Our future needs deeptech!

After eleven years of Tech23, people often ask what have we learnt over the years. The answer is lots! For example: 

• The importance of the national focus, rather than any particular state when it comes to propelling our best and brightest forward.
• Connections matter – especially when the pool is quite shallow and wide – the need to find like-minded people to champion, invest, buy, even understand your proposition is paramount.
• It’s not only about the money! The Tech23 Alumni have always rated finding customers as the bigger challenge – especially customers in Australia. 
• The stakes are very high – many of the companies, and lots of our favourites over the years, have not made it.

Most of all we have learnt, if our story is to be green, if it is to be sustainable, if it is to be equitable – we need deeptech. We need the research, the organisations that create and nurture these companies, the founders who lead them, the money that invests in them, the community who believes in them – and oh so importantly, a government that understands and supports all of this. The joy of being at Tech23 every year is to know you are not alone (or mad!) to hold onto this hope!

As we head into 2020, we are planning to rethink Tech23. We have some ideas but would love some help. We will be asking again as we head into the new year but we are very happy for people to give us some food for thought.

Thank you to the 2019 sponsors so much for their support – CSIRO, UNSW Founders, NSW Government, Addisons, AusIndustry, Cicada Innovations, AgriFutures Evoke and The Australian Centre for Business Growth, UniSA Business School.

Thank you to all those who have helped make Tech23 happen in 2019. And on behalf of all those who attend Tech23, a big thanks to the founders of the Tech23 companies for sharing their stories with us over the last eleven years. We wish them every success as they seek to build teams, create value and make an impact towards a better tomorrow.