Last Thursday, startups from the 2026 Climate 10x cohort stepped into the spotlight at the UNSW Investor Showcase. The evening brought together investors, founders and industry to celebrate the technologies and ventures emerging from UNSW.
The showcase capped off ten weeks of intensive mentoring, prototyping and commercialisation support. Led by UNSW Founders and supported by TRaCE, the Climate 10x Accelerator fast-tracks early-stage climate tech startups with investment, world-class R&D expertise, prototyping infrastructure and pathways to scale.
Since its launch in 2023, the program has backed ventures that reduce emissions, make existing infrastructure more resilient, accelerate the shift to renewable energy or grow the circular economy.
- ALBON uses algae to clean nutrient-rich wastewater from meat, poultry and dairy processors. Its modular algae-bacteria system plugs into existing plants, avoiding a multi-million-dollar upgrade, and the leftover biomass can be sold as a soil booster.
- LoopForm Materials recycles carbon fibre while retaining 80 to 90% of its performance, using 80% less energy than new production. The recycled fibre works with existing manufacturing methods.
- Circular Sourcing is an online marketplace where fashion brands buy surplus fabric directly from mills, in amounts as small as one metre. Each purchase also captures the material data brands need to back up their sustainability claims.
- Ephemeris uses live flight data to suggest early speed changes so planes arrive at busy airports in a smoother sequence, rather than circling. It works alongside air traffic control with no new hardware or regulatory changes, and could save up to 5.8 million tonnes of fuel a year.
- Merge Energy has developed V2G-Key, which connects an electric car’s battery to an existing solar system so it can store and supply energy for homes and businesses. It is starting with the 350,000+ Australian households that have solar and an EV but no home battery.
- Byrd has redesigned the construction skip bin so builders can separate multiple material streams on site in a single bin. It makes recycling easier, cuts costs and shows builders what they are throwing away.
- Corellian Technologies has developed AirSolaris, a cooling system that runs mainly on low-grade solar heat or industrial waste heat. It also controls humidity and stores thermal energy to shift cooling off-peak, with up to 95% lower running costs and emissions.
Support beyond the program
Since 2023, Climate 10x has supported 23 startups. Alongside investment, founders gain access to TRaCE’s wider support ecosystem:
- R&D vouchers: matched funding of up to $50k for collaborations with UNSW researchers
- Technology Translation Squad: a specialist team to help solve technical challenges quickly
- Eligibility for the TRaCE Early-stage Seed Fund, backed by Investible and Hampton Capital
- Connections to UNSW researchers, facilities and networks
Thank you to UNSW for hosting the Investor Showcase, and congratulations to all the founders. We look forward to following their journeys as they continue to develop their technologies, drive climate impact and contribute to Australia’s transition to a clean, circular economy.
