In 2018, Andrew and Malika Robinson relocated their eco-tech startup, Guardians of the Earth to Cairns through a successful application with the Advance Queensland Hot DesQ program.
“When we first arrived in Cairns, we declared the region would become the "nature technology capital of the world," creating a new economy to which the world would look for solutions to commodifying natural capital including biodiversity, the environment, eco-tourism, eco-education, food security and so forth)”.
Based at the James Cook University Ideas Lab, the couple have found a home in the thriving ecosystem of tech startups across Cairns and Far North Queensland. In 2022 they had the opportunity to attend the Tropical Innovation Festival and were impressed with the quality of speakers, investors, entrepreneurs and innovators.
“They’ve truly accomplished something great. The ripple effects of the Festival will be enormous. It has clearly benefited our venture and will no doubt increase the economic opportunities of the region”.
As part of the Tropical Innovation Festival, Andrew and Malika had the chance to meet government officials, including representatives from the Office of the Queensland Chief Scientist. This was an opportunity to discuss developments of Questagame and other Guardians of the Earth products to align with government strategy, both at the state level and the Cairns regional level.
“We were delighted to also meet with investors from across Australia, grow our network and form new partnerships. We met with (and may form a partnership with) a syndicate operator who proposed an innovative investment vehicle to combine equity (web 2.0) and token (web 3.0) investments. A deal like this could increase our investment by over $10M”.
“We had a chance to meet with Indigenous leaders and entrepreneurs, which contributes to our core Indigenous knowledge systems approach to technology development, as well as to the annual Indigenous Datathon program we help support”.
During the Festival, they had a chance to meet with five nature technology companies and learn about their businesses.
“We now plan to invest over $10M in such companies over the next 1-2 years, so it was extremely valuable to get to know the founders and learn about their technologies, business models, and growth strategies. A couple of them are participating in the Launch FNQ program, which will allow us to track and contribute to their progress”.
“I have no doubt we wouldn't have enjoyed the success we have today without the Festival and the amazing people behind it. The entire organisation team at LaunchY(e)P, as well as its sponsors and supporters, should be commended for this world-class one-of-a-kind event. Thank you once again for all your hard work.”
Read more about Guardians of the Earth and their mission to save the Earth through innovative technology.
Tropical Innovation Festival returns to Cairns from 17-21 June 2024. Advance Queensland are supporting 40 eligible Queensland innovators, ecosystem enablers and entrepreneurs to attend the event.
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