RISE focuses on renewables

Twenty Australian startups have been selected for the third round of the India Australia Rapid Innovation and Startup Expansion (RISE) Accelerator program.

Delivered by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, the RISE Accelerator helps Australian startups and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with scalable climate and environmental solutions to test, validate and commercialise their technologies in international markets, with a focus on India.

The new round focuses on deployable renewable energy innovations targeting three key challenge areas:

• Advancing critical mineral and materials processing, recovery and reuse
• Improving designs, infrastructure or manufacturing for greater durability and performance
• Using software, hardware and digital systems to optimise renewable energy deployment

Selected participants will partake in a tailored mix of online learning, in-person workshops, one-on-one mentoring and market immersion visits.

RISE Accelerator program director James Robinson says startups and SMEs are often behind some of the most transformative ideas but don’t always have the capacity or networks to expand globally.

“Programs like RISE empower these companies to gain valuable local insights and forge in-country partnerships they may otherwise not have access to,” he said.

“This significantly boosts their potential for success and impact — both at home and abroad — by tapping into new innovation ecosystems, supply chains and opportunities to support increased scalability.”

One of the companies selected in this round, Rux Energy, is developing high-efficiency hydrogen storage using patented nanoporous materials.

Rux Energy chief of staff Tom Webb says the company sees India as both a key market and manufacturing partner.

“We applied to the RISE Accelerator to accelerate our mission of delivering safe, high-efficiency, and affordable hydrogen storage solutions to markets like India, where clean energy access can uplift communities and unlock new economic growth,” he said.

“India is a key strategic partner for Rux Energy and this program provides the ideal platform to build trusted and enduring local partnerships to drive global impact.”

Another of the selected companies is Syncrowin, whose AI-powered industrial autopilot platform enables continuous monitoring and optimisation of operations across heavy industries such as energy, mining and manufacturing.

Syncrowin co-founder and chief executive Aishwarya Kansakar says the RISE Accelerator will support the company’s efforts to scale its platform across India and Australia’s renewable and integrated energy sectors.

“Our goal is to build scalable AI that integrates effortlessly with existing infrastructure to support decarbonisation and digital transformation,” he said.

Over the next four months, participating companies will engage in a range of cross-border activities, including travel to India, with each company receiving a grant of $35,000.

After this period, companies ready to run pilot projects will receive an additional $100,000 in funding to launch their projects.