Meet the Innovators: Six Purpose-Driven Ventures Shaping a Regenerative Future

How might we address some of the globe’s most pressing environmental and conservation challenges?

Hatch: Taronga Accelerator Program continues to inspire, support and launch innovative ideas and actions designed to address the most urgent environmental and conservation challenges facing our planet.

2025 marks the fifth year of Hatch, and this year the program embraced a dynamic blend of in-person and online learning. Six of Australia’s most promising emerging impact-led initiatives were selected, with Impact Boom proudly delivering the program alongside Taronga. Once again, the founders’ passion, creativity and commitment to environmental impact set an incredibly high bar.

Together with Taronga Conservation Society Australia, we’re delighted to share some of the outcomes and achievements from this year’s dedicated participants.

On June 25th, 2025, we gathered at Taronga Zoo Sydney for the annual Showcase, joined by viewers tuning in from across the country. Below, you’ll find the initiatives that pitched on the night and we encourage you to connect with the founders, support their work and champion their continued growth.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to the entire Taronga Conservation Society Australia team, as well as the generous mentors, presenters and partners whose expertise and encouragement make Hatch possible. Their support, optimism and dedication enable a program of this calibre to thrive.

Keep an eye on these inspiring initiatives as they refine their ideas, strengthen their impact and continue their journey as environmental changemakers.

WATCH THE PITCHES FROM HATCH 2025 PARTICIPANTS AND LEARN SOME OF THE KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE PROGRAM Leads.

[Tom Allen] - Can you tell us more about the Hatch: Taronga Accelerator Program and why Taronga continues to invest in this work?

Program Coordinator – [Garrick Transell] – Hatch was created to accelerate the mission of Taronga: To secure a shared future for wildlife and people. While many accelerator programs exist, Hatch is the only dedicated conservation and biodiversity focussed accelerator in Australia.

The 14-week program supports founders to take their big ideas, and turn them into real-world impact. Hatch blends innovation, collaboration and community, while nurturing each founder’s deep connection to the natural world. It is designed to accelerate the changemaker journey and help brilliant ideas for the planet take flight.

Taronga believes innovation is essential to securing a shared future for people and wildlife. This year’s founders came from diverse professional backgrounds, each applying their unique experience to environmental challenges in new, thoughtful and creative ways.

What have some of the key outcomes been?

This year’s hybrid delivery model created an exceptionally supportive, energising environment. The 2025 cohort formed strong, lasting connections early in the program, with several teams already exploring opportunities to collaborate. A central aim of Hatch is to connect environmental innovators so they do not have to walk their journey alone—and it was inspiring to see this in action.

Throughout the program, we delivered more than 40 hours of structured learning, while our incredible mentors contributed over 100 hours of pro bono guidance. Their generosity, insight and encouragement remain foundational to Hatch’s success.

The program concluded with pitches to an esteemed judging panel at the 2025 Hatch Showcase at Taronga Zoo. The standard was exceptionally high, making the final decision extremely challenging. Ultimately, Owls Eat Rats, founded by Alastair Duncan, was awarded the 2025 Hatch Grant of $50,000.

Owls Eat Rats (Hatch Winner)

Owls Eat Rats takes a landscape-level approach to strengthening Barn Owl populations across agricultural regions, providing farmers with a natural, long-term rodent-control solution.

Rather than aiming to eliminate rodenticides immediately, the initiative supports farmers gradually transitioning toward healthier, more sustainable farming ecosystems. The judges praised the initiative for its practical scalability, strong conservation grounding and its potential to meaningfully reduce chemical inputs across Australia’s food system.

Founder: Alistair Duncan

Albon – winner of the LG Life’s Good Award

Albon tackles water pollution, carbon emissions and soil degradation through its modular photobioreactor (PBR) system, which converts industrial and agricultural waste into valuable resources.

Using microalgae, the system can remove up to 90% of nitrogen and 80% of phosphorus from wastewater—preventing harmful algal blooms, protecting aquatic ecosystems and reducing the environmental burden of intensive industries. Albon’s technology provides a scalable, nature-based solution that transforms waste streams into circular, regenerative opportunities for agriculture and industry.

Founders: John Phipps and Tom Bessell

Reusably – Winner of the People’s Choice Award

Reusably is building the software infrastructure needed to make reusable packaging the norm—not the exception.

Their platform simplifies the management of reusable containers, empowering businesses, consumers and whole communities to shift away from single-use packaging. With real-time insights, tracking systems and operational efficiencies, Reusably enables a seamless, cost-effective transition to circular packaging systems at scale.

Founders: Matt Bowie and Mary Kelly

Beyond Best Before

Beyond Best Before is reshaping the way Australians think about food waste by opening the nation’s first dedicated short-dated pantry store.

By rescuing perfectly good food that would otherwise end up in landfill, the initiative makes premium brands more affordable while significantly reducing edible food waste. Their mission is simple but powerful: great food shouldn’t be thrown away. Every purchase helps divert high-quality products from landfill and supports a more sustainable, circular food system.
Rescuing today, preserving tomorrow.

Founder: Maggie Quach

Sustainable Floristry Network

Sustainable Floristry Network is transforming the floristry industry from the inside out through evidence-based sustainability training.

Their programs help florists, educators and floral businesses understand the environmental impacts of conventional floristry—such as waste, plastics, biodiversity loss and chemical use—then identify practical, nature-positive alternatives. Students learn how to use their businesses as vehicles for environmental regeneration, shaping a floristry sector that supports, rather than harms, the natural world.

Founder: Rita Feldmann, with support from Ginger Briggs and Sandy Coull

Win For Nature

Win for Nature asks a powerful question: What if helping the planet could help you too?

Through a subscription model, members unlock exclusive discounts with partner businesses and go into the draw to win major sustainable prizes—such as electric vehicles, high-energy-rated homes and cash. All subscription funds are then pooled to purchase land for ecological restoration. It’s a bold new model for environmental action: rewarding individuals while directly regenerating Australian landscapes. Quite simply, it’s a win for you and a win for nature.

Founder: Josh Pilalis

This year’s cohort displayed remarkable resilience, creativity and commitment, and their ongoing impact as Hatch alumni is something we look forward to supporting.

It has also been inspiring to see continued growth among previous Hatch cohorts, many of whom returned this year to mentor, advise and connect with new founders. Their achievements reinforce the strength and generosity of the Hatch community.

As the Program Leads, what's one of the main learnings you'd apply to future programs?

A consistent learning for us is the power of relationships and collaboration. Whether delivering an accelerator or building a new venture, progress is rarely made alone. Our founders are passionate, capable and driven, but together, they go further. We are profoundly grateful for the support of the Hatch community, including Impact Boom, mentors, alumni and ecosystem partners.

Another learning is the importance of clearly articulating and measuring our impact. As biodiversity innovation becomes increasingly recognised across Australia, Hatch must continue demonstrating its unique position and the tangible environmental and social outcomes emerging from the program.

What advice would you give to other organisations seeking to provide this type of support?

Our strongest advice is to identify your organisation’s distinctive strengths, then build partnerships that complement them. The innovation ecosystem in Australia is incredibly generous and collaborative - leaning into that community accelerates collective progress.

It’s also vital to remain adaptable. Listen to your founders, respond to feedback and continuously refine your program design. Environmental innovation evolves rapidly, and supporting founders with relevant tools, including this year’s sessions on AI for environmental startups, ensures programs remain impactful and future-focused.

What’s next for Taronga and Hatch?

Taronga continues to expand its conservation leadership, with teams actively engaged in threatened-species breeding programs, wildlife rehabilitation, cutting-edge environmental research and new guest experiences that foster deeper connections with Country and nature.

For Hatch, the year ahead will focus on expanding our impact reporting framework, strengthening alumni engagement, building new partnerships across Australia, and continuing to grow our national community of biodiversity innovators.

Applications for the 2026 Hatch Accelerator Program are now open
If you believe in the power of innovation to drive conservation and environmental impact, follow us on LinkedIn or join the Hatch mailing list to stay up to date with upcoming opportunities.