Cicada Innovations announced on 20 October 2026 that it has appointed Professor Rob Gorkin and Sam Bruce as Venture Growth Experts. The appointments strengthen the incubator's support for deep tech founders in biomedtech, energy, and critical industries as they move from research and technical development to commercial growth. They also arrive as Cicada publicly criticizes proposed changes to the Research and Development Tax Incentive, which it says could weaken long-cycle deep tech companies.
New Venture Growth Roles Focus on Commercialization
Gorkin will be based in Sydney as Venture Growth Expert for biomedtech, while Bruce joins from Victoria as Venture Growth Expert for Energy and Critical Industries. The pair will challenge, coach, and connect founders as companies navigate product design, regulation, manufacturing, funding, and market entry. Their work is intended to support ventures moving from validated research into scalable commercial operations.
Medtech Leader Brings Product Development Experience
Gorkin's background spans pharmaceuticals, medical devices, digital health, health systems innovation, advanced manufacturing, robotics, and artificial intelligence. He co-founded medtech company Eudaemon Technologies and has served in leadership roles including Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director for Innovation, and he is now a Non-Executive Director. His recent roles include director positions at Western Sydney University's Translational Health Research Institute and SPHERE, along with work with international philanthropic funders including the Gates Foundation.
Energy Expert Adds Industry and Project Finance Knowledge
Bruce brings commercialization and project development experience across the energy and industrial sectors from roles at EY, Fortescue Future Industries, Pollination, and CSIRO. During his five years at CSIRO, he worked on research-industry partnerships and incubation programs and helped develop Australia's National Hydrogen Roadmap and Critical Energy Minerals Roadmap. His expertise is expected to assist founders in sectors shaped by long development cycles, industrial customers, and project finance requirements.
Proposed Tax Changes Raise Deep Tech Concerns
Cicada's announcement coincides with its public concern over proposed federal budget changes to the Research and Development Tax Incentive. One measure under discussion is a 10-year company age limit on access to the refundable offset. Cicada argues that the threshold does not fit deep tech businesses that spend years in research, development, and testing before generating meaningful commercial income.
Age Limits Misread Deep Tech Economics, Noonan Says
Chief Executive Officer Liza Noonan said the proposed limit could exclude companies when they still face their largest research costs. She stated that in deep tech, company age is not a proxy for commercial maturity, and many companies are doing their most capital-intensive research and development after year 10 while still pre-revenue. Noonan added that the Research and Development Tax Incentive needs to reflect that reality if Australia wants to keep the value these companies create at home.
Broader Support Model Targets Commercial Readiness
The hires form part of a wider expansion of Cicada's support model for early and growth-stage deep tech ventures. That expansion includes Cicada Assemble, a program designed to help science-led ventures and technical founders move from validated invention to commercial readiness. Cicada views this stage as a market gap between early commercialization support and larger accelerators, grant schemes, and investment rounds.
By adding specialist growth experts and expanding its advisory programs, Cicada Innovations is positioning itself to help deep tech founders manage both technical scale-up and policy-driven financial risk. The organization argues that stronger local support can determine whether Australian intellectual property is developed domestically or moves offshore. With a growing pipeline of research-backed ventures, Cicada is working to ensure surrounding support systems keep pace with founder demand.
Source: CfoTech