MassRobotics wraps Australian tour as Propel-AIR 2.0 entries open

BRISBANE, February 24, 2026 — From Boston to Brisbane and Beyond.

MassRobotics Co-Founder Joyce Sidopoulos and Director of Growth Marita McGinn completed a five-day national tour anchored by the launch of Propel-AIR 2.0, Australia's robotics and AI accelerator program. 

The visit took them from ARM Hub in Brisbane to Sydney's leading universities and industry partners, connecting Australian founders and researchers directly to one of the world's most active robotics ecosystems.

What they found was a robotics sector ready to compete globally, and for STEM startups and Australian manufacturers, that matters.

Brisbane: the right people in the right room

The week opened on Monday at ARM Hub's Holland Street facility with a visit, discussion and tour with Queensland Assistant Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Amanda Stoker MP. Joyce and Marita of MassRobotics hosted an interactive session on commercialisation pathways and global market access.

Tuesday's ARM Hub Open Day and Propel-AIR 2.0 launch featured a robotics showcase from ADR, The Fish Girl, ProTX, Stratoship, Verbotics and the QUT Banana Project. Professor Roy Green set the tone for the day before roundtables brought together representatives from state and federal level, industry experts and some of Australia's leading academics.

"It was great to have the right people in the right place to have the conversations that turn into real opportunities for Australian robotics companies," said ARM Hub CEO and Founder Professor Cori Stewart.

Above: ARM Hub Head of Mechatronics Troy Cordie addresses the crowd

Below: Tour highlights included Umar Nguyen's new food processing technology

Attending the day as a guest of ARM Hub, SmartCompany's Tegan Jones reported on the demonstration in her Neural Notes column. More: https://www.smartcompany.com.au/artificial-intelligence/neural-notes-blue-caviar-problem-ai-was-built-to-solve

Sydney: universities, firesides & industry

The Sydney leg delivered insights sessions at UNSW, the University of Sydney, UTS and Western Sydney University. Sessions focused on where robotics and embodied AI are gaining traction globally, what is attracting investment, and how Australian startup ventures can launch and scale into markets faster.

As well as the university circuit, MassRobotics joined a fireside conversation hosted by Jacqui Hunter at Stone & Chalk, drawing some of Sydney's most active innovation community members, which Joyce and Marita flagged as one of the most interesting conversations of the trip.

The tour also included a sit-down with Amazon chaired by the Committee for Sydney, bringing together industry leaders for a conversation that reflected the growing seriousness with which Australia's technology sector is approaching the robotics opportunity. Joyce described it as one of the most valuable sessions of the week.

Propel-AIR 2.0: entries now open

Propel-AIR 2.0 is now open for entries at www.aiadopt.ai/propel-air.

The program gives Australian robotics startups, scaleups and innovators a pathway to global markets. The winning team receives a one-month residency at MassRobotics in Boston, including mentorship, investor connections and scheduled visits to organisations including Boston Dynamics and MIT. The winner then pitches to Silicon Valley investors and exhibits at RoboBusiness in California in October.

2025 winner Dominic Lindsay, whose Melbourne startup Nexobot is now completing a $2 million seed round, credits the program with helping land his first customer. "The really big uptick was once we won and once we got that publicity, it really just started to take off," Lindsay told InnovationAus. More: https://www.innovationaus.com/arm-hub-sprint-starts-for-next-robotics-pioneer/

The week just gone showed what becomes possible when Australian robotics connects with the world's best. Enter here: www.aiadopt.ai/propel-air

ENDS

About ARM Hub ARM Hub is one of Australia's four government-backed AI Adopt Centres. Based in Brisbane, ARM Hub partners with manufacturers, SMEs, researchers and technology companies to drive innovation and productivity through advanced automation and AI solutions.

About MassRobotics MassRobotics is a nonprofit organisation fostering robotics innovation and entrepreneurship. Located in Boston's Innovation District, MassRobotics has supported over 200 startups, which have collectively raised more than $1 billion in funding and created over 600 jobs.

Media Contact:

Mike Woodcock, 
Communications Director

M: 0411 969 248

E: Mike.Woodcock@armhub.com.au