An impressive list of international, interstate and local space talent will take part in this year’s Venture Catalyst Space Program.
The 2022 cohort of the state’s renowned Venture Catalyst Space Program has been announced, with 10 emerging space companies chosen to participate in the six-month accelerator program.
Funded by the South Australian Government, Venture Catalyst Space is a highly competitive incubator program delivered by the University of South Australia’s Innovation & Collaboration Centre (ICC), which supports early-stage technology-based space startups to create a globally scalable enterprise.
ICC Director Jasmine Vreugdenburg said it was exciting to welcome this year’s cohort onboard.
“Our collection of new startups will bring unique business ideas and revolutionary solutions to South Australia’s space ecosystem,” Ms Vreugdenburg said.
“From using satellites to combat overfishing, to designing technology to grow plants in space, to even creating humanoid robots to perform tasks in zero-gravity, this cohort has a lot in store for us.
“Three international startups will participate in our program, while three will come from interstate. We also have fantastic representation from home-grown South Australian companies.
“To be able to have these startups come to Adelaide and actually experience our burgeoning space sector firsthand is a wonderful thing.”
The 2022 Venture Catalyst Space cohort are:
| ESpy Ocean, SA | Espy is providing early detection of mid to large size poaching vessels to Fisheries companies worldwide to combat poaching. |
| Mesh in Space, SA | Mesh in Space is designing and building mission ready secure networking solutions for satellite constellations. |
| Blue Dwarf Space, SA | An automated platform for applications relating to space activities in Australia or by Australians. |
| Up&Up, SA | Up&Up launch products to the edge of space and create out of this world ad creative for viral ad campaigns. |
| Grahaa Space, India | Grahaa Space is working on designing developing and launching an advanced constellation of earth observation nano satellites to be launched into LEO which will work in sync to stream near real-time high-resolution videos of any specific location on earth. |
| Gaia Project Australia Pty Ltd, Vic | Gaia have designed a new modular channel system increasing the number of plants that can grow in any space by 40% which will be used to support growing plants in space. |
| Orbital Blue, Dubai | Orbital Blue is developing an AI powered SSA company providing predictive mission critical intelligence to the space industry. |
| Perspective, Berlin | Perspective is developing on-board AI capability that is optimally coupled with hardware using API supporting a broad range of vision-based space applications. |
| QL Space, WA | QL Space is developing a multi-sensor LEO cube sat with AI capabilities to support mineral applications in the mining industry. |
| ANT61, NSW | ANT61 is developing highly dexterous robust autonomous robots who can collaborate with each other and humans and can perform high level tasks applying human level motor skills in space. |
This year’s participants join the ranks of 19 former startups, all who have gone on to make valuable contributions to South Australia’s space sector.
Venture Catalyst Space is funded through SASIC’s $1.5m Space Innovation Fund.
Image: Ashley James Simmonds, Derek James and Kelly Yeoh of Blue Dwarf Space; Yee Wei Law of Mesh in Space, Austin Lovell of Up&Up at the University of South Australia.
Credit: Innovation & Collaboration Centre
