Day one of the 2026 Venture Catalyst program
The Innovation & Collaboration Centre at Adelaide University has announced its 2026 Venture Catalyst cohort, welcoming 14 startups working across space and defence, climate, health, artificial intelligence, AgTech, and creative industries.
Eight of the 14 companies are working in space and defence applications, all based in South Australia, with close to 40 per cent led by female founders.
Among the health-focused companies, SABRN Tech has identified a clear problem.
Founded by vascular surgeon Dr Abe Chandra, the company has built portable diagnostic pods designed to deliver early cardiometabolic screening to communities without reliable access to traditional healthcare settings.
Prototypes are built, and a pilot in Port Lincoln is underway, combining clinical credibility with genuine reach into regional South Australia.
Born out of frustration, SoMe Co-Founders Sofia Kette and Louisa Para were running ecommerce businesses struggling to adapt to the everchanging social media landscape which often requires labour intense video editing or costly outsourcing.
The SoMe platform turns raw product footage into strategic, ready-to-post social media videos in seconds combined with captions and scheduling across the major platforms, allowing businesses the best chance of reaching customers in a crowded space.
While some are focused on challenges on the ground, others are using space-based technology to solve problems on Earth.
Founded by Murali Krishna, EOI Space is pushing the boundaries of Earth observation to overcome the delays and limitations of traditional satellite data.
The company is developing a range of low flying satellites that can deliver high-resolution, near real-time images helping governments and industries make faster, more informed decisions across defence, emergency response and the critical infrastructure sectors.
Although working on different problems, they are on a similar journey and will have the opportunity to share their experiences through the program as one cohort.
Adelaide University’s Associate Director of Business Incubation, Craig Jones says this cohort reflects a broad range of ideas among the founders.
“There’s a real diversity of ambition in this cohort, from founders rethinking how we manage water and climate data from space, to an art historian building tools that could help galleries reach new audiences.
“What they share is a genuine willingness to learn and adapt, and that’s ultimately what determines who succeeds.”
Venture Catalyst is a six-month tailored accelerator program run by the Adelaide University’s Innovation & Collaboration Centre.
The program provides tailored support, connections, funding, access to university resources and a supportive community to give founders the best possible chance of success.
Over the coming months, these startups will move from their early-stage concepts to validated solutions, building, testing and refining ideas that could define what comes next.
At a time when the world needs reasons for optimism, this cohort offers exactly that.
2026 Venture Catalyst cohort
Venture Catalyst supported by Adelaide University
- Emify Pty Ltd – AI driven teammate for sustainability reporting
- SABRN Tech Pty Ltd - Integrated cardiometabolic screening outside traditional healthcare settings
- SoMe Pty Ltd – Helping businesses sell authentically through socials in the age of AI
- SAM – Software tool for construction to keep builders building, not chasing paperwork
- DIVELIO – A bolt-on AI layer for cybersecurity SIEM's, tuning alert noise
Venture Catalyst Space supported by the South Australian Space Industry Centre
- EOI Space – Merging space and ground data to enable decisions for land, water and climate risks
- Tweaklogic – Edge AI solutions designed for space
- THE RED PLAN-ET – Sustainable menstrual care – on Earth and in space
- ALTDATA Pty Ltd – Turning space data in to AI-powered simulations for faster research in microgravity
- Rarity – Bringing space-grade engineering home to deliver materials resilience on Earth
- AgMap – Mapping agricultural research to the farms that need it
- OffDev – Providing software tools for secure offline and air-gapped systems
- HALO Aerotech – Enabling the future of logistics and air mobility with next-gen aerial platforms
Venture Catalyst Social Impact supported by the Pank Family
- LUMI – Transforming artworks into engaging stories for diverse cultural audiences
