Deep tech accelerator
A CSIRO PROGRAM
CSIRO Lindfield Collaboration Hub (hardware & manufacturing)
A bespoke accelerator for deep tech founders and mature SMEs who are stuck in the funding or growth loop.
We diagnose your unique blockers and blitz through them with targeted coaching, labs and partnerships.
Accelerating growth
Who is Gap Blitz for?
Stage: Post‑MVP through to early scale; research‑to‑venture teams welcome
Best fit: Founders who’ve done a program before but still hit growth/funding friction; hardware/deep tech teams needing tailored support
Eligibility: Australia-based (or able to attend key sessions), 2+ team members, founder commitment to workshops and coaching
Outcomes & impact
What is the impact and what is the outcome?
Gap Blitz is a unique accelerator program – tailored to closing the gaps that are unique to your startup, preventing your business growth. Recent outcomes include funding, international partnerships, brand‑name customers, and new supply relationships formed within the cohort.
You can also expect:
- Investor and grant readiness: Quality, targeted pitch decks, data room structures and due diligence readiness checklists
- Partner pathways: Connections to industry, research and validation (if you’re deep tech, you’ll benefit from the substantial CSIRO network) and government
- Faster path to pilot, procurement or DFM: Not all growth pathways are the same. Whether you’re looking for commercial pathways, business-to-business procurement, designing for manufacture or even clinical trial prep, this program is for you.
- Clear positioning and GTM narrative: Learn how to create clear space around your brand and product, differentiate from your competitors, and build a go-to-market narrative that converts.
- Operational uplift: Prepare for organisational growth – capability building, finances, hiring plans and OKRs.
What is in the program?
Gap Diagnosis & Positioning
Format: Immersion + 1:1s
Activities: Gap finding workshops; reverse pitching; competitor and category analysis
Deliverables: Prioritised gap plan; differentiated positioning; action board
Funding & Partnerships
Format: Facilitated sessions
Activities: Capital/grant pathways; partner mapping; intros to customers and collaborators
Deliverables: Target list; intro briefs; data room checklist
Customer Discovery & PMF
Format: Discovery sprints, facilitated sessions
Activities: Journey maps; insight mining; experiment design
Deliverables: Interview summaries, experiment and pilot plans
Story, Brand & GTM
Format: Facilitated sessions, narative lab
Activities: Value prop and pricing; message map; growth experiments; AI‑assisted content ops
Deliverables: One pagers, 90-day GTM, pilot campaign assets
Product & Readiness
Format: Facilitated sessions
Activities: MVP sharpening; DFM for hardware; roadmap; risk register
Deliverables: Prototype/MVP (or DFM plan); technical backlog; validation plan
Pitch & Showcase
Format: Coaching & showcase
Activities: Deck build; objection handling; demo readiness; 5‑minute pitches to investors, government and industry experts
Deliverables: Investor/customer deck; demo script; follow‑up pipeline
In-person + virtual
How Gap Blitz works – and the timeline commitment
We have a combination of in-person and virtual sessions.
- Duration: 10-12 weeks
- Cohort size: 12 teams
- Sectors: Advanced manufacturing, Education, Circular Economy, Biotech, Medtech, Supply Chain, other Deep Tech.
- Commitment: 4-6 hours per week + 1:1 coaching
The Gap Blitz program (subject to change) is as follows:
- Onboarding & Diagnostics (Week 0–1) — interviews, baseline metrics, gap map
- 2 x Day Bootcamp (Week 1) — strategy immersion & priority plan
- Labs & Coaching (Weeks 2–9) — themed sprints across A–E modules; mentor office hours; peer AMAs
- Showcase (Week 10–11) — pitches to investors, partners and stakeholders; intros and follow‑ups
