In 2021, we welcomed our first season of Protostars. And now, four years later we welcome our tenth. In that time, our community has grown from a village of 27 to 323. Some of our earliest Protostars have started communities, built movements, and created meaningful and groundbreaking art. We are cooking up some big things for the future of Protostars, and we’re only just beginning. We're stoked to introduce you to our newest Protostars – these are their passion projects today, but what could they become tomorrow?
Keep reading to learn more about the people and projects we’re funding this season!
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STEM Projects
Hardware | Christopher Jackson is building a low-cost water monitoring sensor and telemetry unit to help rural communities in Timor-Leste manage spring-sourced water systems more sustainably. By the end of the program, Christopher is aiming to create a final prototype and gather results from the sensor’s integration into a water system in Timor-Leste.
Software | Sophie Bi is building TheraPact, an accountability app that connects therapists and families to improve speech therapy home practice through social motivation and progress tracking. By the end of the program, Sophie aims to have built a minimum viable product, tested with 7 families, showing 75% improved consistency.
Software | Tarnik Thanachitsiri is a first-year university student building and analysing quantitative finance strategies using Python and historical stock data to evaluate returns, risk, and consistency in real-world markets. He’s creating this due to a lack of quantitative trading internship opportunities in their city.
Hardware | Sydney Bentley is building Next Paws Innovations – a startup that creates smart myoelectric prosthetics to restore natural movement in amputee pets and wildlife through advanced 3D-printed designs. By the end of the program, Sydney aims to have a working prosthetic prototype.
Hardware | Premjai Vongvises is creating DNA-based nanobots using DNA origami to deliver drugs precisely, aiming to revolutionise medicine with safer, targeted treatments for health challenges.
Hardware | Rowan Campbell is creating climate-resilient cooking oil from Australian-grown algae, offering a sustainable, healthy alternative to seed oils with minimal land and water use. By August, Rowan aims to have produced the first bottle of Aussie-grown algae cooking oil.
Hardware | Melody Wu and Aaron Chan are building a compact robot using computer vision and robotics to automate medication packing in small pharmacies, improving efficiency and reducing repetitive tasks.
Hardware | Jayden Hann is creating Hanns Free Gates – a low-cost automatic gate opener that lets farmers drive through gates without leaving their vehicle, improving farm efficiency and convenience.
Software | Saman Yavari is building Sharehub, a peer-to-peer rental platform helping students earn by sharing items, promoting sustainability and reducing overconsumption.
Software | Jussi Djachenko is building Magic Lamp, an AI assistant that reads medical reports, highlights urgent issues, and integrates into workflows to save doctors time and reduce stress. By the end of the program, Jussi aims to showcase a fully functional MVP.
Software | Smriti Bangera is creating an AI diagnostic support tool to help clinicians detect overlooked conditions, reduce bias, and improve women’s health diagnosis accuracy and speed.
Hardware | Steven van Deursen and Luis Lippert co-founded Algeåe, a skincare startup turning invasive lake algae into luxury face cream, combining marine restoration with sustainable, regenerative beauty products.
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