Early stage development

The innovation process is complex, multi-faceted and is typically poorly understood by many who attempt to participate.

Entities face the very real likelihood of failure through lack of the appropriate experience and skills at each stage of innovation and business growth:

1. •small new companies developing their first product,
   

2. •large well established companies recognising the need to innovate or fail,
   

3. •industry associations seeking to establish a common good research and development effort among their highly competitive members, and
   

4. •governments anxious to encourage greater business growth.
   

The shortage of such experience and skills in Australia is a major inhibiting factor which leads many to avoid innovation in the first place and increases the probability of failure for many who try.

Magma’s value adding potential

Magma was formed to make its team’s specialist experience and skills available where they are needed. The principals have a combined experience of around fifty years in all stages of the innovative process. This experience was built upon a diverse range of qualifications, industry backgrounds and experience.

Magma’s team can provide services that are broadly described as management of investment in research, development and commercialisation to innovating industry, financiers, and government.

Magma has access to Australian and international energy research, development and technology databases, and close links to other industry sectors.

Magma was established to utilise the skills and experience that the team members developed within the Energy Research and Development Corporation (ERDC), during its eight years of existence.

More detail on Magma’s Services and Capabilities...

Management experience

The Magma team has considerable management experience, working closely with investees to ensure that each investment complies with its identified goals and objectives. Investees are encouraged to use the Magma team representatives and their networks of contacts to help them develop the best possible strategies and strategic partners.

Magma team members interact daily with representatives from a broad section of the nation's peak industry bodies to assist in the development of R&D strategies and to identify priorities for future investment.

Significant experience exists within the Magma team of reviewing and facilitation of strategic, marketing and business plans.

Collectively, the Magma team has fifty years in early stage investment and has invaluable experience across a very broad range of commerce and industry, with small, medium and large investees. ERDC's investments came not only from the traditional energy industries (electricity, gas petroleum) and the emerging renewable energy sector, but from developers of products using or saving energy (e.g. transport, manufacturing and building sectors) and users of energy across the spectrum.

Magma has a detailed knowledge of research and development activities, access to relevant resources (databases etc.) for research of state of the art, personal knowledge of the key players operating in research and development, and strong networks with industry.

The members of Magma also bring their “before ERDC” experience, covering electronics, engineering, information technology, communications technology, finance, manufacturing, transport, government, retail, leisure, tourism.