at their best.

 

[Image changes to show cranes over a high-rise building, and then the image changes to show a half circle gradually sinking out of sight on the screen]

 

From major events to outdoor worksites, EMU Systems is making heat stress a problem of the past.

 

[Music plays, and the image changes to show the EMU systems logo, and text appears: EMU Systems, emu-systems.com.au]

 

[Image changes to long shot of the stage and screen. Ollie Jay enters stage from the right and moves to the centre. The screen is now orange with The University of Sydney logo in the centre]

 

[Image on screen changes to a cityscape with a temperature gauge showing temperatures in excess of 50 degrees celsius before becoming a close up on Ollie]

 

Ollie Jay:  In the past month, more than a billion people have been exposed to extreme heat conditions, with temperatures reaching as high as 52°C in some cases. In fact, extreme heat costs the global economy more than $2 trillion a year already.

 

Hello, my name is Ollie Jay and I'm /chief Scientific Officer of Emu Systems, where it's our mission to make heat stress a problem of the past. Throughout the ON Accelerate programme, we have listened to the market in an attempt to understand how extreme heat impacts the operations of organisations in sports and large events. And we've learned that there are three key pain points that each organisation faces.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Ollie on stage. Screen has heading: Pains #1: We don’t want to cancel. There are newspaper headlines below the heading]

 

First of all, they don't want to cancel events. They don't want to postpone their events because it's expensive and costly.

 

[Image on screen changes to heading: Pains #2: We don’t want people getting hurt. Below are two photos with headlines above them]

 

Secondly, they don't want their people getting hurt, because no matter how you look at it, it's bad for business.

 

[Image on screen changes to Pains #3: We want to protect our brand. Below are three pieces of separate text, from top to bottom: At the Australian Open, It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Stupidity; “inhumane” conditions; Pitch Festival debacle]

 

Then thirdly, they're really conscious of their brand and their reputation.

 

[Image changes to a close up of Ollie]

 

They don't want to look like they don't know what they're doing and they can't look like they don't care about their people. At Emu Systems…

 

[Image changes to long shot of Ollie on stage. Screen has heading: Environmental monitoring. Below this is a measuring device with labels: Radiation, Wind speed/direction, Temperature/humidity, Air quality]

 

… we have a solution that uses our patented devices that measures all of the characteristics of the environment that define how hot you get and how dehydrated you become.

 

[Image on screen changes to heading: Heat Management Solution. Under this is a graphic labelled Current heat stress warning]

 

We then deliver these data to our intuitive decision making framework that enables organisations to understand what they need to do to keep people cool and when they need to act to maintain hydration and allow everything to continue irrespective of how hot the conditions are.

 

[Image on screen changes. Heading: Market Traction. Below this are three separate sections of text on the left, an orange circle with “$590,700 total revenue” inside the circle, an image of a sports ground and logos for Australian Open, NRL, Australian Olympics, Cricket Australia]

 

When entering the ON Accelerate program, we had some decent market traction already, which we probably didn't fully appreciate at the time.

 

[Image changes to close up of Ollie]

 

But one thing that we didn't have was a plan, a coherent plan on how to scale our operations and make them a commercial success. Our plan now involves us expanding our customer base in sports and large events, but also identifying and validating our next vertical in the occupational sector. And we thank the ON Accelerate team for enabling us to see that vision.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Ollie. Screen has heading: Founding Team. Below are four headshots, labelled from left to right: Dr Grant Lynch, Mr John Eisenhuth, Professor Ollie Jay, Dr Federico Tartarini]

 

Our founding team is poised to take on this challenge, bringing key experience in physiology, engineering, business and data analytics.

 

[Image on screen changes to heading: Investment Opportunity. Below this is a graphic indicating key milestones and the pre-seed funding expenditure]

 

And to make this plan a reality we are now raising $1.5 million in pre-seed funding to support our personnel and operational tasks.

 

 

[Image changes to close up of Ollie]

 

So we invite you to join us at Emu Systems where together we can help organisations not just survive, but thrive on a hot planet. Thank you.

 

[Image changes to long shot. Screen has logo and text: Emu Systems. Professor Ollie Jay, Chief Scientific Officer. Ollie exits the stage to the right]

 

[Image appears of an article from The Daily News, and then images move through to show two more news headlines each with an article and picture, and text appears: The Daily News, Geopolitical Uncertainty, Climate Crisis, Rise of AI]

 

Narrator: Geopolitical uncertainty, climate crisis, the sudden rise of AI.

 

[Camera pans out to include multiple articles with black connection lines over them and headings in boxes that connect various articles into a circle]

 

Current global challenges are escalating exponentially while becoming ever more interconnected.

 

[Camera pans up and in to show the top left corner of the articles, then moves to the right and then then to the bottom of screen to show more articles, and text appears: Complexity, Our cognitive ability to cope with that complexity goes down]

 

As the complexity of these interacting factors goes up, our cognitive ability to cope with that complexity goes down.

 

[Camera pans down to show articles that encircle text: Globalization or Deglobalization, Prosperity or Security, Health or Wealth, Economic or Environment]

 

We become more rigid and black and white in our thinking,

 

[Camera pans to the top right to show a profile of a male looking right with a blue and grey field of vision, and the camera zooms in and rotates anticlockwise to show a stopwatch, and text appears: Narrowing field of vision, Shortening time horizon]

 

narrowing our field of vision and shortening our time horizon.

 

[Image changes to show a dotted sphere with text on the right: Dragonfly Thinking]

 

That is, unless you adopt Dragonfly Thinking.

 

[Images move through to show a female’s face profile looking to the left with connection lines over the brain area, a bar graph, an AI symbol, and a coloured spirograph diagram, and text appears: System upgrade, A series of structured analytic technique, AI-Powered tools, Think through complex problems in more holistic ways, MLA Multi-Lens Analysis]

 

Dragonfly Thinking is an upgrade to our human operating system, a series of structured analytic techniques, and AI powered tools that help you to think through complex problems in more holistic ways, enabling you to see the world through multiple lenses,

 

[Images moves through to show three overlapping coloured circles within a grey circle, a close up of an eye, and a flow chart, and text appears: RRR Risk Reward and Resilience TM framework, Clear-sighted decisions, Foresight for the past, now and future]

 

integrate many perspectives into a coherent vision, make clear sighted decisions, and act with greater foresight.

 

[Images move through to show three speakers, and the camera zooms out to show the previous images and symbols already shown set inside the eyes of a dragonfly, and text appears: Policy makers, Business leaders]

 

From policymakers to business leaders, Dragonfly Thinking empowers decision makers to balance risks and rewards in order to build systemic resilience.

 

[Image changes to show a dotted sphere with text on the right: Dragonfly Thinking www.dragonflythinking.net]

 

Dragonfly Thinking. Clarity from complexity.

 

[Image changes to a long shot of the stage and screen. Anthea Roberts enters the stage from the right. Screen is black with the logo for Australian National University]

 

[Image on screen changes to show a close up of a dragonfly, a dotted sphere with text on the right: Dragonfly Thinking]

 

[Image changes to a close up of Anthea]

 

Anthea Roberts:  When the US intelligence agencies wanted to work out who was best at analysing complex problems so that they could project forward about what was going to happen next, they found one group that stood out from the crowd. The group was diverse. So what did they have in common? They saw the world through dragonfly eyes. You see, dragonfly eyes are made up of thousands of different lenses that they integrate into a coherent view of their environment, and they use that as the basis to project forward and catch their prey.

 

Seeing with dragonfly eyes is incredibly powerful, but it's not easy to do. And that's why at Dragonfly Thinking, we are creating AI tools to allow everybody to see with dragonfly eyes. My name is Anthea Roberts and I'm the founder of Dragonfly Thinking.

 

[Image changes to a long shot of Anthea on stage. Screen heading: Analytic Techniques.]

 

Our work begins with two structured analytic techniques.

 

[Image changes to add Multi-Lens Analysis on the left below the heading]

 

The first is called Multi-lens analysis, which allows us to take decision makers through their complex problem, through many different lenses and many different perspectives to give them situational awareness.

 

[Image changes to add Risk, Reward and Resilience on the right below the heading]

 

But in order to make a strategic decision, we introduce a second technique, a framework for integrative thinking that allows people to take their most complex problems and weigh the risks against the rewards and think about how to build systemic resilience over time.

 

[Image changes to a close up of Anthea]

 

We have had considerable demand for our techniques in government and in business. But for us to deliver Dragonfly Thinking at speed and at scale, we needed to do something different. And that's why we created a platform and a series of AI tools and that is what has brought us to the ON Accelerate journey. When we began our journey here, we had an idea and we had a prototype. Fifteen weeks later we have a full, not just minimum viable product, but minimal minimum saleable product. We have our first SaS customers and we are about to go into proper pilots in Government.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Anthea on stage and the screen. Heading: Government Pilots, APSReform with logos underneath]

 

We are beginning with Government because it's the area that we know best. They have already used our RRR framework in coming up with their approach to supply chain resilience, and now they have the chance to use our AI tools to deal with their most complex challenges in critical minerals, critical technologies and AI policy making.

 

[Image changes to close up of Anthea]

 

But we know that Dragonfly Thinking should not just stop in Government.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Anthea on stage and the screen. Heading: Private Sector. Below that are photographs and logos of Blackstone, Citizens, ThermoFisher, AIG, eBay, Vanguard, BlackRock, IAC, Bridgewater, Mayfair, Maersk and Harvard University]

 

We are also taking it to the private sector because we have had workshops in Australia and the United States that show us that we have traction in consulting, in the investment community and also in financial services.

 

[Image changes to close up of Anthea]

 

The interesting thing about Dragonfly Thinking is it's really hard to actually understand what we do until you see it in action. It turns out with dragonfly eyes literally seeing is believing. So my ask of you today is this, come and visit us at our stall. Bring your toughest strategic problem, your most complex issue and use our tools and see if we can provide for you clarity amid complexity.

 

[Image changes to long shot of stage as Anthea exits to the right. Screen has the Dragonfly Thinking logo and text: Clarity amid Complexity]

 

[Image appears of a leaf close up, and then images move through to show the turning world globe and a foggy morning landscape, and text appears: The best things, on the planet, are created by nature]

 

Narrator: The best things on the planet are created by nature.

[Images move though to show a cut centre of an orange, a peach-coloured dahlia, a spider spinning its web, and the back of a lizard, and text appears: The tastiest, the most beautiful, the most efficient, the most wonderful]

The tastiest, the most beautiful, the most efficient, the most wonderful.

[Image changes to show some mangoes being picked, and then the image changes to show very dry cracked ground, and text appears: But the more we take from nature, the less it can give]

But the more we take from nature, the less it can give.

[Images move through to show a blurred populated street, paper grocery bags in a car boot, and a cotton boll being plucked, and text appears: As our population grows, our consumption is becoming increasingly, unsustainable]

As our population grows, our consumption is becoming increasingly unsustainable.

[Image moves through to show text on various coloured backgrounds: So we have a choice, we can either, use less, or create, more]

So we have a choice, we can either use less or create more.

[Image changes to show cells under a microscope, and text appears: Nature made humans]

Nature made humans.

[Image changes to show three scientists working in a lab, and text appears: Now humans can make nature]

Now humans can make nature.

[Image changes to show the Infinite Bioworks logo on an orange textured background, and then the image changes to show petri dishes being placed on a lab shelf, and text appears: We’re building with biology]

At Infinite Bioworks we’re building with biology.

[Image changes to show cells dividing, and text appears: The world’s most advanced manufacturing technology,]

The world's most advanced manufacturing technology.

[Images move through to show multiple cells forming, a sleepy alligator, a zip being undone, two handbags, mascara on an opening eye, and a fish on rice dish, and text appears: We isolate and grow cells, from real animals, and partner with luxury producers, to make leather products, cosmetics, and seafood]

We isolate and grow cells from real animals. And partner with luxury producers to make leather products, cosmetics and seafood.

[Images move through to show a close view of alligator skin, and a male eating sushi, and text appears: Real texture, Real taste, The real thing]

Real texture. Real taste. The real thing.

[Images move through to show dry ground with dry grass, and two smoking chimneys, and text appears: All without, the environmental impact, of traditional processes]

All without the environmental impact of traditional processes.

[Images move through to show food being plated, a perfume bottle being held, cream fabric, and a test tube being held, and text appears: And it doesn’t stop there, from food to fragrances, materials, therapeutics.]

And it doesn’t stop there. From food to fragrances, materials to therapeutics.

[Images move through to show a blurry collection of cells, an orange object being dropped into a tube with bubbles, and a starry night sky, and text appears: When we build with biology, the possibilities are endless, and our resources infinite]

When we build with biology, the possibilities are endless and our resources infinite.

[Image changes to a blue background with Infinite Bioworks logo, and text appears: Luxury reimagined, infinitebioworks.com]

Infinite Bioworks. Luxury reimagined.

[Image changes to long shot of the stage as Lionel Hebbard enters from the right. Screen is blue with the logo for James Cook University]

[Image on screen changes to a blue background with text: Infinite Bioworks, The future is finite. Image changes to close up of Lionel]

Lionel Hebbard:  So after heat stress and dragonflies I'm going to talk to you about cells. So my name is Lionel and I am the CEO and co-founder of Infinite Bioworks.

 

So for most of my career I've worked with cells, solving complex molecular problems to improve healthcare. However, I've come to the conviction that we can use these cells to solve some of the world's biggest problems. And one of these, which I'm very passionate about, is the fact that we have an unrelenting demand for animals, for food and consumer products.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Lionel and the screen which has a picture of dry, cracked ground. Text: Our consumption is becoming increasingly unsustainable]

 

And to be blunt, this is simply just not sustainable.

 

[Image on screen changes to a picture of cell clumps with text: 60% of all human consumption could be made with biology]

 

And there really there has to be a better way. Did you know that now 60% of all human consumption could actually be generated from cells and microbes?

 

[Image changes to close up of Lionel]

 

This is the world's newest technology and this is why I'm here today, to convince you to be part of this new opportunity.

 

[Image on screen changes to picture of a cell with text: The building blocks of future industries]

 

What we do at Infinite Bioworks is we make starter cells, which are the products of the future. My company is leading this transformation, this shift to unlock value in these new industries.

 

[Image on screen changes to a semi circle divided into three with pictures of seafood, an eye, a handbag. Heading: Making Luxury sustainable by building with biology]

 

To do this, we are targeting our technology at the point of where biology meets luxury, high value food, fashion and cosmetics.

 

[Image on screen changes to a timeline with various points labelled. Heading: Our Journey and Path to Market]

 

In our journey, we actually began with seafood and we have made the first Infinite Bioworks seafood cell line. We have received multiple letters of intent and interest from South East Asia and the USA.

 

[Image changes to close up of Lionel]

 

Now through the ON Accelerate program, we had to learn a few things and we actually had a great coach. And with him, and also the other teams, we identified where our technology could even make a greater impact for the planet.

 

[Image changes to close up of screen with heading: Our Journey and Path to Market. Below is a timeline showing Infinite Seafood, Infinite Cosmetics, Infinite Leather]

 

And to do this we have decided to focus on other Australian species where we will make Marine Green Collagen and also use cells to make luxury leather. These products have high margins, low regulatory barriers and a huge consumer demand.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Lionel on stage. Screen heading: Infinite Collagen. Below heading are four boxes. First box: Pure, 100% real marine collage, 10% purity, no harmful chemicals. Second box: Sustainable, 100% vegan, No fish parts used, no endangered species loss. Third box: Cost Effective, 80% cheaper than current. Fourth box has image of containers holding marine collagen]

 

Infinite Marine Collagen will be ten times more pure and 80% cheaper than existing marketed collagen. We will not use dead animals to make our, to make our collagen. This will be the basis for cosmetics and edible collagen worldwide.

 

[Image on screen changes to show heading: Infinite Exotic Leather. Below heading are four boxes. First box: Image of two handbags on a shelf. Second box: Cruelty-free, Zero farming, zero welfare issues, zero animal deaths. Third box: Sustainable, 99% less water, 66% less energy, far less harmful chemicals. Fourth box: Cost Effective, 83% cheaper than current]

 

Infinite Exotic Leather will be developed for the luxury goods market, be cruelty free, use less water and energy and less harmful chemicals and we'll be able to do this cost effectively.

 

[Image changes to close up of Lionel]

 

To make money, the feed, through the seafood we will collect a royalty. For collagen and leather we will generate novel biomaterials and create value through partnerships with high value luxury brands.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Lionel on stage. Screen image has changed, heading: The Team. Underneath are three headshots labelled from left to right: Craig McFarlane, Lionel Hebberd, Luke Deacon]

 

To do this, we have a great team with a bold vision. Between Craig and myself we have near 50 years of cell biology research based experience and this is supported by Luke’s startup and commercialisation expertise.

 

[Image changes to close up of Lionel]

 

Moreover, as a team, we have international experience in the US, Europe and South East Asia. So, please come and join us on our journey to build with biology for a better future. With Infinite Bioworks the future is cellular, the future is infinite.

 

[Image changes to a long shot as Lionel exits the stage to the right. Screen image is blue with text: Infinite Bioworks. Join us and be part of the bio-revolution. There is a QR code at the bottom of screen]

 

[Image shows a white screen, and text appears: Age-related Macular Degeneration, AMD]

 

Narrator: Age related Macular Degeneration is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world.

 

[Image changes to show seven eyes on the screen and then one of the eyes becomes highlighted in red]

 

It affects one in every seven people over 50.

 

[Image changes to show a world map, and then the image changes to show five white dots in the bottom left of a screen, and then the rest of the screen gradually becomes covered with red dots]

 

Currently that’s 288 million people around the world at an annual cost to Australia of $5 billion and $350 billion globally.

 

[Image changes to show the ErythroSight logo, and then the image changes to show a drop moving down the screen and eventually into a test tube, and text appears: Safe, Effective, Accessible]

 

At ErythroSight we are developing a groundbreaking new way to treat AMD, a novel therapeutic treatment that uses the patient’s own blood.

 

[Image changes to show a various dots and splotches in the blood, and then the image changes to show a close view of an eye]

 

First, we collect blood from the patient then we harness a protective component using our incubating strategy. It would then be administered by a clinician or in the future, by the patient themselves.

 

[Image changes to show three circles showing symbols inside of a clock, a dollar symbol, and a cell]

 

It’s fast, cost effective and because it uses the patient's own blood, it’s biocompatible.

 

[Image changes to show a person surrounded by text circles, and then the image changes to show a diverse group of patients, and text appears in the text circles: Retinal Detachment, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Uveitis]

 

Plus, the technology can also be adapted to treat other retinol and neuro degenerative diseases, improving the quality of life, not just for patients but those around them as well.

 

[Image changes to show the ErythroSight logo, and text appears: ErythroSight, Innovation Is In Our Blood]

 

ErythroSight, innovation is in our blood.

 

[Image changes to long shot of stage as Yvette Wooff enters from stage right. Image on screen is a black background with the logo for Australian National University and then changes to orange background with a logo and text: ErythroSight. Innovation is in our blood and then to a close up of Yvette]

 

Yvette Wooff:  Hi, I'm Yvette, a co-founder at ErythroSight. Now I want you all to imagine what it's like to hold your grandchild in your arms, or to welcome a new member into your family. Now, I bet many of you will be imagining a scene that looks like this.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Yvette on stage. Image on screen shows two older people holding a baby]

But the reality is that for one and seven over the age of 50, the scene will actually look more like this.

 

[Image on screen changes to have a dark spot over the baby’s face, the older people are blurry]

 

This is Age Related Macular Degeneration, or AMD for short.

 

[Image changes to close up of Yvette]

 

AMD is a leading cause of irreversible and permanent blindness. In AMD you lose your central vision and with that your ability to read, to drive, and most importantly, to see your loved ones faces.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Yvette on stage. Screen is white with red text: 288 million people by 2040]

 

AMD is a growing problem and is predicted to affect 288 million by 2040.

 

[Image changes to close up of Yvette]

 

That comes at a global economic cost of $350 billion each year.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Yvette on stage. Screen is orange with a stylised eye on the right and text on the left: Current treatments don’t save vision.]

 

Now current treatments for AMD were only approved by the FDA last year, but they have not yet been shown to affect, to preserve a patient's vision.

 

[Image changes to close up of Yvette]

 

Despite this, they generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Yvette on stage. Screen is orange with a tear shape in the centre and circles surrounding it. Text in tear shape: Compared to our competitors. Text in circles: Effective, Cheap, Fast, Safe, Scalable]

 

But at ErythroSight we have developed a novel treatment for AMD that harnesses the natural protective properties of a patient's own blood.

 

[Image changes to close up of Yvette]

 

In fact, our preclinical data has shown that our treatment does preserve vision. Our treatment is safe. Our treatment is effective. And because our manufacturing pipeline is so simple, we can produce multiple doses in just 24 hours using minimal infrastructure.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Yvette on stage. There is an outline of a person under the heading: Future Applications. Text surrounding person: Other eye diseases, Neuro-degeneration, Systemic delivery]

 

At ErythroSight, while our main goal is to treat AMD, we have strong data to show that our treatment can also be used in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

 

[Image changes to close up of Yvette]

 

Importantly, current eye treatments actually involve a painful and invasive injection directly into your eye. But at ErythroSight, our treatment can be delivered systemically, that's into your blood, into your arm, similar to a vaccine revolutionising patient healthcare and accessibility.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Yvette on stage. Image on screen is a timeline in three sections labelled: Framework, Action, Impact. Heading on screen is: Our journey]

 

At ErythroSight, we are on a clear path to market. We have generated an extensive data pack and used this, only just last month, to secure a strong patent position with our PCT filed. Through the help of ON Prime and ON Accelerate we have conducted over 100 stakeholder interviews with patients, clinicians and investors. We have used funding provided from ON Accelerate to hire a team of regulatory consultants to conduct our regulatory strategy. And right now we're in the process of incorporating our company.

 

[Image changes to close up of Yvette]

 

We are seeking to raise $5 million to help us take our product into clinical trials.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Yvette on stage. Image on screen is an orange background with heading: Meet Our Team. On screen are five headshots labelled from left to right: Assoc. Prof. Riccardo Natoli, Dr. Yvette Wooff, Rakshanya Sekar, Dr Adrian Cloance, Dr. Riya Palchaudhuri]

 

If you're interested in coming to talk to us, please come and speak with myself or any of our team members.

 

[Image on screen changes to picture of two older people holding a baby]

 

At ErythroSight our vision is to save your vision. Thank you.

 

[Image changes as Yvette exits the stage to the right]

 

[Animation image appears of an aeroplane landing at an airport on a construction site]

 

Narrator: Today, industry and infrastructure is expanding further and faster than ever.

 

[Animation image appears of an exclamation mark symbol in a triangle above the construction site]

 

But when something breaks everything grinds to a halt and that’s a big problem.

 

[Camera zooms in on an animation of a worker working on a loader, and then the animation image changes to show dollar, downwards arrow, and bin symbols, within circles and text appears beneath: Costs, Productivity, Waste]

 

There’s just not enough skilled labour to do the repairs which causes costly delays, productivity decline and unnecessary waste.

 

[Animation image changes to show a question mark symbol inside a triangle]

 

So, what’s the solution?

 

[Animation image changes to show two robotic machines either side of text: Continuous 3D]

 

Robots, Continuous 3D automates the repair of metal components

 

[Animation image changes to show a robotic machine repairing a loader]

 

by enabling robots to perform a variety of complex 3D tasks.

 

[Animation image changes to show a robotic machine working on repairs]

 

The patented software allows robots to make sense of the environment around them and work autonomously based on the data they collect all without any user programming.

 

[Animation image changes to show a ticking clock]

 

Robots can be sent into the field within minutes to perform repairs.

 

[Animation image changes to show many robotic machines working on repairs, and then the camera zooms out and a symbol of a worker appears above linked by lines to the robotic machines]

 

Then eventually fleets of robots will work together on large projects, leaving humans to focus on planning, monitoring and supervision,

 

[Animation image changes to show symbols of a clock, a dollar symbol and a heart symbol, and text appears below: Time, Money, Lives]

 

saving time, money and lives.

 

[Animation image changes to show text: Continuous 3D, Find out more at research.csiro.au/metals/add-manufacturing/continuous3D]

 

Continuous 3D, building the future while keeping humans out of harm’s way.

 

[Image changes to long shot of stage as Alejandro Vargas enters the stage from the right, screen has text: Continuous 3D. Image changes to close up of Alejandro]

 

Alejandro Vargas:  Hello everyone. I'm very excited to be here today representing our Continuous 3D team. Maintaining critical infrastructure is expensive. It costs more than 68 billion every year in Australia alone. But you may not know is that welding is used in a lot of maintenance and this is dangerous work.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Alejandro on stage. Image on screen shows a welder working on an industrial shredder with text: One in 250 construction workers die from a welding injury]

 

Alarmingly, one in 250 construction workers die due to welding related injuries, and this will continue to happen unless we do something about it. Here we have a welder crawling into a shredder machine that crushes concrete. That machine is critical in the waste recycling industry.

 

[Image changes to close up of Alejandro]

 

And yet the welder has to build back more pieces of metal layer by layer, every night for several hours. So why is it that robots are not helping with this type of, this type of work?

 

[Image changes to long shot of Alejandro on stage. Image on screen shows robots on a factory line, building cars]

 

Robots excel at these type of jobs, very well controlled environments, but they fail at doing one off repairs simply because it takes weeks to program them.

 

[Image changes to close up of Alejandro]

 

And this is the problem that our Continuous 3D software solves.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Alejandro on stage. Image on screen moves through a robot working on fixing the shredder equipment previously shown with an overview, robot sensing the environment and robot repairing the equipment across different angles]

 

Here we have a real example from our software for that shredder case. It shows how the software enables the robot to sense the environment, understand where the damaged area is and instruct the robot on how to do the repair. All of that without any programming involved.

 

[Image changes to close up of Alejandro]

 

Our solution removes the human from the harsh environment, delivers results twice as fast and saves more than $1 million every year for that application.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Alejandro on stage. Image on screen changes to a graphic with heading: The $285bn machine maintenance market. Subheading: Continuous3D. Below that are five icons with labels underneath from left to right, Repair bureaus, Hydro-electricity turbines, Aircraft components, Waste recycling, Worn excavator buckets.]

 

The shredder case is just one of many in a $285 billion market that continues to redefine service. Soon end users around the world will access our software via subscription to solve many other problems. In fact, we have already identified two more cases, such as repairing corroded aircraft components and also machines in power plants.

 

[Image on screen changes to heading: Our ON Journey. Below are three headshots labelled left to right: Dr Peter King, Dr Alejandro Vargas, Hans Lohr. Below this is a timeline that shows it rapidly rising to the right with labels: ON Prime 2020, ON Accelerate 2024, Today!]

 

Our team is making this vision a reality. We are here to revolutionise the maintenance and repair industry.

 

[Image changes to close up of Alejandro]

 

Thank you CSIRO for all of your support and thank you ON Accelerate because we came as scientists and today we graduate as entrepreneurs. So if you resonate with our vision and want to support our journey, please come and speak with us. Come and help us enable robots to build and repair the infrastructure of the future. Thank you.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Alejandro exiting the stage to the right. Image on screen is of robots with text: Continuous 3D. Enabling robots to build and repair the infrastructure of tomorrow]

 

[Music plays and an image appears to show the eyes of an elderly person, and text appears: What is care?]

 

Narrator: What is care?

[Image changes to show an elderly man holding a mug and smiling and laughing, and then the image changes to younger hands moving to hold the older hand]

Care is someone to talk to, a hand to hold.

[Image changes to show an elderly patient looking at photos of family, and then the image changes to show a young woman hugging an older woman]

Care is feeling seen and supported.

[Image changes to show an older man playing chess with a young woman]

Care is human connection.

[Images move through to show carers taking blood pressure and helping with arm exercises, a tired female carer, hands typing, patient charts and forms being checked, and staff shortage news articles]

Unfortunately, most aged care workers aren't able to provide the care they want to give because they're spending up to an hour of every eight hour shift on forms and data entry, causing up to 25% of frontline aged care workers to quit each year,

[Images move through to show a sad male sitting on his bed in a darkened room, a patient in a wheelchair wheeling to the window, and a side profile of an older person] 

and preventing our elderly from receiving the essential care they need and deserve.

[Images changes to show a pink background with the Jessie Technology logo, and then text moves through: Hands-free technology that automates the data entry process, Compliant, Streamlined]

So say hello to Jessie, a hands free technology that automates the data entry process, creating a compliant and streamlined solution

[Images moves to the left to show a carer drinking and talking with older lady on the right, and then the image changes a clock with moving hands on the right, and text appears: Infers, Validates Populates, All in near real time]

that effortlessly follows a conversation to infer meaning and populate data in near real time.

[Images move through to show a carer pushing an older lady in a wheelchair and talking, a carer and older male smiling and talking, and various close ups of carers smiling at the camera]

Creating detailed data records with ease while boosting care worker morale and retention.

[Images move through to show a carer talking to a patient, and then a carer talking with a lady in a wheelchair in the garden]

But most importantly, creating more space for care workers to do what they do best.

[Music plays and the image changes to show a medium view of an older male with a young female carer smiling at the camera]

[Image change to show a pink background with the Jessie Technology logo, and text appears: www.acu.edu.au/industry]

Jessie Technology. Less time collecting. More time connecting.

[Image changes to long shot as Neha Sharma approaches the middle of the stage. Screen is blue with the Australian Catholic University logo. Image moves to close up of Neha]

 

Neha Sharma:  Hello, my name is Neha Sharma and I'm from Jessie Technology at ACU. Did you know the number of Australians over the age of 85 is going to triple in the next 40 years? Many of these people, our families, our friends, our loved ones and maybe us will be needing aged care that connects.

 

But you've all seen the news. It's a $36 billion a year industry with a workforce crisis and it gets worse. Industry reports tell us that over 65,000 aged care workforce will leave their job every year, citing burnout and frustration from being turned into administrators instead of carers, which is why they got into the job in the first place. This is estimated to cost the aged care providers a whopping 650 million a year. We know this from industry reports and our colleague Andrew Condon, who chairs the board for one of the largest aged care providers in Australia.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Neha on stage. Image on screen is a close up of two hands touching on someone’s shoulder]

 

So at Jessie, we have worked with Microsoft and developed a hands free technology solution that automates the data input and documentation procedure for our frontline workforce.

 

[Image changes to close up of Neha]

 

But we're not just throwing an AI at a problem and hope it works. At Jessie, we keep people at the heart of its design and intent to allow our frontline workforce more time to care and more time to connect. And we know this is what care workers want from the 100 customer interviews that we did as part of our CSIRO ON Prime last year.

 

[Image on screen changes to heading: Why are WE UNSTOPPABLE? Underneath is a wavy line that looks like a road with various labels from left to right: Q1 2022, Microsoft MOU partner, Q3 2023 CSIRO ON Prime, Q4 2023 POC Developed, Q2 2024 CSIRO ON Accelerate, WE ARE HERE about to sign foundation aged care provider customer, Q3 2024 MVP Design, Q4 2024 MVP Trials, Q2 2025 Commercial Release]

 

When we realise we are unstoppable, we have been able to build a proof of concept demonstrator through some philanthropic funding, and now we are about to sign on our first foundation customer for funded pilot trials of a Jessie prototype based on pre-sold licenses.

 

[Image changes to close up of Neha]

 

The CSIRO ON program has been instrumental in helping us grow our team, sharpen our value proposition and our pitching, and provided great access to industry networks of advisers and investors. While our journey continues beyond today, we are immensely grateful for the help that CSIRO ON program has provided us. And if you share the passion to help to enable our front line workforce to do their jobs better and connect better with our elderly, then please come and talk to our team. Jessie technology. Less time collecting, more time connecting. Thank you.

 

[Image changes to a long shot as Neha exits the stage to the right. Screen is pink with white text: Jessie Technology. There is a QR code at the bottom of the screen]

 

[Animation image appears of a purple screen covered in pills, and the pills gradually drop off the bottom of the screen and it is replaced by text: Antimicrobial Resistance, AMR]

 

Narrator: Eventually all antibiotics fail because repeated use of them causes antimicrobial resistance

 

[Animation image changes to show an antibiotic pill being covered with green antimicrobial resistance splotches, and then the animation image morphs into a tombstone]

 

and results in resistance spreading across the population which is deadly.

 

[Animation image changes to show tombstones in rows covering the screen above and below text: 5 Million]

 

In fact, antimicrobial resistant infections cause more than 5 million deaths a year.

 

[Animation images move through to show a bar graph of causes of deaths, and then a line graph of World Economy money spent with green antimicrobial resistance splotches bouncing down the line]

 

Within a generation they will kill more people than cancer or heart disease while delivering a $100 trillion hit to the global economy.

 

[Animation images move through to show text “Plasmid Therapy”, and then tadpoles swimming with green resistance splotches inside them swimming around in liquid showing green resistance splotches]

 

Plasmid Therapy is a simple, safe and affordable way to make AMR a thing of the past.

 

[Animation image shows the green antimicrobial resistance splotches being removed from the liquid and from within the tadpoles, and text appears in the bottom right, 1 day, 2 days, 3 days]

 

A solution is delivered to the gut via a pill or drink, where it removes resistance genes and prevents them from returning. The solution completely disappears within a few days, leaving infections responsive to ordinary antibiotics again.

 

[Animation image changes to show a person walking a dog past a hospital, and then the camera pans out to show ducks on a lake in the foreground and an ambulance driving to the hospital]

 

And because of how it works, it can be used safely on children and animals, or even entire ecosystems like hospitals or lakes.

 

[Animation image changes to show a varied purple background, and text appears: Plasmid Therapy www.criticalinfection.com]

 

Plasmid Therapy, a solution for AMR.

 

[Music plays. Image on screen is purple background with curves in white and black. Text: Plasmid Therapy. www.criticalinfection.com]

 

[Image changes to long shot as Kamal Muhammad Kamruzzaman enters the stage from the right. Screen is white with logos for The Westmead Institute and The University of Sydney then changes to a blue background with text: Plasmid Therapy. Subtext: Westmead Institute for Medical Research. Logos are below. Image changes to close up of Kamal]

 

Kamal Muhammad Kamruzzaman:  Hello I am Kamal from Plasmid Therapy team. As you heard, the antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest global threats. The most terrifying news is that bacteria have developed resistance to all available antibiotics. And there is no way to treat resistance infection. But good news is that so we developed simple and scalable oral solutions that can remove resistance from bacteria and also prevent bacteria from getting resistance.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Kamal on stage. Screen has heading: Our Innovative Solutions. Subheadings: Then, No way to stop spread of mobile antibiotic resistance (AbR). Now, Treating humans. Graphic is below text]

 

And our solutions showed 100% effectiveness in mice and now we are testing it in humans.

 

[Image on screen changes to heading: Key Features. Below that is text: Just like a serve of yoghurt, Removes resistance genes, Stops resistance genes coming in, Does not induce new resistance, Delivered in a trusted vehicle, Preserves healthy gut bacteria]

 

Our patents just moved to the national phases and now we are ready to form an investible new company called Plasmid Therapy. And our institute is committed to license IP to the new company.

 

[Image on screen changes to heading: Key achievements from this program. Text: GAP analysis for FDA regulatory pathway, Our business model and valuation, Customer segments, Investor engagement]

 

So ON programs showed us the road map of commercial journey and in this program, so we performed gap analysis for FDA regulatory pathway. And also we built our business model and valuation of our products and also for our future company. So we understood our customer segments. And most importantly, this program helped us to engage with lots of investors.

 

[Image on screen changes. Heading: Immediate priorities. Text below: FDA approval pathways, Early phase trials, GMP Manufacturing, Market entry]

 

So our immediate priorities are to get FDA approvals and GMP manufacturing of Plasmid products to perform clinical trials and also enter into the market.

 

[Image on screen changes. Heading: Our Founders. Below heading are two headshots and one QR code. Labels, left to right: Prof. Jon Iredell, Dr. Kamal Muhammad Kamruzzaman, Plasmid therapy website]

 

So our team has scientific and clinical expertise but we need commercial leadership and investment to commercial progress.

 

[Image on screen changes to heading: Plasmid Therapy. Also on screen is an image of antibiotic capsules, a QR code, an image of a person walking a dog and text: Restore the power of trusted antibiotics. Image then changes to close up of Kamal]

 

So our mission is to restore the power of trusted antibiotics and protect the investment in the new antibiotics development. And our ultimate goal is to eradicate the risk of antibiotic resistance for everyone. So if you can help to finding commercial leadership or investment or if you want to involve with us, please come talk to us. Thank you.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Kamal exiting the stage to the right with screen still displaying previous slide]

 

[Image appears of a drawing of a beer mug and liquid appears filling the mug, and text appears below: This is beer]

 

Narrator: This is beer.

 

[Image changes to show a drawing of a green yeast squiggles with hair eyes and legs jumping into view replacing the drawn mug, and text appears: Made with yeast]

 

Beer is made with yeast.

 

[Image changes to show a drawing of an open mouth with purple lips and a long purple and green dotted tongue wriggling off to the left side, and text appears: Gives beer those wonderful flavours aromas textures and mouthfeel]

 

Yeast is what gives beer those wonderful, flavours, aromas, textures and mouthfeel.

 

[Image changes to a drawing of balance scales with coloured yeast squiggles on top of each other on one side and a bottle, mugs and jug on the other side, and text appears: So the more types of yeast the more types of delicious beers]

 

So, the more types of yeast the more types of delicious beers.

 

[Image changes to show a drawing of leaves and plants with a pink yeast squiggle with legs peeking out from behind a leaf, and text appears: Yeast is alive and you can find it everywhere in the wild]

 

Yeast is alive and you can find it everywhere in the wild.

 

[Image changes to show a tiger tail lashing across the page and then the image changes to show a drawn picture of a zoo, and the camera pans in, and text appears: Like most wild animals it’s a lot easier to study them in a zoo.]

 

Like most wild animals it’s a lot easier to study them in a zoo.

 

[Image changes to Wild Yeast Zoo logo with coloured yeast squiggles that have eyes and legs, around the logo, and text appears: That’s what we do.]

 

That’s what we do.

 

[Image changes to show a drawing of pink yeast squiggle beside mushrooms and leaves being picked by a green gloved hand, and text appears: Yeast hunters or wyzards as we call them forage different strains from amongst Australia’s flora and fauna.]

 

Yeast hunters, or wyzards as we call them, forage different strains from amongst Australia’s flora and fauna.

 

[Image changes to a drawing of a cardboard box with a test tube of yeast being placed inside, and text appears: Then they send them to us]

 

Then they send them to us.

 

[Image changes to a drawing of a pink yeast squiggle with hair eyes and legs being graded with ticked boxes and levels, and text appears: We assess them and then add to our zoo”

 

We assess them and then add to our zoo.

 

[Image changes to a drawing of the world globe with beer mugs, jug, bottles and coloured yeast squiggles appearing around the globe, and text appears: So craft brewers from all over the globe can easily discover new and rare yeasts to use in their beers]

 

So, craft brewers from all over the globe can easily discover new and rare yeasts to use in their beers.

 

[Image changes to show a drawing of beer in a jumping glass, and text appears: But beer is just the beginning]

 

But beer is just the beginning.

 

[image changes to show drawings inside a nine box grid of a beer glass, burning lamp, croissant, medicine, vegetables, needle, wheat heads, sheep and bread, and text appears: Yeast is also used in many other food and biotech applications]

 

Yeast is also used in many other food and biotech applications.

 

[Image changes to show a drawing of the world globe encircled with each coloured yeast squiggle holding various yeast uses, and text appears: Making our yeasty little friends a key ingredient of a more sustainable future]

 

Making our yeasty little friends a key ingredient of a more sustainable future.

 

[Image changes to a drawing of the Wild Yeast Zoo logo surrounded by coloured yeast squiggles holding various uses for yeast, and texts appears: The Wild Yeast Zoo it’s the yeast we can do]

 

The Wild Yeast Zoo, it’s the yeast we can do.

 

[Image changes to show text on a white screen: www.wildyeastzoo.com]

 

[Image changes to long shot as Claudia Holt enters the stage from the right. Image on screen changes to black with The University of Newcastle, Australia logo and text. Image on screen then changes to heading: The Wyzards Conclave. Below are three headshots labelled left to right: Evan, Claudia, Ben]

 

Claudia Holt:  Hello, my name is Claudia and I'm a PhD student and one of the founders of Wild Yeast Zoo.

 

[Image changes to close up of Claudia]

 

My journey into the world of entrepreneurship started roughly six months ago at ON boot camp, where I didn't know a lick of business. However, I had a deep fascination for impact and I wanted to share nature's incredible ability to adapt and evolve. This passion helped me create Wild Yeast Zoo along with Ben and Evan, where we're harnessing wild yeast to solve some of today's most pressing industrial challenges.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Claudia on stage. Image on screen is cartoon characters of yeast with text: Our yeasty friends can magic up much, much more than beer…]

 

Have you ever actually thought about how much our everyday products impact the planet? From the detergents we use to the cosmetics we love? Many of these products are made using processes that aren't exactly good for our environment.

 

[Image changes to close up of Claudia]

 

Imagine if we could change that and make our favourite products more sustainable and more eco friendly. We believe that yeast hold the key to solving these problems.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Claudia on stage. Image on screen is an animated earth surrounded by bread, glasses and microscopes. Heading: Transforming Industries with Yeast Magic]

 

At the Wild Yeast Zoo, we've developed an innovative way to optimise yeast to creating new products.

 

[Image changes to close up of Claudia]

 

While other biotech companies might use five yeasts, we have an incredible library or zoo of 500 that is continuously growing. Our yeast can create those everyday products like your laundry detergents, your cosmetics and even unique Australian flavours that are good for our planet. Our technology can transform industries, making them more sustainable and more environmentally friendly.

 

[Image changes to a long shot of Claudia on stage. Screen has heading: The WYZards Adventure. There  is a timeline below the text]

 

Our journey through the ON program has been crucial in bringing our vision to life. We started in ON Prime where my fellow wizards ,Ben and Evan, participated while I slaved away in the lab. However, advancing to then ON Accelerate was a turning point for Wild Yeast Zoo.

 

[Image changes to close up of Claudia]

 

We secured our first paying customer, attained non-dilutive granting and also incorporated our company. The support and feedback we received has been instrumental in shaping our vision and strategy. We learned that it's not just about the science, it's about bringing sustainable solutions to the market and making real world impact. However, to continue this journey, like everyone else, we need your support. We are currently seeking pre-seed funding to scale up our operations and further develop our technology. This investment will enable us to expand our team, grow our zoo and bring our solutions to market. By supporting the Wild Yeast zoo, you're not just investing in a company, you're joining a movement towards a greener, more sustainable future. So come talk to the wizards at Wild Yeast Zoo. It's the yeast you can do.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Claudia leaving the stage to the right. Screen image is animated yeast characters, a logo and text: Come meet the WYZards… it’s the yeast you can do.]

 

[Images move through to show photos of various people’s photos appearing inside a circle and a pill appears either side of the circle, and text appears: 5 million+ people die every years from antibiotic resistant infections]

 

Narrator: More than 5 million people die every year from antibiotic resistant infections.

 

[Image changes to show a bar graph of deaths leading up to 2050, and then the image changes to show various symbols of death related illness appearing inside a circle, and text appears on the left: Studies show “Projected to kill over 200 million per annum]

 

By 2050 it will be the leading cause of death eclipsing all other causes combined.

 

[Image changes to show a blood test vial, and various diagrams appears around the vial, and text appears: Day 5]

 

Currently tests that tell doctors which antibiotics will work take two to five days to return results.

 

[Image changes to show a pill being split in half, and text appears: Without antibiotics patients can die within hours]

 

But waiting that long can have deadly consequences.

 

[Image changes to show a container of antibiotic pills]

 

So doctors start patients on a broad spectrum antibiotic in the meantime.

 

[Image changes to show a symbol of various outlined bacteria in amongst cells, and antibiotic pills appear bouncing off the bacteria]

 

The problem is continued use of these broad spectrum antibiotics causes bacteria to become resistant making them less effective and putting patients at risk of disability or death.

 

[Images move through to show a green screen with the FloCAST logo, drips moving through a beam of light on the left and bacteria on the right, and the bacteria being recognised by AI, and text appears: bacteria, AI]

 

FloCAST is a patented method that uses flow cytometry and AI to rapidly analyse bacteria with unprecedented precision

 

[Images move through to show a range of antibiotic tablets on the screen, a single antibiotic pill, and antibiotic pills either side of a crossed out bacteria]

 

enabling doctors to confidently prescribe the antibiotic in just two to three hours, making antibiotic resistant infections a thing of the past,

 

[Images move through to show various people’s photos flashing through one after the other, and then a hospital building]

 

saving millions of lives and billions in health care costs.

 

[Image changes to show the FloCAST logo, and text appears: FloCAST by Cytophenix, www.cytophenix]

 

FloCAST by Cytophenix. The right treatment at the right time every time.

 

[Image on screen changes to an image of a medical light. Text on screen: FloCAST by Cytophenix.]

 

[Image changes to long shot of stage as Dr Christine Carson enters the stage from the right. Screen behind displays logo for The University of Western Australia]

 

[Image changes to close up of Christine]

 

Dr Christine Carson:  Hello. I'm Dr Christine Carson, and I am the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Cytophenix.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Christine on stage. Image on screen changes to a graphic stretching from the mid right of screen to the left and then curving underneath. Heading: The right treatment, at the right time. Every time. Graphic is displaying the time it takes from getting a sample from a patient to the results with the indicators showing the existing tests can take 1-3 days and the FloCAST tests can take 3-5 hours]

 

If you have a serious infection like bacteria in your blood or worse still, sepsis, you and your doctor both need the best diagnostic tests to get the right antibiotic to treat your infection.

[Image changes to close up of Christine]

 

These tests are called antimicrobial susceptibility tests or ASTs for short. ASTs are an existing core part of clinical laboratory work. The market for ASTs is large and growing, valued at $6.6 billion globally. But there's a problem. Existing tests take days to give results. With our test, FloCAST, your doctor gets this important information in just hours.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Christine on stage. Image on screen changes to show four icons underneath a heading: Early, optimised antibiotic treatment. Icons are labelled: Rapid, Accurate, Simple, Integrated. Text on right of screen: improves patient outcomes and saves lives, reduces time in hospital and intensive care, reduces associated healthcare costs, enables reduced and better use of antibiotics]

 

Not only is FloCAST faster than existing ASTs, but it's also accurate, easy to use, and fits right in to existing workflows

 

[Image changes to close up of Christine]

 

so that you and your doctor can get the right information about which antibiotic sooner. And when patients get the right antibiotic sooner, their outcomes are better. They go home to their families sooner, their treatment costs are lower and the better and the reduced use of antibiotics helps prevent the development of more antimicrobial resistance.

 

[Image changes of long shot of Christine on stage. Image on screen changes to heading: Product components and revenue streams. Below are three icons labelled left to right: Test kits, Hardware, Automated results]

 

The ON program has challenged us to refine our product offerings to meet customer needs and values. Our patented method FloCAST consists of three basic components. There are the test kits - low cost, low complexity kits that are sold at high volume. There is a simple hardware box that uses technology that's been trusted in other parts of the pathology laboratory for decades, and there is our cloud hosted, AI driven analytical software

 

[Image changes to close up of Christine]

 

that completely automates analysis and results reporting. ON also helped us consider our competitors and the needs of our customers. FloCAST outcompetes all the other ASTs

 

[Image changes to long shot of Christine on stage. Image on screen changes to heading: FloCAST outperforms the competition. There is a graphic below the heading]

 

with the fastest time to result, the widest range of bugs and drugs that can be tested and throughput that meets the market need.

 

[Image changes to close up of Christine]

 

That's a bold claim and we've got evidence to back it. In a recent independent study, FloCAST was 35 hours faster than existing tests, with 96.6% accuracy, noting that the US FDA requires only 89.9% for regulatory approval. FloCAST genuinely delivers the speed and accuracy that doctors and their patients need.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Christine on stage. Image on screen changes to a circle divided into four parts. Heading: Meets market needs across multiple verticals. The four sections of the circle are labelled: Clinical Pathology, Defence, Veterinary Pathology, Industrial]

 

Our focus is on the human clinical pathology market, but there are other opportunities for the FloCAST platform. There's veterinary pathology, industrial settings and defence.

 

[Image on screen changes to heading: Award winning technology. Underneath that are two areas, one labelled Partners and Stakeholders, the other labelled Funders and Awards]

 

FloCAST has benefited from more than $9 million non-dilutive funding to date and picked up numerous accolades along the way.

 

[Image on screen changes to a picture of a playground on the left of screen and on the right of screen is text: FloCAST by Cytophenix. The right treatment, at the right time. Every time.]

 

If you want to find out more

 

[Image changes to close up of Christine]

 

or you have someone you'd like to connect us to, please come and see us. FloCAST is the future. It gets the right treatment to the right patient at the right time, every time. Thank you.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Christine on stage as she exits to the right]

 

[Music plays as image on screen changes to dark blue background with ON in pink letters]

 

[Image on screen changes to CSIRO logo and text: ON Accelerate 8 Showcase, 5 June 2024. Tennille Eyre enters from the right and stands in the centre of the stage]

 

Tennille Eyre:  Well, I don't know about you, but I feel a very strong sense of relief on behalf of all the presenters tonight. Um, please join me in giving them all an incredible round of applause. What a great, yeah, well done.

 

[Image changes to close up of Tennille]

 

Your dedication and tenacity just to get to this point is second to none and, and well done.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Tennille on stage. Image on screen is a headshot of Tennille, heading: ON Accelerate 8 Awards and subheading: Impactful Leadership Award ON Accelerate 8]

 

Now I actually have the great opportunity to, uh, help us with some further celebrations and some awards. Now, this year we thought actually there was a bit of a gap in the scope

 

[Image changes to close up of Tennille]

 

and we wanted to create an award to acknowledge that we have a particular participant this year who's demonstrated leadership skills that have shone brightly throughout the program. This participant has demonstrated vision, uh, empathy and adaptability, all the things you want to see in someone that you work with. It felt important for us to recognise this and reward this. So we've created an award that we've called the Impactful Leadership Award. This includes a contribution to the participant's ongoing leadership development. And it's my great pleasure in announcing the winner of the Impactful Leadership Award and that is Dr Christine Carson from the Cytophenix team at the University of Western Australia.

 

[Image changes to long shot as Tennille walks to the right of stage and collects a framed certificate. Image on screen changes to text: Congratulations. Impactful Leadership Award Winner. Image changes as Christine enters from stage right, image changes to close up as Christine is congratulated by Tennille, receive her award and have photographs taken before exiting]

 

I swear this is the best part of the gig. Um, now congratulations, Christine, and well done. Also really appreciate your coordination colour scheme wise with your presentation earlier. Um, now, I'm also thrilled to announce a special guest that we have here with us today. Each year, the ON program partners with the Stanford Australia Foundation. We grant a Stanford scholarship to an individual from the ON Accelerate cohort that have consistently demonstrated and shown remarkable entrepreneurial capacity. This prize, uh, acknowledges their commitment to the program, but also their new venture, their mindset and adaptability to navigate ambiguity. And I'm sure we can all agree there's a lot of that when you're going through this process. So it's my pleasure to invite now Aaron Bilstrom to stage from the Stanford Australia Foundation.

 

[Image changes to long shot as Tennille walks to right of stage. Image on screen changes to navy with pink ON. Image on screen changes to head shot of Aaron Bilstrom with text to right: Stanford Australia Foundation, CSIRO Scholarship, ON Accelerate 8. Aaron walks on stage from the right, is greeted by Tennille and walks to centre stage]

 

Aaron Bilstrom:  Good evening.

 

[Image changes to close up of Aaron]

 

Since 2017, the Stanford Australia Foundation has partnered with CSIRO's ON program and awarded seven scholarships to date. This allows successful alumni to reap the benefits of a Stanford executive education. Stanford Australia Foundation and the ON program share a common mission to support, invest in and help build the next generation of Australian innovation. And before I announce tonight's winner, I'd like to congratulate all ON participants for their wonderful work and great outcomes. Thank you.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Aaron on stage, Tennille to stage right]

 

[Image changes to close up of Aaron]

 

It's been such a pleasure to be involved in so many innovative creations over the years, and we look forward to continuing to be involved to help support that innovation going forward. So thank you. I'm very happy to announce this year's scholarship winner is Grant Lynch, Grant Lynch from Emu Systems at the University of Sydney.

 

[Image changes to long shot of the stage. Tennille moves to centre stage with an award which she gives to Aaron before she returns to right of stage. Grant Lynch enters from stage left to congratulations from Aaron before Tennille returns to centre stage to congratulate him. Image changes to close up as Grant stands between Aaron and Tennille for photographs]

 

[Image changes to long shot of Aaron, Grant and Tennille on stage. Image on screen changes to:Congratulations. Stanford Australia Foundation, CSIRO Scholarship Winner. Aaron exits stage right, Tennille hands Grant a microphone and moves to stage right]

 

[Image changes to close up of Grant]

 

Grant Lynch:  Feels strange being left on stage by myself here. Um, no. Uh, incredibly honoured to receive this award. I want to especially thank, uh, the team at Emu Systems, so myself, Ollie, John and Federico who couldn't be here tonight. He's in Italy enjoying the south coast, so he's, uh, he's obviously enjoying himself. Um, Anthony, our coach, who has been a fantastic help to us and the whole ON team who have really helped us, uh, not only see the potential of our venture but really start to shape, uh, the the future proposition and really where we want to take it moving into into the, uh, the commercial space.

 

I, uh, I came into this program as a researcher, by training a physiologist, and I now well and truly consider myself a an aspiring entrepreneur and someone who really wants to tackle this space with as much energy as I can and hope to help our team. So thank you very much.

 

[Image changes to long shot as Grant walks to Tennille and hands her the microphone before they both exit to stage right. Image on screen changes to blue with pink ON. Poppy Sykes enters from stage right]

 

[Image changes as Poppy reaches centre stage and shot changes to close up]

 

Poppy Sykes:  Wow. Another massive round of applause for Grant and Christine. Congratulations.

 

Now for the super detail oriented people in the room you might have been wondering why a lot of our communications early on we're talking about ten teams, but you've only heard nine teams pitch today. And that's because in the last few weeks, one of our teams, Aquatone Solutions, has gone through a significant pivot in their business after identifying a more pressing need and use of their technology through customer discovery.

 

I just want to say it takes unbelievable courage to acknowledge that a business idea needs reshaping and then actually take action. It's kind of like recognising that you have an ugly baby, which parents in the room will know in hindsight is actually quite easy, um, but in that newborn loved up phase, it's really hard.

 

[Image changes to long shot with Poppy in centre stage. Image on screen changes to heading: ON Accelerate 8: AquaTone Solutions. Below is a photo of two people]

 

The team has made major headway in their solution, which uses a bio stimulant to assist in food security. And while they're not pitching today, they are here and would love to talk to anyone who has contacts in the aquaculture or poultry industries, as they're keen to proceed with trials. So you can find them at their exhibition table as well and please go and introduce yourselves. And I just want to say, Ricardo and Simon, you should be so proud of how you've adopted, adapted to your clients needs and I have no doubt that this experience will make you even more resilient as business partners and founders and even more likely to succeed. So I can't wait to see where you take your business. And yes, a massive round of applause to Simon and Ricardo.

 

[Image changes to close up of Poppy]

 

Okay, I know I'm standing between you and drinks so I will try and make this quick, but I have some really important thank you's to make.

 

[Image changes to photo of four people under heading: ON Accelerate 8: Facilitators. People are labelled left to right: Jo Jacobs, Ian Brown, Andy Lamb, David Ireland]

 

Firstly, to our incredible facilitators Jo, Ian, Andy, David. We would not be where we are without you and you put so much energy and passion into every single team that you work with and into supporting the ON team as well. So thank you all so much for that time, energy and dedication.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Poppy on stage with image on screen showing the facilitators]

 

[Image on screen changes to 28 headshots around a heading: ON Accelerate 8, Coaches and Experts]

 

And in the same vein, we have some incredible coaches and experts,

 

[Image changes to close up of the screen]

 

many of whom are here today in the room. You are so generous with your time, with your advice, sharing your wisdom and going above and beyond for so many of our teams. So thank you so much for your support.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Poppy on stage. Image on screen showing the coaches and experts]

 

[Image on screen changes to logos of supporting institutions with heading in the middle: ON Innovation Program, Supporting Institutions]

 

[Image changes to close up of the screen]

 

And to our supporting research institutions, we absolutely love working with you, and I am looking forward to seeing a lot more teams coming from your organisations in our next rounds of Accelerate and ON Prime.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Poppy on stage. Image on screen showing supporting institutions]

 

[Image on screen changes to 21 headshots under a heading: ON Innovation Program Team]

 

[Image changes to close up of the screen]

 

And lastly, a massive thank you to the incredible ON team. You make everything look so seamless and so much work goes into it. And I have never worked with a more passionate group of people who are literally obsessed with solving this problem of research translation and really making a difference to society, to to the planet and it's really it makes me so proud to lead you as a, um, as a manager now. So thank you all so much, it’s a privilege.

 

[Image changes to long shot of Poppy on stage. Image on screen showing ON Innovation Program Team]

 

[Image on screen changes to CSIRO logo and text: ON Accelerate 8 Showcase, 5 June 2024]

 

[Image changes to close up of Poppy]

 

And of course, thank you for being here today because there is so much potential in this room and we can all play our part in supporting Australia's brightest minds. Every single one of you can play a pivotal role in supporting these teams through their next steps of their journey.

 

And as we revel in the success of all of the presentations and all of the amazing work that's gone into this program, I urge each one of you to actively participate in our mission. Support this community in any way that you can, whether that's through connecting the teams with other supporting programs, offering valuable advice, sharing your contacts or maybe just giving some emotional support through this entrepreneurial roller coaster. Your contribution really does matter.

 

I can't quite believe I'm saying this, but applications are now open for Accelerate 9, so if you're not already convinced about the value of this program, we have a very short video to play from episode two of ON Track featuring Darryl from Rainstick, who was part of our last cohort.

 

[Image changes as Poppy exits stage right]

 

[Image opens on a man sitting in front of large glass windows with a city view. He is wearing a black t-shirt with Rainstick written on it]

 

Darryl Lyons:  They're not telling us what to do, but they're helping expand our thinking with other inputs to help us make decisions on what the best step forward. My advice is to you kind of have to flip that fear and not, um, letting that inhibit you and then learning quickly off that because that's going to shape your idea and, you know, potentially your version of the idea right now is not where it's going to get to to help the world and whatever that's going to be and you've got to, um, evolve that.

 

[Image changes to blue with two arrows pointing upwards on the right. Heading: ON Track. Text: Look out for Episode 2 at csiro.au/ON

 

[Image changes to Poppy walking from stage right to centre stage. Image on screen is blue with text: ON Accelerate 8 Showcase, 5 June 2024]

 

Poppy Sykes:  Okay, so that really was a teaser.

 

[Image changes to close up of Poppy]

 

The full episode is online on our website and if you or anyone you know is interested in learning more, please head to our website and encourage them to apply. We're really keen to help you accelerate your work to market.

 

Can we have one last applause for everyone in the room?

 

[Image changes to long shot of Poppy on stage]

 

I'm now going to invite the whole cohort

 

[Image changes to close up of Poppy]

 

to come up on stage and have one last photo. If you weren't in the cohort, I'm sure you're desperate to be next time, but until then, please head over to our networking area, there are some drinks, yay. And um, make sure that you have lots of questions prepared for our founders. They're really excited to talk to you. Thank you.

 

[Image changes to long shot as Poppy exits stage right]

 

[Image changes as screen goes black then white. The blue CSIRO logo is in the centre of the screen and underneath is text: Australia’s National Science Agency]