Twenty Australian startups with cutting-edge renewable energy solutions have been selected for the third round of the India Australia Rapid Innovation and Startup Expansion (RISE) Accelerator, a program designed to support businesses aiming to expand between the two countries.
Delivered by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, the RISE Accelerator helps Australian startups and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with scalable climate and environmental solutions to test, validate, and commercialise their technologies in international markets, with a focus on India.
The new round centres on deployable renewable energy innovations targeting three key challenge areas:
- Advancing critical mineral and materials processing, recovery, and reuse
- Improving designs, infrastructure, or manufacturing for greater durability and performance
- Using software, hardware, and digital systems to optimise renewable energy deployment.
Participants will take part in a tailored mix of online learning, in-person workshops, one-on-one mentoring, and market immersion visits.
The program is designed to strengthen international market readiness, foster strategic local connections, and help Australian startups unlock commercial opportunities in India and beyond.
James Robinson, CSIRO’s RISE Accelerator Program Director, said startups and SMEs are often behind some of the most transformative ideas but don’t always have the capacity or networks to expand globally.
“Programs like RISE empower these companies to gain valuable local insights and forge in-country partnerships they may otherwise not have access to,” Mr Robinson said.
“This significantly boosts their potential for success and impact – both at home and abroad – by tapping into new innovation ecosystems, supply chains and opportunities to support increased scalability.”
“In our latest round, we’re proud to be supporting a new generation of Australian innovators to expand into India and help address critical renewable energy challenges at scale.”
Among the selected companies is Rux Energy, which is developing high-efficiency hydrogen storage using patented nanoporous materials.
Tom Webb, Rux Energy’s Chief of Staff, said the company sees India as both a key market and manufacturing partner.
“We applied to the RISE Accelerator to accelerate our mission of delivering safe, high-efficiency, and affordable hydrogen storage solutions to markets like India, where clean energy access can uplift communities and unlock new economic growth,” Mr Webb said.
“India is a key strategic partner for Rux Energy and this program provides the ideal platform to build trusted and enduring local partnerships to drive global impact.”
Another of the selected companies is Syncrowin, whose AI-powered industrial autopilot platform enables continuous monitoring and optimisation of operations across heavy industries such as energy, mining, and manufacturing.
Aishwarya Kansakar, Syncrowin’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, said the RISE Accelerator will support the company’s efforts to scale its platform across India and Australia’s renewable and integrated energy sectors, in line with its mission to empower emerging economies with resilient, resource-efficient industrial ecosystems.
“Our goal is to build scalable AI that integrates effortlessly with existing infrastructure to support decarbonisation and digital transformation,” Ms Kansakar said.
Over the next four months, participating companies will engage in a range of cross-border activities, including travel to India, with each company receiving a grant of $35,000. After this period, companies ready to run pilot projects will receive an additional $100,000 to launch their projects.
The 20 selected companies are: Allegro Energy, Bridge Select, Corellian, Electric Power Conversions Australia, EnergyOS, Goldray Electric, Green Gravity, H2i Group Limited, Kardinia Energy, Neara, Metro Power Company, MLB Industrial, Oxleigh Recycling Technologies, Rux Energy, Sicona Battery Technologies, Steber International, Syncrowin, Voltavate, Zekitek, and ZenQuo.
Find out more about the program and participating companies.