Start-up Zone & Pitch Fest

Listen to Smart Energy industry start-ups get their ideas off the ground at the pitchfest 13:30-15:00 on day two in the Micro Theatre.

Each pitch is for 5 minutes and the judges will assess the pitches for criteria of 

• Problem & Solution (what's your point of difference?)
• Market Opportunity
• Business Model, Traction, Go-to-Market (how does your startup run?)
• Ask (what do you need next?

Diagno Energy is an Australian clean-tech company delivering AI-driven operational intelligence for renewable energy assets. Our platform integrates across inverters, monitoring systems, and IoT devices to provide a unified view of performance, enabling asset owners, councils, and service providers to detect faults, optimise output, and extend system lifespan.  Through initiatives like the Solar Health Check Program across Sydney councils, Diagno is pioneering scalable approaches to maintaining distributed solar fleets, turning fragmented data into actionable insights. By bridging the gap between hardware and intelligent software, Diagno empowers the transition from reactive maintenance to proactive, data-driven energy management.

Australian Flow Batteries (AFB) is an Australian clean-energy company developing long-duration energy storage solutions based on vanadium redox flow battery (VFB) technology. Headquartered in Western Australia, AFB is building a vertically integrated “pit-to-battery” platform, spanning vanadium processing, electrolyte production and battery deployment. Leveraging proprietary low-energy hydrometallurgical processing, AFB aims to deliver lower-cost, domestically sourced vanadium electrolyte, addressing a key barrier to VFB adoption. With an active project pipeline and participation in large-scale initiatives such as the Kalgoorlie VBESS, AFB is positioned to become a leading provider of safe, long-life energy storage infrastructure in Australia and beyond.

Energy Diversions is an Australian energy storage startup developing long-duration storage by repurposing decommissioned mine voids. Its patented hybrid system combines buoyancy, compressed air, and gravity to store excess renewable energy and return it on demand with fast response, long asset life, and no battery degradation. The company’s mission is to make renewable energy more reliable while turning legacy mining infrastructure into valuable clean-energy assets hub.

Our mission at Air2Energy is to make decarbonisation profitable. Fossil fuels are still vital for our modern world but are dirty and expensive. We are developing a system that is retrofitted onto the exhaust of industrial gas boiler systems. Instead of allowing CO₂ to escape into the atmosphere, our system filters it and utilises it to produce usable electricity. The result: lower CO₂ emissions, lower power bills, and a clear pathway to compliance for commercial building operators. We have developed a prototype proving the science behind the technology, are filing our provisional patent, and are currently taking part in  CSIRO ON Accelerate.

Smartizer is an Australian clean energy startup focused on unlocking access to energy storage for renters and apartment dwellers. Its platform combines modular plug-and-play batteries with an AI-driven optimisation system to reduce electricity costs and improve energy efficiency. By enabling energy arbitrage, load control, and future integration with EV charging, Smartizer is building a new category of distributed energy solutions designed for accessibility, portability, and fast payback.

Aspect Labs is an Australian deep-tech startup reimagining what a hybrid inverter can be. Born from a blank sheet and a bold vision, the Aspect Labs founding team — drawing on over 85 years of combined expertise in power electronics, automotive, and telecommunications — set out to build a smarter, more scalable energy platform from the ground up. The result is the AE400: a modular, rack-mounted hybrid inverter system that integrates seamlessly with high-voltage lithium battery packs — the same trusted architecture used in electric vehicles. Unlike conventional inverters, the AE400 is built around six configurable module slots, allowing any combination of 4 kW inverter (P4) or solar (I4) modules. Systems can scale from a single box delivering up to 24 kW, all the way to megawatt-class deployments — with no complex reengineering, just a simple plug-in expansion. Designed and manufactured in Australia, the AE400 is built for the country's harshest environments and most demanding energy challenges — from remote off-grid homesteads and agricultural infrastructure, to commercial, industrial, and utility-scale applications. Proprietary technologies including PulseLink (high-speed multi-module coordination) and Sure-Trip (superior fault-clearing capability) set the AE400 apart in both intelligence and safety. Aspect Labs is on a mission to export not just world-class hardware, but Australian engineering ingenuity — proving that transformative clean energy technology can, and should, be made here. Power that grows with you.

Allegro Energy is an Australian deep-tech company commercialising the Microemulsion Flow Battery, a patented water-based energy storage system delivering 4 to 24+ hours of continuous discharge with zero fire risk, no rare earth minerals, and the lowest levelised cost of storage at scale.

T-Power is an Australian leader in high-performance electric vehicle charging and energy storage solutions. Specializing in the "total solution" approach, T-Power bridges the gap between advanced hardware and grid compliance. Their flagship G22 22kW V2G Bidirectional Charger is at the forefront of the V2G movement, offering seamless energy interaction between EVs, homes, and the grid (V2G/V2H/V2B). With a focus on technical excellence and Australian standards, T-Power provides the infrastructure necessary to transform EVs into mobile energy assets for fleets, residential developers, and VPP operators.

DroxQ is an engineering project management and document control platform built for EPC firms and engineering consultancies. It unifies project delivery, transmittals, drawing registers, RFIs, and revision-controlled documentation in one modern workspace. Built by engineers who've lived the pain of coordinating multi-discipline projects, DroxQ is designed for the way engineering teams actually work in 2026.

Esave.AI is an AI-powered energy optimization platform helping commercial buildings reduce energy costs and accelerate decarbonisation—without any hardware changes. By seamlessly integrating with existing Building Management Systems (BMS), Esave delivers real-time insights, intelligent recommendations, and automated optimization to unlock hidden efficiencies.  Our platform combines three core capabilities: seamless data connection, advanced analytics, and AI-driven optimization—enabling businesses to achieve up to 10x ROI, with measurable savings visible within days. Designed for speed and scalability, Esave.AI can be deployed in under a week, making energy efficiency accessible, actionable, and cost-effective.  With energy prices rising and sustainability targets tightening, Esave.AI empowers organizations to turn energy from a fixed cost into a strategic advantage.