Last week, the Resources Technology and Critical Minerals (RTCM) Trailblazer celebrated the 2025 National Energy Transition Accelerator (NETA) Demo Night, bringing together founders, researchers and industry partners to showcase the future of clean energy innovation.

The event marked the culmination of an eight-week journey, where founders from eight deep tech ‘protoventures’ (a pre-company structure designed to transition a research team from a technically focused research project to developing a beta version of a product or service), developed and refined their research-led solutions for a more sustainable energy future.

The eight teams who have been selected for this year’s program are:

• AZ Synergy – Founder: Nai Shi, Curtin University
  A pioneering Solid-State Iron-Air Battery (SSIAB) that offers a safe, cost-effective, and high-energy-density storage solution using iron oxide instead of lithium as its core component.
• BATSafe Australia – Founder: Hamid Ilbeygi, Deakin University
  The team have developed a solution that empowers councils, emergency services, and importers to ensure battery safety before deployment using a Digital Battery Safety Passport (DBSP), a blockchain-secured compliance and lifecycle data tracking platform.
• CLEVER-CO2 – Founder: Zehua Wang, Curtin University
  This team have combined two chemical processes – Co2 reduction and chlorine production – into a single electrochemical system that produces two high-value industrial gases used in PVC production with less cost and energy requirements.
• FERMKELP – Founder: Sufia Hena, Curtin University
  FERMKELP transforms beach-cast seaweed into bioethanol through microbial hydrolysis and fermentation, offering a marine-based alternative to land-intensive biofuels.
• HydroCycle Energy Solutions – Founder: Hussein Znad, Curtin University
  Designed for off-grid use, HydroCycle offers a decentralised solution to decarbonise remote infrastructure empowering regional and Indigenous communities to turn local waste into clean energy.
• NeoTerra – Founder: Faz Ikram Bin Dzulkifly, Curtin University
  Already in use in real-world pilot projects, NeoTerra helps public and private sector customers demonstrate the financial viability and compliance status of energy-positive, walkable, and low-carbon developments.
• Turquoise Iron – Founder: Eugenia Benchimol Xavier Phegan, Curtin University
  A novel process to upgrade low-grade iron ore using methane which also produces a clean hydrogen byproduct. This breakthrough could help mining companies process resources more efficiently while reducing carbon emissions.
• Unpollute – Founder: Tony Pfaff, Curtin University
  A sustainable biomining startup using fungi to extract valuable metals from mine waste. By replacing chemical leaching with natural microbial processes, this approach transforms toxic tailings into revenue-generating resources offering a cleaner, greener path for mine site remediation and resource recovery.

Congratulations to the Curtin staff selected for this year’s program and thank you to Trailblazer Director Rohan McDougall, Entrepreneurship Programs Manager Ben Sandhu and all involved in its success. Learn more in the RTCM Trailblazer’s news article.