Six Pitches To Create A Better World From The HATCH: Taronga Accelerator Program

HATCH 2024 participants alongside the delivery team.

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

Hatch: Taronga Accelerator Program aims to inspire, support and launch innovative solutions and actions to help address some of the most pressing environmental and conservation challenges currently facing our planet.

2024 is the fourth year of Hatch and included some incredible initiatives covering a range of environmental issues. The program supported 6 of Australia’s top, emerging impact-led initiatives. Impact Boom was the proud delivery partner and was impressed by the founders and delivery team.

Alongside Taronga Conservation Society Australia, we’re proud to share some of the incredible outcomes from the dedicated participants of Hatch. On 19th June a sold out audience gathered at Taronga Zoo for the Showcase event and a national audience tuned in online. Below, you’ll find the pitches presented on the evening and we’d encourage you to get in touch with the entrepreneurs, buy their products and support their campaigns.

We’d like to graciously thank the entire team at Taronga Conservation Society Australia who made this possible, as well as the amazing presenters and program mentors. Without their support, expertise and contagious positivity, creating a program of this calibre would not be possible.

Keep your eyes on these inspiring initiatives as they evolve, develop their projects and maximise their impact.

WATCH THE PITCHES FROM HATCH 2024 PARTICIPANTS AND LEARN SOME OF THE KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE PROGRAM DELIVERY TEAM, CHRISTIE GAZAL AND PAUL MAGUIRE.

[Tom Allen] - Can you please tell us more about the Hatch: Taronga Accelerator Program and why Taronga invested in this program to support the community?

[Christie Gazal and Paul Maguire] – Hatch was created to accelerate a positive impact on our natural environment and the wildlife that inhabit it. Whilst there are several accelerator programs that support innovation, Hatch is very particular about supporting ideas that will tackle or reverse some of the most pressing environmental issues. As the only Zoo based accelerator program in the world and the first biodiversity focused program in Australia, the program leverages Taronga’s unique and powerful position to turn the dial on environmental challenges.

The 14-week program supports founders to assess, test and validate their early-stage initiatives and to establish or reinforce themselves as a social enterprise or not-for-profit organisations to drive their initiatives forward. We do this by harnessing the power of innovative thinking, and collaboration and fostering the founders' passion for the natural world to solve big issues. Hatch is here to accelerate the changemaker journey and hatch brilliant ideas for the planet.

Taronga believes that innovation is a key part of securing a shared future for people and wildlife, and that brilliant ideas to address these challenges can come from any corner of the community. This year’s program was a great example of this with and exceptionally diverse cohort coming from a range of professional backgrounds and applying their experience to tackle sustainability and environmental issues in new and different ways.

What have some of the key outcomes been?

This year we have spent quite a bit of time assessing the programs outcomes and building a framework that can truly represent the impact the program has on the founders, economy, society and the environment. This hasn’t been an easy task, but we are hopeful that we can produce something that demonstrates the need for the program and the true impact our founders.

A core component of this and the program is to establish a collaborative and nurturing space for our founders and their initiatives to thrive. This achieved through connecting founders with other environmental changemakers to make the journey a little less lonely. Again, this year our fantastic cohort established strong bonds with each other that will last beyond the program, whilst also connecting with previous alumni to continue their professional development and collaborate through their businesses. Furthermore, across the program, we delivered 40 hours of learning and collaboration, and our amazing Mentors provided more than 100 hours of pro bono advice and guidance. Our Mentors are a core part of the Hatch Program and we are so grateful to them for their support!

Hatch is also committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment, ensuring that anyone with a biodiversity-enhancing idea is welcomed. Embracing diversity is at our core and reflected in our dedication to the ongoing process of reconciliation and to respect, connect, consult and be led by the vital knowledge of First Nations Peoples as we work to safeguard our planets future. The community we have built facilitates equitable access to networking, upskilling and funding opportunities and Hatch has forged strategic partnerships with inclusive organisations to bridge this gap. Hatch has consistently championed equal opportunities for female founders, with 65% of teams and 100% of the grant recipients have had one or more female founders. This includes this year’s grant recipient The Groundswell Collective – Tiny Forests, founded by Anna Noon and Mark Colquhoun, who were awarded the $50,000.

It has also been so wonderful to see the participants receive external recognition in the media, for their initiatives. This year all founders were featured on Startup Nation’s Podcast with Jules Lund, and The Groundswell Collective spoke on numerous ABC radio segments including Craig Reucassel’s morning show. This year’s cohort all worked so hard throughout the program and are a truly inspirational group of people committed to creating a better future for all. We look forward to continuing to support them as Hatch alumni and to seeing the positive impact they will achieve.

It has also been incredible to see the success and progress of our previous cohorts, and several of them have been able to connect and share their insights with this year’s cohort. 2020 Winner Good-Edi (edible coffee cups) was a finalist on Channel 9’s Food Stars with Gordon Ramsey. 2021 alumni Xylo Systems (founder Camille Goldstone-Henry) has six partner companies spanning 45 property and energy assets in six different countries, and 2023 grant recipient ReHabitat are launching two new products and managed to breakeven in their first year of trading.

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

The most important learning is always the importance of relationships and collaboration. Effective relationships and collaboration are critical to achieving the best outcomes, whether that’s in delivering the Hatch Program or for new startups. Our founders are incredible individuals – smart, passionate, and driven – but it’s true that we can all go further together. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the amazing relationships and support we’ve had from our Hatch community, including Impact Boom. It is so important to build and nurture your community and relationships and ensure you’re constantly meeting their expectations.

Another key learning is to effectively demonstrate our impact as a program to ensure that we remain attractive and influential in this space. It is so important to communicate Hatch’s unique position in the accelerator world and the importance of evaluating and sustaining our impact, not only on the participants but the impact Hatch has on reducing or reversing key threatening processes.

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

Similar to the above answer, find your strength in this space and connect with complementary partnerships and stakeholders to build your community. HATCH has worked very hard to establish our community and connect with like-minded organisations and individuals which has been the key to our success. When starting in this space, we were overwhelmed with how open, generous, and collaborative the innovation ecosystem was in Australia. I strongly recommended getting out there in the community and connecting with people who already understand this space and what works, then finding your own little piece of the pie.

It is also really important to innovate and move with the trends of the ecosystem whilst keeping our core objective. This year we implemented a workshop on how to use AI to innovate and organise within our founders startups and brought in new partners that can help to address key issues in the initiatives in new and exciting ways. Biodiversity is going to be the next wave of environmental innovation (if it isn’t already) and we are in a prime position to lead this space.

What’s next for Taronga and Hatch?

Taronga is constantly evolving and innovating and we’ve had some really exiting developments of late. Our latest addition to the Zoo is the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Centre. With 42 fantastic species from around the world, it brings together exceptional animal welfare, cutting-edge conservation facilities and above all, best-in-class guest experience to engage and educate our guests. Another development is Habitat Positive, Taronga Conservation's visionary new initiative and the future of this organisation deeply committed to our mission of creating a shared future for wildlife and people. Our ambitious initiative aims to restore and rewild the largest Box Gum Woodlands in Australian history (of which 93% has been cleared), addressing climate and nature together by harnessing the support of forward thinking and progressive global philanthropists, private partnerships, government support, and Taronga's credentials in conservation to give Australian species a fighting chance.

In terms of Hatch, we are developing our Impact Report which should be out later this year, exploring new opportunities to engage with collaborators in the ecosystem and working on our Alumni community platform. Furthermore, applications for our Pre-Accelerator program will open in late July. If you are interested in the role of innovation to support conservation and the environment, please follow us on LinkedIn or join the Hatch mailing list to keep up to date with program plans and news.

HATCH participants during an immersive session at Taronga Zoo.

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