Melbourne robotic parcel sorting startup Nexobot has won the inaugural Propel-AIR accelerator competition, earning its founder Dominic Lindsay a residency at MassRobotics, a global robotics hub in Boston.
Nexobot is developing a low cost parcel sorting solution for smaller regional facilities to automate the organisation of individual packages using lightweigh robots and table systems.
“I have spent the last decade contributing to supply chains and realised we needed to build automation available to thousands of small-to-medium Australian businesses without the capital or skills to deploy current market offerings,” Mr Lindsay said.
The Melbourne startup reportedly raised $400,000 in pre-seed funding last year, with Skalata and Antler among investors.
Its solution is targeted at smaller warehouse operations where traditional automation systems are cost prohibitive and often require multi-year contractual commitments.
Nexobot’s residency at MassRobotics offers a chance to connect with other robotics firms, investors and leading universities in and around Boston, considered one of the global hubs of automation.
The company edged out underwater robot developer Seascape Autonomy. Founded by University of Sydney professor Stefan Williams and Dr Jackson Shields, Seascape is developing underwater robots cable of capturing detailed ocean floor imagery.
The two startups stood out in the first ever Propel-AIR accelerator delivered by the ARM Hub tech centre in Brisbane and supported by NVIDIA, MassRobotics and the federal Industry department.
“Innovation is one of Australia’s greatest strengths. Programs like this help showcase how we can harness our tremendous robotics and AI know-how to drive our national productivity, and I congratulate the winner and all the finalists,” Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy Andrew Charlton said.
“From helping businesses in regional Australia to understanding more about the world around us, backing this kind of cutting-edge AI and robotics helps us create more opportunities for Australians and our economy to grow.”
ARM Hub founder and CEO Professor Cori Stewart said the Propel-AIR accelerator fits in with the government’s innovation agenda.
“This program captures the essence of Future Made in Australia —ensuring that the economic value of Australian innovation is developed here in Australia and scaled for a global market,” she said.
“By supporting robotics companies like Nexobot and Seascape Autonomy, we’re building the nation’s industrial capability, creating skilled jobs, and securing Australia’s place in valuable global supply chains.”
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