Rodney Michail
Queensland business 1800Approved has tonight been named Australia’s
Fastest Growing Start-up at the 2013 StartupSmart Awards, sponsored by
DFK Australia & New Zealand, after racking up a stunning $20 million
revenue in its first four years.
1800Approved headed a top 50 list of rapid-growth start-ups, landing it a
$10,000 advertising package from Private Media, StartupSmart’s
publisher, and a $10,000 strategy review and planning workshop from DFK.
The financial brokerage, which provides finance on everything from homes
to motorboats, was founded by Rodney Michail and Angelo Lauro in 2009.
It posted an impressive $20 million revenue last year, placing it well
clear of SCO Recruitment, which came second for the third year in a row.
WA consultancy Primero Group was in third.
This year saw a record number of entries received by awards organiser
StartupSmart.com.au, Australia’s leading resource of news and advice for
start-ups.
Eight other individual categories also saw notable winners, including
Boardcave.com, which won the Best Start-up Product award.
The site, set up by Queensland surfers Ryan Mets and Chris Greben,
allows users to customise their surfboards before purchasing them,
allowing manufacturers in their industry an easy path to the
ever-increasing online market.
Meanwhile, InsideTrak, created by Mike Larsen, took out the Best Online
Strategy award. The innovative site allows employees to rate their
bosses, with job seekers able to get a Tripadvisor-style insight into
their new workplaces.
Nineteen-year-old Ash Davies won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year
award for his work on Tablo Publishing, a venture that allows authors an
easy way to publish their books digitally.
The awards were held at the Victorian Investment Centre in Melbourne in
conjunction with major sponsor DFK and supporting sponsor Small Business
Victoria.
Oliver Milman, editor of StartupSmart.com.au, said: “We are delighted
with the record number of entries to the awards, which demonstrate the
exceptional depth in strength in Australian entrepreneurialism.”
“The judges had the hard job of choosing between a number of fantastic
early-stage companies. What makes their achievement even more impressive
is that many of them started during the worst days of the GFC,
requiring exceptional hard work and innovation, particularly in the
online space, to succeed.”
To read profiles on the top 50, click here.
To find out the trends that underpin this year’s list of Australia’s
best start-ups, click here.
The winners:
Fastest Growing Start-up: 1800Approved
Best Start-up Product: Safescape
Best Services Start-up: Boardcave.com
Best Online Strategy: InsideTrak
Best Green Start-up: Greensense
Best Start-up Investor Award: AngelCube
Best Start-up Idea: Tweaky
Best Young Entrepreneur: Ash Davies of Tablo Publishing
Start-up Hero: David Regenspurger of Energy Intelligence