The themes contained within Cicada x Tech23 are a reflection of Australia’s deep tech pipeline, its trends and its outlook. Many Australian deep tech founders possess the ingenuity to disrupt traditional industries, thus diversifying the economy, improving quality of life and enhancing sovereign capability.
There is value in waste, the same way that there is energy in the ocean and water in the air. This article explores the Re-sourcing the World theme at Cicada x Tech23 2026, which showcases a range of deep tech ventures looking to do things differently with the resources we possess.
Secure your seat to Cicada x Tech23 2026 here.
Re-sourcing the World
In the 11th century, the Nahuas made their homes in the Valley of Mexico, the same location as modern day Mexico City. Beneath Lake Xochimilco is an abundance of nutrient-rich mud which helped the Nahuas create the long and skinny floating crops, dubbed chinampas.
Chinampas consist of a bed of woven reeds stacked with decaying vegetable matter and lake sediment. They’re irrigated by surrounding water and anchored by willow trees at each corner. The crops can yield up to seven harvests a year, and were adopted by the Aztecs at scale when they founded Tenochtitlan in the same area two centuries later.
The use of sediment and waste to nurture crops speaks to the ingenuity of humanity. The ventures that feature within the Re-sourcing the World theme at Cicada x Tech23 have the ability to reshape to revitalise key industries for which the world is reliant upon today, in a manner not too dissimilar to the Nahuas and Aztecs.
ALBON treats wastewater from agricultural and food processing facilities with a cost effective, low-energy algae and bacteria system. Removing excess nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural wastewater, ALBON’s tech sustainably converts wastewater into bio-fertiliser that can be returned to agriculture, transforming agricultural waste into cleaner water and healthier ecosystems.
Clean&Recover cleans acid mine drainage to recover valuable metals and sulphates, while producing clean, reusable water that could rid the world from acid mine contamination. This occurs through a process called electrodialysis, that drives the sulphate out of the drainage. It results in a reusable water supply and a readymade supply chain of valuable materials for mines.
Blue Carbon transforms ocean energy into essential services using autonomous ocean infrastructure to provide abundant water, food and environmental resilience for every coastal community. The company’s wave-powered oPods deliver freshwater, support food production and restore marine ecosystems without external power, fuel, or chemicals and at a fraction of the cost and environmental impact of conventional infrastructure.
Gega Elements refines gallium so the world never runs out of AI. Its cost-competitive, sustainable refining technology works to recover gallium from Australian mining waste at a cost that is seven times lower than conventional methods, turning the land down under into a critical minerals powerhouse.
Hydro Harvester creates water from the air, for anyone, anywhere. Specifically tuned for hot, dry, low humidity environments, Hydro Harvester does not rely on any water – ensuring reliable and sustainable water supply for communities, farms and industries regardless of drought, water scarcity or location.
Cicada x Tech23 offers a glimpse into the future being created by Australian innovators.
To secure your seat at Australia's biggest deep tech festival, click here.