Shutting down, then starting again, why science discoveries matter, CSIRO's startup triumph

Ammonia is the second most-produced chemical on the planet and without it, we wouldn't be able to feed the world. But making it has been energy intense - until an accidental scientific discovery at the University of Newcastle created the potential for a more environmentally friendly way to produce it. That discovery is a new startup, Facet Amtech, and cofounder James Bradley joined Startup 360 this week to explain how it works and talk about life as a second-time deep tech founder Ammonia is normally produced a high temperatures under high pressures, but when a materials science was sawing samples in half to examine them, he noticed a smell. It was ammonia, created at room temperature just with water and ambient air. Scaling up that discovery is the goal of Facet Amtech, which recently completed CSIRO's annual ON accelerator program, which helps scientists turn research into commercial ideas. Facet Amtech is also one of 23 startups chosen for Tech 23, the annul deep tech showcase by Cicada Innovations. Bradley, who's been entrepreneur-in-residence at Newcastle Uni's startup hub, I2N, previously founded a climate tech hub he was forced to close because of Covid-induced supply chain problems and talked about the lessons from that and getting back in the saddle with a new idea, as well as a family with three kids. Cohosts Simon Thomsen and Majella Campbell also talked about Kiwi accomodation startup Kiki's move to London after being forced to shut down in New York, and fellow Aotearoa agtech scaleup Halter's $155 million Series D, and the NSW budget for startups, with Simon arguing the $80 million worth of announcements isn't nearly enough. Also joining us for 10x, the rapid fire questions, is Tennille Eyre, head of CSIRO’s ON Innovation Program, to talk about the importance of science and what hanging out with super smart people as they develop ideas that can transform the world is really like. Startup 360 is more founder fund than founder mode. It's all about finding out what makes people tick and staying human. Subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and don't forget to read StartupDaily.net for all the ANZ tech news for free! This episode of Startup 360 is supported by Vanta, helping startups unlock market opportunities through automated compliance.