The two investors tipped in $500,000 each via Innovation Victoria’s University Innovation Platform.
Forward Deployed was founded in 2023 by CEO Richard Hebden and CTO Alex Barry – Swinburne alumni who met while studying there – and chief growth officer Liam Eldon. The startup collaborates with the university on autonomous sensing and data processing using its DINGO (Deployable Infrared Gas Observer) hardware.
The funds will support development and validation of the DINGO platform towards production, as well as commercial growth. Forward Deployed already has contracts in Australia, US and UK.
DINGO combines chemical sensing, hardware built for field use and real-time software. The platform offers laboratory-grade sensitivity and turns complex sensing data into usable information within seconds.
It’s designed for use where detection is needed, including integration with autonomous systems.
Hebden said detection technology needed to keep pace with changing threats.
“Chemical threats have evolved significantly, but the technology used to detect and understand them has not,” he said, adding that combining advanced sensors and software could build a real-time picture of surrounding conditions, while autonomous platforms could extend detection into places people shouldn’t have to go.
“Our ambition is to make better information available wherever it’s needed, whatever the environment,” he said.
National security is the initial focus, with potential applications in biosecurity, agriculture, construction and mining down the track.
Innovation Victoria CEO Rod Bristow said the investment would help translate university-connected research into commercial products and a growing Victorian business.
Swinburne vice president of innovation and enterprise Werner van der Merwe said the technology had the potential to protect people by reducing their exposure to hazardous environments.
