Australia's promising tech innovators shine at the 2025 ATC Finals
- ATC Team
- Sep 18
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 23
The curtain came down at the Australian Technologies Competition (ATC) Finals on September 17, where the evening showcased the nation’s accelerating tech innovators with the potential to scale globally.
The Awards Night brought together close to 250 guests, an incredible turnout of supporters that highlights the growing momentum of Australia’s tech landscape. It created a vibrant stage for entrepreneurs, ecosystem partners and investors to connect, collaborate, and applaud the collective achievements of the tech community.
This year’s competition drew 229 applicants, underscoring the depth and diversity of Australia’s tech sector. A rigorous selection process narrowed entries down to 62 semi-finalists, followed by a shortlisting of 37 finalists across 13 industry categories – from clean energy to medtech and pharma to global social impact and more. It was no easy feat for our judges!
During the five-month program, these emerging businesses underwent two rounds of judging, participated in growth masterclasses, received personalised mentoring, and developed strategic business plans to help hone their growth strategies and scale their ventures faster and stronger.
The competition was fierce, with standout finalists demonstrating everything from strong market traction and international reach to groundbreaking technology. Companies like Roam Technologies, offering transformative respiratory care solutions, Senquip, displaying a proven global footprint, and Ovum AI, a women’s health startup tackling unmet needs with clarity and purpose, showcased the calibre of innovation driving Australia’s tech future.
As we close out another successful year of the ATC, we extend a massive thanks to all participants, judges, mentors, sponsors, and partners who have contributed to the program's success and made this competition possible.
And with that, we are thrilled to congratulate the ATC category winners for 2025.
2025 Australian Technologies Competition Award Winners
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
Novalith Technologies
Novalith is an Australian CleanTech company revolutionising lithium refining with a low-cost, low-impact process. It's technology dramatically reduces emissions, water use, and chemical waste, enabling a more sustainable, scalable supply of battery-grade lithium for the energy transition.
BEST REGIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Senquip Pty Ltd
Senquip is an Australian manufacturer of rugged, user-programmable telemetry devices that connect to virtually any system or sensor and deliver data securely to the Senquip Portal or a server of choice.
Founded in 2018 in the Hunter Valley, NSW, Senquip was created to fill a gap in the market for reliable, well-integrated monitoring of off-highway equipment such as lighting towers, pumps, and generators.
All Senquip products are proudly designed and manufactured in Australia. Customers around the world rely on their technology to improve safety, efficiency, and sustainability. True to our mantra, we are “Made in the Hunter for the World.”
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Locatrix
Locatrix is the trusted partner in digital mapping and safety innovation, transforming complex indoor environments into navigable, intelligent spaces. It does this by helping organisations confidently manage indoor paces through dynamic maps, safety plans and real time navigation, so people can feel secure, informed and in control.
CLEAN ENERGY & CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Rux Energy
Rux Energy is reinventing hydrogen storage to solve the key barriers to widespread hydrogen adoption, enabling a hydrogen future for maritime, rail, aviation, and heavy transport. Rux Energy is developing patented nanoporous materials to enhance hydrogen storage density and safety, offering cost-effective, high performance solutions of bulk hydrogen storage.
CYBER SECURITY
Apollo Secure
Apollo Secure is an agentic cyber compliance platform for growing teams to dramatically accelerate complex tasks such as completing security questionnaires and achieving certifications like ISO 27001 and SOC 2 without the headache.
DEEPTECH
Orbit2Orbit
Orbit2Orbit is building the world’s first reusable, modular station-to-station logistics network in orbit. Headquartered on the Gold Coast, the company is developing the infrastructure to keep science and cargo flowing between the new generation of space stations. By combining lean Australian innovation with global ambition, Orbit2Orbit is positioning itself as a backbone for the orbital economy.
FEMALE FOUNDER LED START-UP
Ovum AI
Ovum is a Melbourne‑based women’s health startup founded by Dr. Ariella Heffernan‑Marks that leverages AI to empower women to better understand and manage their bodies. The app uses an engine called the Ovum Brain to analyse health history, symptoms, lifestyle and biomarkers to generate personalised insights, long‑term trends and health summaries designed to improve conversations with healthcare providers.
FINTECH & REGTECH
Karia
Karia is transforming novated leasing for providers ranging from SMEs to ASX-listed enterprises, long constrained by a fragmented legacy platform. Our real-time system unifies sales, fleet management, banking, and FBT compliance - embedding finance, mobile apps, and virtual cards to cut admin workload and let providers focus on delivering a seamless, driver-first novated lease experience.
GLOBAL SOCIAL IMPACT
Understanding Zoe
Understanding Zoe is the first AI-powered application revolutionising neurodivergent care. It makes support and communication faster, more accurate, and more accessible. By seamlessly connecting parents, schools, and healthcare providers, Understanding Zoe ensures every child receives the support they need while actively addressing ableist biases in AI. The platform was built to simplify the process for families, ensuring neurodivergent children receive continuous, high-quality support without the stress.
MEDTECH & PHARMA
Roam Technologies
Roam Technologies is revolutionising respiratory care with JUNO, a tankless, portable oxygen device that gives patients freedom and mobility. JUNO bridges the gap between clinical oxygen and everyday life, helping people breathe easier and live more independently.
PRE-REVENUE TECHNOLOGY
Dovetail Electric Aviation
Dovetail Electric Aviation is a deep-tech aviation startup committed to the electrification of regional aircraft. The company’s mission is to convert legacy aircraft into electric using batteries & range extension technology with the aim of reducing the cost and environmental footprint of flying, especially for small regional operators, where electrification can have the most immediate and meaningful impact. Dovetail’s key technologies are the first immersion battery system ever for aviation, DovePack™, its own Electric Propulsion system, DovePower, and a proprietary range extender integration. Dovetail’s business model relies on the industrial conversion of existing aircraft with its proprietary technologies, but also the separate commercialisation of them to OEMs.
WATER, FOOD & AGRIBUSINESS
Drone-Hand Pty Ltd
Drone-Hand is transforming global livestock management with machine-learning powered autonomous drones and fixed-camera systems that deliver instant, on-the-ground insights on animal health, count, location, water, fences, and pasture.
By replacing risky, time-consuming manual checks with fast, scalable automation, Drone-Hand helps producers cut costs, improve animal welfare, and build climate resilience.
With successful trials across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US, partnerships with leading agribusinesses, and patent-pending technology, Drone-Hand is poised to redefine how the world manages livestock at scale.
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT WINNER
Invertigro
This is a company on a mission to 'feed the world the smarter way'. Their innovative plug-and-play indoor growing solutions combine unique hardware, with proprietary software - including AI and machine learning; along with a comprehensive suite of supporting services to enable businesses to efficiently, reliably, sustainably and profitably grow more, with less. Their farming systems are capable of growing a wide range of crops for food, fodder, pharma and forestry; anywhere, anytime and at any scale.
Since winning the ATC award for Supply Chain Resilience in 2022, they have sold, delivered and installed 9 new customer farms in Australia and overseas - with a 10th to follow in Darwin in the coming months - and many more in the pipeline still to follow.
As they continue to shoot for the stars, they have also been selected to partner on the Federal Grant Funded 'Australian Lunar Experiment Promoting Horticulture' project, in their quest to grow produce on the moon.
OVERALL AUSTRALIAN TECHNOLOGY COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Ovum AI
Ovum is the first AI health partner for women across their lifespan. From integrating medical reports, biometric data from wearables, pregnancy and cycle tracking, alongside symptoms, health goals, medication and appointment tracking. Ovum combines this data and creates a longitudinal memory of her health journey to provide personalised health and wellness plans and to give women a tool to understand and advocate for their bodies, leading to improved engagement with health providers.
Congratulations to the winners, and a huge thanks to everyone who joined us in celebrating the future of Australian technology and who took part in this year's competition.
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Image credit: Ryan Chenoweth
About the Australian Technologies Competition
Celebrating 15 years of championing Australia’s top tech talent, the Australian Technologies Competition continues to be the nation’s premier growth and awards program for technology SMEs and scale-ups. With a spotlight on innovation with global impact, the ATC offers successful entrants a gateway to invaluable connections with investors, mentors, and industry leaders.
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