Commercialisation offers researchers a powerful pathway to translate academic insights into realworld solutions. For Professor Vincent Gramoli, a leading academic in the Faculty of Engineering, this journey has been driven by curiosity, collaboration, and a commitment to secure digital innovation. As Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Redbelly Network, Professor Gramoli’s experience exemplifies how commercialisation can amplify research impact while enriching academic careers.

Professor Gramoli’s commercialisation journey began with a paradox. While reading a white paper on Ethereum, he recognised a fundamental flaw in its consensus mechanism—an area he had studied for over 15 years. “It was a bit of a paradox,” he recalls. “I knew there was this consensus problem that needed to be solved, yet I was very familiar with the impossibility proof that said it couldn’t be done.” This sparked a deep investigation that ultimately led to the creation of Redbelly, a secure and scalable blockchain platform designed to tokenise high-value real-world assets.

Redbelly’s potential was quickly recognised. In collaboration with CSIRO’s Data61 and the University of Sydney’s Commercialisation Office, a partnership with Block8 was established to bring the technology to market. Today, Redbelly Network is thriving, recently selected to participate in the Reserve Bank of Australia’s tokenisation pilot. “The RBA pilot is a unique opportunity to adopt blockchain technology in a government environment,” says Professor Gramoli. “It validates our platform’s reliability for tokenising real-world assets.”

Commercialisation has also reshaped Professor Gramoli’s academic perspective. 

Through incubators and accelerators at the University of Sydney and CSIRO, he learned to build a multidisciplinary team, hiring experts in marketing, sales, and product development to support Redbelly’s growth. “At one point, I was receiving close to 1,000 emails a day. That’s when I realised I couldn’t do everything myself.”

Engaging with industry has also transformed his research. “Talking to industry partners helped me understand their pain points,” he says. “That’s when your research starts to have real impact—when it solves a problem someone actually has.” His long-term engagement with the Reserve Bank of Australia, spanning five years, is a testament to the value of persistence and relationship-building in commercialisation.

This industry engagement has enriched his teaching as well. “I teach blockchain as part of distributed systems, and having one foot in the company means I bring real-world problems into the classroom,” he says. “It’s a win-win. Students are better prepared for industry, and I gain skilled collaborators from among my PhD graduates.”

On a personal note, Professor Gramoli shared a proud moment when his daughter won a school prize for a startup business plan. “I hope I inspired her a little,” he says with a smile.

His advice to fellow academics? “Reach out. Go to networking events, meetups, talk to industry. Opportunities often come from informal interactions.” He encourages colleagues to connect with the Commercialisation Office and peers who’ve walked the path. “Even if you don’t follow the same route, hearing someone else’s experience can make the journey feel less foreign.”

This article is part of the University of Sydney’s Commercialisation Café Chat with Rising Stars series.