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EnergyLab is excited to welcome the third cohort of Queensland startups to the Investment Ready Program. Eleven ambitious Queensland climate tech startups have been selected for Cohort 3. The program runs over three months and includes workshops and investor meetings equipping founders with the tools and know-how to navigate the many challenges of raising capital.

The climate tech startup ecosystem in the Sunshine State is thriving, and there has never been a better time to get involved. Cut Through Venture’s recent Queensland Venture Capital Report 2025 announced climate tech as the #1 sector in terms of number of deals and the #2 sector in terms of total capital raised. In FY25, Queensland startups attracted a total of $417 million in venture investment, a 37% increase from the previous year. Queensland climate tech startups raised $78 million, approximately 20% of the totalVC funds deployed in the state during FY25. It’s also promising for Queensland to have attracted the highest share of capital to women-led and mixed gender start-ups in FY25, outperforming the national average and the other East Coast states.

“It’s very encouraging to see the startup momentum building in Queensland. EnergyLab has a strong presence in the state’s climate tech ecosystem with 60+ mentors, 30+ angel investors, and 50+ alumni companies ready to support the next generation of climate focused startups. From 2018-2022 we provided a co-working space within the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) building in Brisbane, and it’s great to be back on the ground with our new Investment Ready Program for ambitious Queensland climate tech founders.” - Megan Fisher, CEO & Director, EnergyLab

The Investment Ready Program is backed by the QIC-managed Venture Capital Development Fund (VCDF) and equips startups with the right tools and know-how to navigate the entire fundraising process. A wide range of climate tech investors and other experts guide the founders towards choosing the right funding pathway, articulating the opportunity to resonate with investors, developing a clear path to growth and impact, understanding term sheet red flags, nailing the pitch, and ultimately closing the deal. After 10 weeks of workshops the startups have 1:1 meetings with investors to build relationships and get personalised feedback. The program culminates on 23 October 2025 with the Decarb Pitch Fest at The Precinct in Brisbane, where the startups will pitch in front of a panel of investors and the wider Queensland climate tech ecosystem.



Investment Ready Program Cohort 3

Quick snapshot of the cohort:

- 8 of the 11 startups are hardware.

- All founders with deep domain expertise.

- Half of the startups are in-market with paying customers.

- Most have raised before, from $60k to $5 million.

- 55% are founded by women or include women co-founders.

Datasker turns companies’ day-to-day operations into verifiable data that prove impact, meet compliance, and build confidence with investors, partners, and the public.

Earth 1.1 is a platform connecting investors with renewable energy projects to accelerate the transition to a carbon-neutral sustainable future.

Envirolapse provides advanced visual monitoring and climate data systems for extreme environments.

GreenForge Labs manufactures autonomous cleaning machinery for large solar farms.

I’m Plastic Free is a world-first platform for non-toxic plastic alternatives.

K+ Technologies delivers net zero power generation.

Lextra transforms waste plastics and other materials into high-value platform chemicals.

OreStruck uses high-voltage pulses to pretreat ore and improve ore processability.

PAX Energy provides scalable installer-friendly energy storage systems.

Resilience Design and Build offers sustainable, disaster-resilient homes using innovative technologies and materials.

Square by Square is a platform enabling anyone to invest in tiny, tradable squares of threatened rainforest land.

The 4th cohort of the Investment Ready Program kicks off in February 2026, with applications open in November 2025. Register your interest here.


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