Gold Coast Program welcomes 10 Startups
Ten Australian startups have joined the 2026 LuminaX program at the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct this April.
What’s happening?
LuminaX has announced its 2026 cohort of 10 Australian startups, marking the start of its 14-week, in-person accelerator based within the Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct.
Now in its sixth year, the LuminaX HealthTech Accelerator Program is delivered by LX Health and backed by Economic Development Queensland. It is designed to help early-stage founders validate, commercialise and scale solutions tackling major healthcare challenges.
Following a competitive national selection process, the 2026 cohort includes startups working across medtech, biotech, healthcare payments, sportstech and clinical AI. The intake reflects a growing focus on prevention, early detection and personalised monitoring.
LX Health Program Director Dren Xerxa said the 2026 intake shows where many founders now see the biggest opportunity.
“What stands out is the number of founders building solutions that work upstream, focusing on prevention, early detection and personalised monitoring. This is where the biggest opportunity lies, and it’s exciting to see Australian founders leading innovation in this space,” Xerxa said.
Why it matters?
The 2026 intake shows how Australian healthtech is shifting further towards earlier diagnosis, prevention and long-term monitoring.
That matters because these kinds of tools can help reduce pressure on the health system, improve access to care and support better outcomes before illness becomes more serious.
The program also gives founders practical support through mentorship, clinical access, investor links and expert advice across health, technology and capital.
Local Impact
For the Gold Coast, LuminaX strengthens the role of the Health & Knowledge Precinct as a growing base for health and innovation-led businesses.
The program helps attract founders, investment and industry collaboration to the city. It also supports commercialisation and job creation in one of Australia’s fastest-growing sectors.
LuminaX is delivered within Lumina Gold Coast, a purpose-built innovation community located in the heart of the Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct. The program is supported by Economic Development Queensland, Invest Gold Coast and QIC.
Industry partners include Griffith University, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, the National Rugby League and Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct.
By the numbers
LuminaX is now in its sixth year, showing the program has become an established part of Australia’s healthtech sector.
Since launching in 2021, 52 Australian healthtech startups have completed the program and together raised more than $33 million.
Program participants have also connected with more than 1,000 clinicians, executives and industry leaders.
Half of the successful applicants in the 2026 cohort are female-led, reflecting the program’s continued focus on founder diversity.
Lumina Gold Coast sits within a 9.5-hectare innovation community at the centre of the Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct.
Zoom In
The 2026 cohort brings together 10 startups working across very different parts of the healthcare system.
Ketim Technologies is developing what it says is the world’s first predictive blood test for postpartum depression, using multi-protein biomarkers and AI to identify at-risk mothers during pregnancy before symptoms begin.
CARED is an Australia-wide allied health and care platform matching people with clinicians and carers, supported by strong clinical governance and digital delivery.
Exonova Biotech is working to improve endometriosis diagnosis so women can access faster and more accurate answers.
Gild is rebuilding healthcare payments infrastructure with compliant gap-only payments and automated Medicare rebate routing, reducing upfront costs for patients while helping clinics get paid accurately and on time.
Hormone Tracking System is creating a daily at-home hormone tracking device to help predict energy levels and guide life, wellness and training decisions.
Mind Maze is building preventative behavioural health support in primary schools through gamified learning that helps children build tools for mental wellbeing.
MyoIntel is creating athlete-specific digital twins that turn team-sport data into muscle-level workload insights for performance and injury management.
Nouscope is developing a governed AI reasoning platform that makes clinical AI more deployable by ensuring each output is traceable to evidence, auditable and defensible within regulated healthcare workflows.
Sonorus is building an AI-powered medical device to non-invasively screen for rheumatic heart disease, with a focus on communities that have historically had limited access to diagnosis.
Tolaris Labs is developing patient-specific surgical digital twins for vascular intervention, procedural planning and device-risk insight.
Zoom Out
LuminaX has grown into one of Australia’s leading healthtech accelerator programs since launching in 2021.
Its track record points to a broader change in the local health innovation space, where more founders are building tools focused on prevention, monitoring and practical clinical use.
That broader shift is also being supported by closer links between startups, clinicians, hospitals, researchers and investors.
What To Look For Next?
This will show how these founders progress from promising ideas to scalable healthtech businesses, with the Gold Coast program continuing to support innovation that could shape healthcare in Queensland and across Australia.