Cicada x Tech23 2026 - Australia's Biggest Deep Tech Festival
Cicada x Tech23 – Global Innovations, Made in Australia. Meet 23 groundbreaking ventures in one day.
From sovereign capability in critical technologies to commercial-ready innovations seeking strategic partnerships, Cicada x Tech23 offers a rare, high-value opportunity to engage with frontier technologies on the cusp of global scale and impact.
Cicada x Tech23 is more than just a showcase of cutting-edge breakthroughs - it’s a gateway to real Australian ventures delivering global impact and commercial success.
For 25 Years Cicada Innovations has been the home for deep tech and Tech23 has been the launchpad for Australia’s most ambitious deep tech companies - Morse Micro, Samsara Eco, and Q-CTRL - startups that are not just pioneering new technologies but securing major investments, scaling internationally, and reshaping industries.
We’re inviting you to meet the next generation of deep tech founders - visionary entrepreneurs tackling billion-dollar markets in AI, quantum, biotech, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing.
Whether you’re an investor seeking high-growth opportunities, an industry leader looking for strategic partnerships, or a policymaker shaping the future of technology, this is your chance to engage with companies ready to scale, commercialise, and create lasting impact.
Why Attend?
Access 23 of Australia’s most promising deep tech startups across AI, quantum, biotech, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing - each with global potential.
Engage with 400+ investors, industry leaders, and government decision-makers, all committed to scaling deep tech.
Discover why Australia is emerging as a global deep tech hub, with strong R&D pipelines, commercial-ready technologies, and increasing international investment.
Connect with Cicada Innovations and Australia’s top deep tech investors, backing startups that are reshaping industries worldwide.
Meet our Host & MC
Maddie Massy is a science communicator and presenter. With a background in medical research, Maddie now connects people with the science that underpins all our lives. Maddie is a presenter on TV shows including Play School and Sunrise, hosts segments for ABC Radio, and shares short-form science content with her audience of 70,000 across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Meet the 23 below
ALBON – Treating wastewater from agricultural and food processing facilities with algae and bacteria.
ANT61 – Recovering failing satellites and opening the final frontier for all.
Arelis – Non-invasive urine tests reducing endometriosis diagnosis time to days instead of years.
Armāitide – Next-generation targeted therapies for aggressive cancers.
Blue Carbon – Transforms ocean energy into essential services using autonomous ocean infrastructure.
Clean & Recover – Recovers metals, clean water and sulphates from mine-contaminated water.
Corellian Technologies – Compressor-less, heat-driven cooling systems slashing operational footprints.
Cortisonic – Ultra-low power computer processing made possible by soundwaves.
Dentroid – Combining photonics, robotics and AI to address needle pain and fear in medicine.
Forward Deployed – Advanced chemical threat sensing and robotics for hazardous environments.
Gega Elements – Cost-competitive, sustainable gallium refining technology.
Hydro Harvester – Creating water from the air, for anyone, anywhere.
Monadd-AI – Cloud-scale AI utilising standard desktop hardware.
MP Space – EV and volume grid battery technologies adapted for space.
Parking Spotz – Uniting offline underground devices to turn dormant spaces into intelligent assets.
PremieHealth – Neonatal nutrition that mimics the bioactive signals found in nature's most complex milks.
Space CoLAB – Tackling the $10 trillion quantum hacking, harvesting, tapping and jamming threat head on.
Stratoship – Detecting natural disasters in real time.
Sydekick Robotics – Providing machines with human-level dexterity to automate manufacturing.
SydSol – Turns everyday surfaces into solar panels.
Thermal Dawn – Thermal batteries to heat and cool homes at the fraction of the cost of lithium battery.
Ultra Bionics – Minimally invasive implants that ‘steer’ therapeutic stimulation to precise cortical regions across the brain.
Undatech – A protective base layer for high-risk personnel, eliminating preventable injuries.
