Fourteen South Australian startups spanning health, space technology, sustainability, cybersecurity, construction and the arts have been selected for Adelaide University’s 2026 Venture Catalyst accelerator program, a six-month initiative designed to help early-stage businesses grow and attract investment.
Run by Adelaide University’s Innovation & Collaboration Centre, the Venture Catalyst program provides founders with workshops, one-to-one mentoring, access to university resources, industry expertise and networking opportunities aimed at building sustainable and globally scalable businesses.
Adelaide University Associate Director of Business Incubation Craig Jones said the latest cohort highlights the depth of South Australia’s startup sector.
“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,” Jones said.
“What they share is a genuine willingness to learn and adapt, and that’s ultimately what determines who succeeds.”
The 2026 intake includes founders developing solutions in preventative healthcare, social media automation, artificial intelligence, agricultural technology, cybersecurity and aerospace innovation. Adelaide University said 26 per cent of the selected founders are current students, 32 per cent are alumni and eight per cent are current staff members.
Among the health-focused ventures is SABRN Tech, founded by vascular surgeon Dr Abe Chandra. The company has developed portable diagnostic pods designed to deliver early cardiometabolic screening in communities with limited access to traditional healthcare services. With prototypes already built and a pilot program underway in Port Lincoln, the startup is focused on expanding preventative healthcare access across regional South Australia.
Another participant, SoMe, was created by co-founders Sofia Kette and Louisa Para after experiencing the challenges of maintaining social media content for their own e-commerce businesses. The platform converts raw product footage into ready-to-publish social media videos complete with captions and scheduling tools.
Space technology also features prominently in this year’s cohort. EOI Space, founded by Murali Krishna, is developing low-flying satellites capable of delivering high-resolution, near real-time Earth observation imagery to support decision-making in areas such as defence, emergency response and critical infrastructure management.
“We became aware of the Venture Catalyst program through the South Australian innovation ecosystem and recognised it as an ideal platform to refine our solution, build partnerships and scale a globally relevant, space-enabled business from South Australia,” Krishna said.
Since launching in 2015, the Innovation & Collaboration Centre has supported more than 150 startups and 239 founders. Adelaide University said companies emerging from the program employ at least 577 people, with most jobs based in South Australia, contributing an estimated $39 million to the state’s economy.
The Venture Catalyst program has distributed almost $1.2 million in startup funding over the past decade, with participating companies securing more than $116 million in follow-on investment from a range of sources.
The 2026 cohort will progress through the accelerator together over the coming months, working to validate ideas, refine products and prepare their businesses for future growth as South Australia’s startup ecosystem continues to expand.
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