Launched in Perth on Friday, the Energise program will take a top-down approach to innovation in energy and natural resources (ENR).

“We’re working side-by-side with ENR companies to identify their key issues, and then giving Australia’s best ENR tech start-ups the opportunity to present and commercialise their solutions for these problems,” KPMG Western Australian chairman Gary Smith said.

“Energise aims to rapidly develop the start-ups’ business models, product and services offerings through access to KPMG Australia’s advisory services, access to real customers and capital introductions.”

KPMG said the program had received a positive response from resources companies and participants would be announced in the coming weeks.

Australian Toby Gardner has relocated to Perth after a decade in Silicon Valley to head up the Energise program.

“Successful start-up applicants will also receive mentoring from world-class entrepreneurs and ENR tech mentors based locally and in Silicon Valley,” Gardner said.

“Energise will be the largest accelerator in Western Australia, and largest ENR accelerator in the Asia Pacific region.”

Energise mentors include Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs Gary Coover and Rohan Thompson and Intierra and Micromine founder Peter Rossdeutscher.

The program is free to start-ups and KPMG will whittle the applications down to eight ENR start-up companies for the program.

The successful start-ups will participate in a 12-week intensive incubation and support program between April and June, after which participants can present plans to ENR clients, venture capitalists and other potential financiers.

“In order to achieve above-trend growth, businesses really have to do something disruptive and game-changing,” Smith said.

Energise is open to applications from March 1.