Introducing our Season 9 Protostars

Glove keyboards, AI-driven matchmaking apps, cooking games and a political education platform. Welcome to the wonderful world of Protostars Season 9!
April 10, 2025
Theia Gabatan

This is our ninth cohort of Protostars, a microgrant program for young people creating passion projects! We give young people from AU/NZ $1000AUD to create, experiment, and go down rabbit holes. We surround them with a community of 30 incredible young people, encourage them to build and learn in public, and celebrate their progress.Keep reading to find out more about the magic they are creating!

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STEM Projects

Hardware | Chloe Beswick-Stott's Urban Sanctuary Wall is an outdoor wall made with sustainable materials. It aims to improve urban aesthetics and serve as a vertical garden. The ultimate goal is to make the wall renter-friendly through freestanding, modular designs.

Hardware | Oliver and Benjamin Lenehan's Watergate Labs is a water-to-electricity generator that uses an electrochemical process to provide clean energy. They're preparing to showcase it on Grand Designs.

Software | Steady Self AI is an AI-powered bot by Kailash Sarma that guides people experiencing panic attacks, like a calming friend on the other end of a call. 

Hardware | Travis Graham, an entrepreneurial engineer, is developing Nential, a neurotech project that aims to detect and prevent neurodegenerative disease.

Event/Exhibition | Sophia Schulz is creating res·​o·​nance, a series of interactive engineering art installations to educate and engage, bringing the “A” back into STEAM.

Hardware | Freesia Gaul is creating a glove keyboard using ESP-32s, accelerometers, and embedded ML to translate finger taps into keystrokes.

Software | Sara Leung's PairPick is a self-improvement dating app using AI-driven matchmaking and social skills coaching. It features a high-ticket monetisation model. Sarah has already begun user research.

Hardware | Samuel Gonzalez Altahona is developing MANTA RAY, a 3D-printed FPV fixed-wing UAV that can conduct autonomous missions and collaborate with other drones. It will have swappable capabilities and a modifiable shape depending on the mission.

Software | Aditi Tiwari is developing a funding hub within the Gen-Z Aotearoa website to address the lack of funding for youth-led initiatives. The hub will provide a centralised database of funding opportunities, making them more accessible and empowering young people.

Hardware | Lisa Te is creating Rig Rider, an accessible skateboard frame for people with disabilities. The frame offers full body support and aims to increase social inclusion and quality of life. Lisa is currently in the ideation and testing phase.

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by
Theia Gabatan

Arts Projects

Music | Grace Jones will produce her first-ever EP, I’ve Never Heard of Meiia.

Print Media | Nonetheless Press is a small-press artist book publisher. As a graphic designer and book lover, Bella Tobin will work with artists to create small books that feature different artists' work—the first edition will feature her father’s art. 

Software | Ash Ghanda is creating Letters to Future Self, an app to send letters to your future self. He aims to increase self-awareness and create meaningful projects.

Event/Exhibition | Akwal Magek will host Radical Choice, the second event in the Radical Series. This event will allow seven emerging artists and creatives to share their voices through music, poetry, and storytelling.

Visual Art | Ashley Chu is creating an independent animated music video for their city-pop-inspired single, ‘Welcome Back’ with guitarist Jeremy Yong.

Visual Art | Do No Harm: Reflections on Healthcare will be a centrally located, immersive, public-facing exhibition created by Junior Doctor Tanishka Brahmanand to raise awareness of the harm caused by current healthcare practices.

Event/Exhibition | Fiona Macpherson's PROJ: Gridlock showcases Taylor Action's handmade garments in an exhibition and opening event at Sneaky Possum in Chippendale, with performances by music acts.

Event/Exhibition | Minh An Pham’s project chronicles their mother's life through photographs and explores family history. They have taken 200 photos and are developing the project further with tape transfer techniques.

Event/Exhibition | Alysia Tay's 'elsewhere' collection features 5-10 life-sized oil paintings of dream holiday destinations or cultural hometowns, exploring escapism and romanticisation. A solo exhibition will let viewers hear soundscapes of the locations and create their own "window" postcards.

Music | Zach Parnell is creating ULTRA_SCENE, a multi-medium label that curates and releases music, film, fashion, design, photography, and narrative to amplify Canberra's creative scene.

by
Theia Gabatan

Media & Storytelling Projects

Print Media | Àwánilé is a passion project by Elena Adeniyi that highlights Nigerian culture, heritage and creativity by exploring the themes of home and culture through photography. By the end of the cohort, Elena aims to publish her first batch of photobooks. 

Event/Exhibition | Jesse Heriot is hosting an indie animation screening night in Sydney. Frustrated by paywalls and inaccessibility to showcase their work, Jesse is creating a platform for indie animators to present their work without massive entry fees. 

Video Game| Lazarus Gates' A Minor Revolution is a turn-based RPG where players fight a dystopian dictatorship using melodies played on their keyboard instead of menu-based attacks.

Film | Raian Best is creating Fading Spaces, a documentary series showcasing the repurposing of Japan’s abandoned homes (Akiya) to inspire people to rethink their connection to the spaces they inhabit.

Video Game| Kira Almquist's 맛 / "Ma" is a cooking/cosy game where players cook traditional Korean dishes to defeat foes, create allies, and learn cultural fun facts.

Print Media | Lachlan McGrath's Taped project uses classic VHS cameras to capture automotive videography and photography across Australia. The project has garnered nearly 10,000 followers and featured in events and markets around Australia.

Print Media | Maeson Harvey's ‘Maeson’s Soapbox’ is a mobile bookstore bringing books and publishing opportunities to underserved communities. The Pilbara Youth Voices Anthology will create a platform for regional youth to share their stories.

Education/Program| Elsie Gillezeau's "What The Gov" is a political education project that provides clear, unbiased resources to combat political illiteracy. It aims to empower young voters ahead of the federal election.

Print Media | Freja Newman is creating Leadlight, an independent magazine that presents diverse perspectives on how humanity sees the world. The first 80-page issue is complete, and Freja is excited to create more.

Community/Club | The Underground Film Collective, created by Flynn Boffo and Parker Constantine, supports emerging Sydney filmmakers by organising events, screenings, and the S.O.S. Film Fest. Their mission is to foster creative expression and remove barriers to filmmaking.

written by
Theia Gabatan
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Exploring New Creative Frontiers: Into the Metaverse with Ivan Medrano


We talk all things metaverse, diversity in art, creativity and digital fashion with two-time Protostar alumni, Ivan Medrano
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The first issue of Ivan's digital magazine: The Independent Variable
interview with ivan merino
by Theia Gabatan

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“I’m really excited about how we can use the metaverse to challenge ethnographic practices within the art world. Within our institutions, there are so many instances in which people of colour have been put into narrative boxes.”

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The first issue of Ivan's digital magazine: The Independent Variable
interview with ivan merino
by Theia Gabatan

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“I’m really excited about how we can use the metaverse to challenge ethnographic practices within the art world. Within our institutions, there are so many instances in which people of colour have been put into narrative boxes.”

‍

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