Round 1: The circular economy opportunity

Our Circular Economy cohort from India and Australia gathered together for Sydney Immersion Week, April 2024

At the heart of a circular economy is a design philosophy that eliminates waste, optimally uses materials, conserves natural resources, and regenerates natural systems. It is an economic system where products and services are engineered for durability, materials are perpetually recycled, and waste and emissions are reduced or eliminated.

Embracing the circular economy offers significant benefits, including the conservation of valuable and finite natural resources. It also promises a triple dividend of economic growth, job creation, and waste reduction.

In Round 1, we invited startups and SMEs to apply with solutions to support India and Australia’s transition to a circular economy. Challenge areas included:

  • developing innovative circular business models
  • promoting B2B and B2C circularity across supply chains
  • enhancing waste reduction and recycling efforts
  • designing products and processes that minimise waste and pollution
  • exploring circular material replacements.

Meet our India cohort and explore their achievements

Bariflo Labs

Bariflo Labs specialises in the development of water body management systems. They integrate fluid dynamics, IoT, robotics, and AI to create solutions tailored for aqua-farm and urban water-body management.

Caliche

Caliche is an application-oriented research organisation that provides technology, design, and development services.

CarbonCraft

CarbonCraft is committed to addressing climate change by converting carbon emissions into carbon-negative building materials.

E&P Community Farms

E&P Community Farms is innovating waste management and agricultural productivity with their wet-waste processing technology.

Recity

Recity is enabling a circular economy of plastics by transforming supply chains and optimising the waste value chain in Indian cities.

Recyclex

To help decarbonise the construction industry, Recyclex has developed Eco-Concrete – a proprietary green material that uses industrial by-products and alkaline chemicals as binder to replace cement. 

SolYield

SolYield is a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform designed to maximise lifetime returns from rooftop solar and battery installations.

Meet our Australia cohort and explore their achievements

Alt. Leather

Alt. Leather’s technology turns agricultural biomass, fibres and regenerative plant-based ingredients into a world-class material for application across fashion, footwear, furniture and automotive interiors.

Circular Seed

Circular Seed is tackling the complex issue of decentralised waste management, with a focus on specialised waste streams that are notoriously difficult to recycle or recover.  

givvable

givvable is an AI powered data and insights platform that automates the due diligence of supplier and supply chain sustainability.  

Hi-D

Hi-D Mushroom Vitamin D is an organic plant-based, whole food form of Vitamin D, made in Australia from 100% mushrooms, with zero waste.

Newera Bio

Newera Bio provides an innovative solution to fossil fuel-based dyes: bio-based dyes with robust natural binding properties that are biodegradable, free of harmful chemicals and designed to integrate into existing workflows.

Planet Protector

Planet Protector manufactures WOOLPACK, a disruptive insulated packaging solution that serves as a sustainable alternative to expanded polystyrene.

Sustainable Oil Recovery and Remediation

Sustainable Oil Recovery and Remediation’s Sponge technology efficiently captures hydrocarbons, and other dangerous pollutants, preventing environmental harm at the source.

An infographic that provides a snapshot of the key gains made by the RISE Accelerator program and participating companies in the Circular Economy cohort of the program: Icons are used to represent each milestone/gain and a different icon is positioned alongside each of the ten gains. Title: RISE Circular Economy cohort snapshot [Icon of four people with three speech bubbles and a light bulb] - 14 participating startups and SMEs [Icon of a person with a ring around the person’s head] - 2 Immersion Weeks [Icon of two people with two arrows between them] - 712 one-on-one mentoring hours [Icon of two people seated in front of a presenter, board and light bulb] - 47 curriculum hours (In-Person and Online Sessions) [Icon of a globe with an airplane in front of the globe] - 32 cross-border trips between Australia and India [Icon of two hands shaking] - 10 partnership agreements and MoUs signed [Icon of a rocket ship in an upward trajectory position alongside a bar graph with three bars] - 10 trials and testing projects launched [Icon of a thermometer] - 50°C heatwave level participants faced in New Delhi!

An infographic that provides a snapshot of the key gains made by the RISE Accelerator program and participating companies in the Circular Economy cohort of the program:
Icons are used to represent each milestone/gain and a different icon is positioned alongside each of the ten gains.
Title: RISE Circular Economy cohort snapshot
[Icon of four people with three speech bubbles and a light bulb] – 14 participating startups and SMEs
[Icon of a person with a ring around the person’s head] – 2 Immersion Weeks
[Icon of two people with two arrows between them] – 712 one-on-one mentoring hours
[Icon of two people seated in front of a presenter, board and light bulb] – 47 curriculum hours (In-Person and Online Sessions)
[Icon of a globe with an airplane in front of the globe] – 32 cross-border trips between Australia and India
[Icon of two hands shaking] – 10 partnership agreements and MoUs signed
[Icon of a rocket ship in an upward trajectory position alongside a bar graph with three bars] – 10 trials and testing projects launched
[Icon of a thermometer] – 50°C heatwave level participants faced in New Delhi!

With thanks to our Round 1 cohort partner

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), our inaugural corporate partner, shared expert industry insights and best practices focussing on agile internationalisation and sustainable innovation. Their guidance provided our circular economy cohort participants with valuable knowledge to accelerate their solutions and expand across borders efficiently.

“TCS was thrilled to be involved with this flagship initiative in environmental progress and growth-for-good.” – Vikram Singh, Country Head Australia and New Zealand, Tata Consulting Services