April 2026 Cohort

Alix is a researcher in philosophy of technology and the Director of Curated and Research Content at Singularity. She investigates the societal and cultural impact of exponential technologies. Her current research centres around two large scale projects. The first focus is on the effects of automated decision-making algorithms, Artificial Intelligence, and algorithmic bias.

Kathleen is co-founder and CEO at Savor, a start-up working to transform how fats and oils are produced for food. Using carbon-based feedstocks like CH4 and CO2, they create animal-equivalent alternatives that aim to decarbonize the 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions tied to traditional fat and oil production. Their first product, an animal-free butter, is launching this year and is already generating excitement among chefs and food industry leaders.

After 10 years running Second Life as CEO, I started several experimental new companies with two co-founders, including LoveMachine, Worklist.net, and Coffee & Power. In 2013, after experimenting with the mems gyro chips that would enable the Oculus Rift, we started High Fidelity to build a new open-source virtual world platform for VR Headsets. In 2019, with VR failing to gain wide consumer acceptance, refocused High Fidelity on spatial audio.

Simone Planté holds a wealth of experience spanning 20 years, encompassing technology companies worldwide. With roles in investment banking, entrepreneurship and Venture Capital, she stands as the Founder and Managing Partner of Sydney-based HumAIn Capital. Specializing in Artificial Intelligence and deep tech investments, Simone is dedicated to fostering positive human impact through technology. Her passion for bridging Offline (human systems) with Online (AI systems) drives her work. Beginning her career at Morgan Stanley corporate finance, Simone collaborated with technology pioneers in Silicon Valley. She then ventured into successful tech startup ventures, following which she lived abroad in San Francisco, New York, London and Hong Kong for over two decades. Now back in Australia, she brings her global perspective to contribute to technology's transformative potential.

Tricia Wang, a social scientist, and consultant, is on a relentless quest to ensure technology serves humanity, fostering social impact at the intersection of data and humanity.