Deep Tech & Science
Hard science startups — robotics, space, quantum and materials.
Hard-science startups play a different game — longer timelines, real technical risk, heavier capital — and the usual SaaS playbook doesn't transfer cleanly. The upside is that the moat is genuine when the science works.
Founders in robotics, space, quantum and materials, and the specialist investors who back them, talk through funding the long road, de-risking technology and commercialising the truly hard stuff.
“If you'd told me five years ago we'd be building missiles in Australia, I probably wouldn't have believed you.”
What founders want to know
Answers are drawn live from the network's conversations by Ask the Network.
Shows covering Deep Tech & Science
The Mix with Mick Liubinskas
6 episodes on Deep Tech & Science
Engineering in the Hunter
6 episodes on Deep Tech & Science
The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series
5 episodes on Deep Tech & Science
Oversubscribed with Brendan Hill
3 episodes on Deep Tech & Science
Diaspora NZ with David Booth
3 episodes on Deep Tech & Science
What The Health with Emily Casey
1 episode on Deep Tech & Science
Pick My Brain with Alan Jones
1 episode on Deep Tech & Science
First Cheque with Cheryl Mack & Maxine Minter
1 episode on Deep Tech & Science
The New Script with Frances Goh & Makenzie Thomas
1 episode on Deep Tech & Science
Unfunded with Joan Westenberg
1 episode on Deep Tech & Science
28 episodes on Deep Tech & Science
▶ Engineering in the Hunter · 22 September 2026
Patrick Buchan: Australia's first new steel mill in 30 years
▶ What The Health with Emily Casey · 27 August 2026
The Psychedelic Resurgence: From Counterculture to Clinical Breakthrough with Dr Michael Winlo
▶ Oversubscribed with Brendan Hill · 20 August 2026
Building with Atoms and Bits: 5 Founders Making Hard Tech in Australia | HEO, Alloy, Vexev, Zabidou, Antares
▶ Engineering in the Hunter · 16 July 2026
John Fry: building Australia's first missile factory in the Hunter
▶ Oversubscribed with Brendan Hill · 18 June 2026
Inside HEO: Australia’s Secret Space Camera Company | Hiranya Jayakody, Steve Baxter, Jessy Wu
▶ Engineering in the Hunter · 3 March 2026
Lex Forsyth: Founder & COO at Janus Electric
▶ Engineering in the Hunter · 3 February 2026
Bret Barton: HunterNet Senior Business Advisor
▶ Pick My Brain with Alan Jones · 14 January 2026
How to Pitch Deep Tech to Investors With Competing Priorities
▶ Engineering in the Hunter · 3 December 2025
Neil Hunt: Managing Director Mineral Systems at McLanahan
▶ Oversubscribed with Brendan Hill · 20 November 2025
Inside the Minds Behind Australia’s Robotics Revolution
▶ The New Script with Frances Goh & Makenzie Thomas · 6 November 2025
How Kali Healthcare is Reimagining Fetal Monitoring to Improve Pregnancy Outcomes
▶ Engineering in the Hunter · 21 October 2025
Steve Heaton: Founder at Xetla Consulting
▶ Diaspora NZ with David Booth · 2 May 2025
S3 | E8 – Adrian Macneil (Co-Founder & CEO at Foxglove) on Developer Tools for Robotics, and Why Ambitious Kiwis Need to Go — and Come Back Smarter
▶ Diaspora NZ with David Booth · 11 April 2025
S3 | E6 Anton Jackson Smith (Founder of b.next) on building synthetic cells, programmable biology, and the future of biotech
▶ Diaspora NZ with David Booth · 14 March 2025
S3 | E2 - Kathryn Zealand (Skip) on robotic exoskeletons, mobility for life, and spinning out of Google X
▶ The Mix with Mick Liubinskas · 4 March 2025
Brewing Palm Oil in a Lab: Tom Collier on the Future of Sustainable Ingredients with Levur
▶ The Mix with Mick Liubinskas · 10 February 2025
Scaling Sustainability: How Enaxiom is Driving Industrial Change with HydroCOOL
▶ The Mix with Mick Liubinskas · 12 January 2025
Building Big Batteries and a Climate-Positive Future: Thomas Nann on Allegro’s Energy Solutions
▶ The Mix with Mick Liubinskas · 5 January 2025
Revolutionising Energy Transition: A Conversation with DNA Energy’s Co-Founder Dan Barber
▶ The Mix with Mick Liubinskas · 29 December 2024
Innovating Sustainable Textile Dyes: A Conversation with Newera Bio's Co-Founder Lucie Semenec
▶ First Cheque with Cheryl Mack & Maxine Minter · 18 November 2024
Navigating the Hype Cycles and Early-Stage Deep Tech Investing with Emily
▶ Unfunded with Joan Westenberg · 18 July 2024
Optimising Crop Quality: Steve Scheding on Green Atlas, Automation, and Bootstrapping Success
▶ The Mix with Mick Liubinskas · 29 November 2022
From Food Waste to Climate Solutions: Olympia Yarger and Goterra’s Innovative Approach
▶ The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series · 9 October 2022
Darryl Lyons believes Australia has an opportunity to lead the world in Agri-tech
▶ The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series · 18 September 2022
Dharmica Mistry discusses the distinction between deep tech startups and other startups
▶ The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series · 20 March 2022
Phil Morle explains the struggles that incubators often face
▶ The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series · 20 February 2022
Hamish Hawthorn discusses the evolution of the ecosystem
▶ The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series · 13 February 2022
Sarah Pearson on the importance of cooperation and competition
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