Hyper-efficient solar and thermal paneling, a platform to quicken the home-buying process and software to prevent cyber-attacks are all key innovations to emerge from Curtin Accelerate, a technology commercialisation and acceleration incubator run by Curtin University, that concluded this week.
Five teams developing technology ideas undertook the most recent Curtin Accelerate ten-week program, which offers early-stage support for participating Curtin students, staff members and graduates.
Sunovate, created by entrepreneurs Glen Ryan and Cesira Leigh, is one of the companies to graduate, developing a novel form of solar PV/thermal paneling.
For every 10°C a solar panel heats up, electrical output decreases in efficiency by 5% and Sunovate provides an innovate solution to reduce this effect, while also harnessing the co-generated heat.
Sunovate uses air to cool down the solar panels, extracting the warm air for use in water and space heating.
“We’ve achieved a 300 percent boost in energy output from a typical solar panel, in terms of electrical and thermal output,” Curtin mechanical engineering graduate Glen Ryan said.
“We have figured out a way to harness a lot more of the sun’s energy – Sunovate is so much more than just a solar panel.”
Other companies to emerge from Curtin Accelerate include real estate platform Landguide, which has already become one of the largest land listing portals in Western Australia, BOSSMAMA Online which uses make it easier for women to return to work after parental leave, and PEIMA software which prevents cyber-attacks similar to the attack on the Australian Census website in 2017.
The program provides mentoring, seed funding and access to networks that can assist the growth of these businesses,” Curtin University director of commercialisation Rohan McDougall said.
“It is part of a pipeline of programs to support Curtinnovation and entrepreneurship at Curtin University,” McDougall added.
Curtin Accelerate includes a $5,000 equity-free grant, access to a co-working space, business start-up workshops as well as business development and industry mentoring from specialists in relevant fields.
Five teams participated in the most recent Curtin Accelerate, with more than 20 teams graduating from the program in total over its five-year history.