Taronga Ventures’ ESG Impact Innovation program has unearthed promising new talent in the tech and innovation space for the built environment, our natural systems and social impact outcomes.
The 2022 program, showcased in an event in Sydney earlier this year, focused on 12 technology companies working on forward-thinking solutions to enhance ESG (environmental, social and governance) outcomes. The diversity of projects spans renewable technologies, urban biodiversity, software development, and even hungry flies.
Supporters are companies that stand to directly benefit from the inventions. They include APG, CapitaLand, CBRE, Dexus, International Towers, ISPT, Ivanhoé Cambridge, PGIM Real Estate and Vicinity Centres.
One of the innovators is Melbourne based organisation, Bardee, which has tapped into the transformative abilities of a particular fly to create high-grade fertilisers and animal feed, while keeping organic waste out of landfills.
In an innovative process where flies are at the heart of the food producing engine, with food waste collected and fed into a vertical farm full of black soldier fly larvae. As the larvae consume the feedstock, they produce castings which are no longer waste, but a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser, alive with 240 million microbes per gram.
The larvae themselves are then processed into a high-protein food product for animals, creating two sustainable agriculture products thanks to the power of insects and technology.
In a video showcasing the process Phoebe Gardner, chief executive and co-founder said, “We’re working to see the world food system transformed so that all organic waste is circular, feeding back into the food production system for the benefit of the environment and the communities.”
On the ever-popular topic of battery storage, a small square shipping container offered a glimpse of bigger changes for the construction industry on the horizon.
With most sites powered by polluting and dangerous diesel generators, an advanced and compact battery storage system known as the Amped Entertainer has promised to eliminate 150 tonnes of CO2 a year, the equivalent air pollution of 200 cars.
The fully automated, wifi-connected and self managing system is fire-proof and comprises more than 30 thousand automotive grade battery cells, with hardware and software specific to the high power demands of the industry.
In a recent construction project by Transport for NSW, five diesel on site generators, emitting 270 tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year, were replaced with the Entertainer. The result was CO2 emissions reduced by 89 per cent, saving the project $145,000, the innovators claimed.
Brandon Ng, co-founder and CEO of the company said in a video showcasing the smart device, “We envision a future where construction is completely electrified and where the Enertainer provides power to all the massive machines such as cranes, excavators, hoists, piling rigs ultimately allowing the construction sector to completely eliminate carbon footprint from the operations.”
BindiMaps, from shopping centre giant Vicinity Centres, seeks to assist vision impaired people and people with disabilities to find their way around a centre. A trial location was at Oakleigh Central in Victoria, Australia. But the technology is useful for people of all abilities enabling them to use intuitive audio and text or map directions, with step-by-step instructions leading to particular destinations.
Yet another innovation was Alvéole that’s active in the US and Canada for now, is an urban beekeeping company installs “hotels” for wild bees that track and boosts biodiversity, while engaging tenants in the program.
The 12 companies in Taronga Ventures’ ESG Impact innovation program for 2022 are:
- Alvéole – Urban beehives to track and boost biodiversity and engage occupants
- Ampd Energy – Industrial scale batteries to replace diesel generators on construction sites
- Bardee – Organic waste management solution using insects to create agricultural products
- BindiMaps – Accessible wayfinding solution for people with disabilities
- CarbonCure – CO? usage technology to reduce the carbon intensity of concrete production
- Globechain – Construction and fitout waste marketplace connecting corporates with NGOs
- Measurabl – ESG reporting software for commercial real estate
- One Concern – Software platform to model climate risks and improve asset resilience
- SiteHive – Real-time environmental monitoring and management on construction sites
- Social Value Portal – Social value measurement, management and reporting software platform
- uHoo – Indoor air quality monitoring and management with easy to deploy sensors
- WiredScore – Global standard for digital connectivity and smart buildings