The challenge
The long and winding road to commercialisation
Facet Amtech co-founder, James Bradley, is no stranger to the world of startups. Having previously co-founded a small business based on a very promising new technology, James knew the excitement and thrill that came from watching an idea leap from the lab bench out into the world where it had the potential to make a real difference. He also understood the road to commercialisation was long and winding and came with no guarantees. This was a lesson that was learned the hard way, as his previous startup was upended during an attempt to get the world’s first small wind turbines onto the market. It was a promising venture based on a game-changing idea, that was catastrophically impacted - first by the 2019/2020 bush fires, and then by global supply chain issues following Covid-19.
It was during his time working on this project that James first came into contact with ON Accelerate, an innovation program designed to fast-track promising Australian research and help transition academics to entrepreneurs. James continued to be involved with the entrepreneurial ecosystem after the closure of his business and would later go on to become a mentor with ON.
Sometime later, while working with the University of Newcastle I2N pre-accelerator program, James crossed paths with former colleague, Facet Amtech CEO, Peter Richardson. Peter had recently made a novel breakthrough in his lab – one that had the potential to change the way ammonia is manufactured globally and significantly impact a billion-dollar industry.
This happenstance meeting led to James helping Peter get things off the ground with his new technology. The two later joined forces as co-founders to bring Facet Amtech to life.
Reducing carbon emissions in ammonia production
Ammonia is an industrial chemical that is used to make fertilisers, cleaning products, pharmaceuticals and plastics. Traditional ammonia production is energy-intensive and relies on carbon-intensive natural gas. This process contributes significantly to global warming, producing hundreds of millions of tons of carbon emissions annually.
Facet Amtech, a spin-out from the University of Newcastle, discovered a more sustainable and economic way to produce ammonia that eliminates the need for fossil fuels, carbon capture, or air separation in the ammonia production process.
In a true Alexander Flemming moment, the novel technology was created after Peter accidentally developed a catalyst in his lab. His idea, which uses only air and water as inputs for ammonia production, is a highly efficient and emission-free method, with very exciting potential in an industry projected to be worth over $300 billion dollars by 2030.
But before Peter and James could unleash their innovation on the world, they needed to prove the technology’s efficacy. To do that they required the right connections, skills and funding.
Our response
Steaming ahead with the help of ON
Peter said that coming off the back of the I2N startup accelerator program, which provided many of the fundamental skills, experience and switch in mind-frame that comes with transitioning from a researcher to a startup founder, the single most valuable part of the ON Accelerate program was the targeted mentorship he and James were provided.
"At an early stage, this helped us begin to navigate a highly complex and competitive commercial situation involving engagement with high-level employees in huge multi-national companies. This is not the kind of environment that academic scientists and engineers are trained to deal with, so this support is absolutely essential and should not be understated," Peter said.
By participating in the ON Accelerate program, Peter and James were able to dramatically increase broad national engagement, through events like Bootcamp and Demo Day, where we were introduced to major Australian investors, advisors, and ecosystem supporters.
"We also participated in a CSIRO Kick-Start project which enabled us to gain access to key research facilities that would have otherwise been exceedingly costly or difficult for us to establish ourselves. This work provided us with critical insights into our technology and has quickly moved us further along in our development activities, refining our commercial opportunities at the same time," Peter said.
The results
Carving a place in the market
With the support of programs like ON Accelerator and Kick-Start, Peter was able to successfully translate his academic expertise into a commercial venture. Facet Amtech has now built the world's first air-feeding ammonia reactor, proving the technology's efficacy. The team is now working on a pilot project to demonstrate their technology at scale.
"We have made leaps and bounds in recent months on our technology and IP stack, which is driving serious commercial interest globally," Peter said.
"The next stage will be to begin cementing some of these commercial opportunities by validating the tech outside the lab. The detailed design and build of our first pilot plant is currently planned for 2026, and this will be the launch pad for accelerating engagement with our support network of industry partners to come along on the ride with us as we scale to commercial sized plants".
Peter said there are things you can do to drive early-stage innovation and provide confidence that your tech is something worth getting behind. Finding a 'champion' in your customer and partner companies is one of them, as they will help you expand your network and build trust.
It also pays dividends to invest some time in understanding the current state of the market and considering if your idea is solving a known problem, whether customers really want a solution, and if they'll pay for it. According to Peter, other things to think about include which companies are using which technologies. Are you competing with an existing solution or developing something which has never been conceived before? And importantly – where do you sit within the existing value chain of your industry, who are your competitors, and what is your significant advantage over them? Peter said if you can identify all of these things and place yourself at the top of the pack, you'll be onto a winning idea.
Mentoring
So impressed was James during his time as a participant in ON, that when the opportunity arose, he enlisted as a mentor with the program.
"I think once you've had some great mentors you understand the importance of trying to be one," James said.
"The benefits should always be mutual. The mentees get some value from past experiences and 'scar tissue', as well as an extended network. For me, I get to learn about something new, see the results of experiments in market first hand, and, sometimes most importantly, am forced to hold a mirror up to myself.
"As a reasonably typical tech nerd, mentoring in the ON program means I get to engage with both super interesting people and problems".
Realise your potential
The ON Innovation Program is designed to help publicly funded researchers commercialise their research and turn their ideas into real-world impact. Throughout the program, researchers learn entrepreneurial skills and are provided with networking and coaching through programs like ON Prime (for customer discovery and market validation) and ON Accelerate (for building business knowledge, raising funds, and developing ventures).
Find out more about how our innovation programs can help you realise your great idea's potential or get in touch if you'd like to have a chat with one of the team.