Eight South Australian startups have been selected for the 2026 Venture Catalyst Space (VCS) accelerator.
The six-month program, delivered by Adelaide University’s Innovation & Collaboration Centre with support from the South Australian Space Industry Centre (SASIC), helps turn breakthrough ideas into globally competitive, space-enabled businesses, offering tailored support, connections, funding and access to university resources.
The VCS program has supported 54 startups and 100 founders since 2018, helping them attract up to $135 million in further investment, now employing more than 300 people globally, with at least 120 based in South Australia.
“Programs like Venture Catalyst Space are giving South Australia’s next generation of space companies the support they need to commercialise ideas and compete on the global stage,” said SASIC Director Space, Campbell Pegg.
Female founders lead nearly half the 2026 cohort.
Adelaide University associate director of business incubation, Craig Jones, said the state was worked had to build on the ambitions of space tech founders.
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“It’s the result of years of investment in the right infrastructure – the connections, the growth pathways, the industry partnerships – that make it possible for founders to build world-class companies without leaving the state,” he said.
The 2026 Venture Catalyst Space accelerator cohort are:
AgMap, which is mapping agricultural research to the farms that need it.
ALTDATA, which is turning space data into AI-powered simulations for faster research in microgravity
EOI Space, which is merging space and ground data to enable decisions for land, water and climate risks
HALO Aerotech, which is enabling the future of logistics and air mobility with next-gen aerial
platforms
OffDev, which is providing software tools for secure offline and air-gapped systems
Rarity, which is bringing space-grade engineering home to deliver materials resilience on
Earth
THE RED PLAN-ET, which is developed sustainable menstrual care – on Earth and in space
Tweaklogic, which is building edge AI solutions designed for space