return to blog

For the 5th cohort of our Investment Ready Program we welcome 12 ambitious Queensland climate tech startups. The program runs for three months and includes workshops and investor meetings equipping founders with the right tools and know-how to navigate the entire fundraising process.



Our EnergyLab Australian alumni companies raised a total of $348 million in VC funding in 2025, an impressive 60% of the total $585 million annual capital reported by Cut Through Venture for all Australian climate tech startups.

“With Australia’s climate tech ecosystem accelerating, the timing couldn’t be better to back these 12 ambitious Queensland startups. Joining a thriving network of 42 Investment Ready Program alumni, Cohort 5 includes 9 hardware teams tackling physical infrastructure like aerial solutions for maintenance and solar recycling, and 3 software platforms driving grid and water efficiency. EnergyLab is thrilled to continue to partner with QIC and the Queensland Venture Capital Development Fund to give these founders the investor access they need to scale” - Megan Fisher, CEO & Director, EnergyLab

Over the 12 weeks founders interact with 20+ cap raising experts, from climate tech investors, startup lawyers, scientists, and exited founders. We also facilitate 1:1 meetings with a range of VCs before the program wraps up with a big pitch showcase at The Precinct in Brisbane on October 22, 2026, where Cohort 5 will pitch in front of a panel of investors and the wider Queensland climate tech ecosystem.

“We select startups developing proprietary technologies that decarbonise their respective industries, assessing applicants for traction, team, IP, scalability, and market opportunity, an approach that keeps our pipeline aligned to real commercial potential and investability.” - Audun Fiskerud, Program Lead, EnergyLab, quoted in the 2025 State of Australian Startup Funding Report.

Investment Ready Program Cohort 5

Quick snapshot of the cohort:

- 9 hardware startups, 3 software startups.

- Founders with deep domain expertise.

- Several of the startups have raised before, up to $2.1 million.

- 33% of the startups founded by women.

AVVISTA - Intelligent water and energy monitoring platform detecting leaks and anomalies, cutting water use and providing data for more efficient energy use.

Birra Technologies - Cost-competitive, nature-inspired fuel solutions to decarbonise the hard-to-abate shipping industry.

ConnectVPP - Open operating system for distributed energy, enabling energy retailers and aggregators to launch white-label virtual power plant programs in weeks.

Gyre Energy - Cuts costs and emissions for cooling-intensive operators using a platform combining thermal energy storage with physics-based AI optimisation.

Hexite - Recovers clean glass and carbon fibre from end-of-life composite waste (including wind turbine blades) using a patented chemical separation process, independently validated by CSIRO and UNSW at 87% clean fibre recovery.

Octowaste - Tackles Australia's solar panel waste crisis through decommissioning, collection hubs, second-life panel sales and compliance reporting.

Oota Cleanteach - Uses electrochemical tech to produce carbon-neutral ethylene from CO2, enabling sustainable fuels and lubricants to replace fossil-fuel-based products.

ProxGrid - Aerial robotic solutions for transmission network maintenance. Powerline insulator washing using live-line contact drone technology.

RTB Renewables - Developer of sites for energy projects and data centres.

TwinFlow - Non-electric shower start-up management system that stops cold-water splashes and stops clean water running down the drain while the temperature stabilises

Verdares Kern - Process-intelligence software for regulated batch manufacturing. Starting in pharma, it identifies the controllable process parameters driving yield loss and excess energy consumption, helping manufacturers reduce wasted energy and materials.

Yearn Swell - Clean-water tech helping industry manage emerging contaminants and improve wastewater treatment amid rising regulatory and environmental pressure.

The next Cohort 6 of the Investment Ready Program kicks off in February 2027, with applications opening in November 2026. Register your interest here.


return to blog