Techstars Adelaide, the first Techstars accelerator in Asia-Pacific, will be a truly global program, having received applications from 49 different countries.
Applications were received from startup teams working on a wide range of defence and security related technologies including big data and analytics, robotics, sensors, augmented and virtual reality, human-machine interface systems, unmanned aerial systems, nanoscale technologies, and advanced manufacturing.
“We are excited that Techstars Adelaide has sparked global interest, as our first in Asia-Pacific accelerator and the first to be located in Australia. Our accelerator programs always aim to attract the best teams with the most interesting ideas, and these can come from anywhere in the world.” said Terry Gold, Managing Director, Techstars Adelaide.
| Region | Applications |
| Australia | 18% |
| APAC | 34% |
| Elsewhere | 48% |
The US is the top country for applications followed by Australia, with India, Nigeria and Singapore completing the top five.
Top 10 Countries for Applications
- United States
- Australia
- India
- Nigeria
- Singapore
- United Kingdom
- Indonesia
- Israel
- New Zealand
- Ukraine
Within Australia, the majority of applications came from Adelaide, followed by Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Multiple applications were also received from regional Australian locations, including Cairns, Geelong and Townsville.
| City | Applications |
| Adelaide | 40% |
| Sydney | 27% |
| Melbourne | 15% |
| Brisbane | 10% |
| Others | 8% |
Terry Gold commented, ”We are delighted to have seen founders from all over Australia put themselves forward for this amazing opportunity. As we face the daunting task of selecting just ten to join the program we are excited to see what this worldwide search has uncovered. Defence research has sparked a wide range of every day inventions, from microwave ovens to duct tape, so we can’t wait to see what new ideas and products may emerge from these ten startups.”
Techstars Adelaide is designed to support early-stage companies advancing state-of-the-art applications in Internet of things (IoT), big data, sensors and robotics, with the potential to develop and commercialise technologies connected to the defence and security sectors. The program will connect ten startup teams from all over the world to an established network of community leaders, founders, mentors, investors, and corporate partners.
The program is backed by some of the world’s top defence companies, including Boeing Defence Australia, Codan Defence Electronics, SAAB Australia and Thales, who welcomed the opportunity to work with leading innovators from across the world and to support the Australian tech eco-system.
Wayne Agutter, Director, Strategy and Emerging Markets for Saab Australia said: “Seeking new ideas and innovation from promising startup companies is a great opportunity for us to further develop our own thinking edge. We work in the challenging and complex domains of defence and security and will be looking for entrepreneurs with great vision and ground-breaking new technology. It’s all about keeping people and society safe and we will work closely with the selected startups to bring these promising new capabilities to the market.”
John Best, Vice President, Chief Technical Office, Thales Australia, commented: “Thales is a corporate entity which depends on a STEM skilled workforce and the wider engineering sector. The partnership will bring great opportunities to actively promote STEM initiatives in Australia.”
The applications are currently going through the Techstars assessment process, and the ten selected participants will be announced when the program begins in July.
For more details on Techstars Adelaide, visit http://www.techstars.com/programs/adelaide-program/.
About Techstars
Techstars is an early stage accelerator program that has graduated 900 startups, with a current combined market cap of US$7.5bn. The organisation runs programs across the world from New York to Cape Town, London to Los Angeles from headquarters in their hometown of Boulder, Colorado. Techstars has partnered with global leaders Disney, Nike, Virgin Media, Barclays, Target, Sony, Sonos and many others to create innovative accelerator programs that span industries such as hospitality, retail, healthcare, Internet of things, mobility and music across the globe.
Techstars Ventures, the venture capital arm of Techstars, founded in 2009 has $265m USD of funds under management. They have invested in household names such as Uber, Sphero, Twilio and SendGrid.
