Aiman received the greatest number of votes when a crowd-sourced list of 13 finalists for this category went out to a public vote. From creating a new community for international entrepreneurs to founding an innovation hub, Aiman’s tireless work and thought leadership has bridged Victoria’s startup ecosystem to the world. He is a master connector between communities, governments, startups and investors, and he integrates the value of diversity and inclusion into everything he does.
READ MOREVictorian Startup Sector Awarded for Innovation Success
25 February 2022
- The DIF Team
The Governor of Victoria Startup Awards celebrate the outstanding contribution of Victoria’s $10.5 billion startup sector and recognise entrepreneurs, leaders and investors across the ecosystem.
The achievement and ingenuity of the state’s rapidly growing startup sector have been recognised at the inaugural Governor of Victoria Startup Awards. Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, congratulated the winners at an intimate reception at Government House.
The winners of the inaugural awards were commended under the following five categories:
- Best Newcomer for firms less than three years old;
- Startup of the Year for those that have had a minimum Series A in the last four years;
- Scaleup of the Year for firms less than ten years old;
- Investor of the Year featuring a People’s Choice and Expert Panel’s Choice; and
- Ecosystem Hero of the Year featuring a People’s Choice and Expert Panel’s Choice.
Ecosystem Hero of the Year
People's Choice Winner: Aiman Hamdouna
Expert Panel’s Choice Winner: Jonathan Jeffries
JJ was the expert panel’s pick from the list of finalists. He was nominated by the Victorian startup community for his work stablishing the Re-Trained platform to help connect people displaced during the pandemic. The platform has helped 171 people re-enter the workforce and secure employment in the Victorian startup ecosystem with support from the Victorian government and RMIT Online.
Investor of the Year
People's Choice & Expert's Choice Winners: Aprill Allen & Matt Allen
Aprill and Matt Allen have taken out both our expert’s choice and people’s choice categories, receiving the highest number of votes from the Victorian startup community. The nominations highlighted their passion for the ecosystem and how well trusted and highly regarded they are by the community. The nominations recognised their innovative work in providing startup founders with an alternative method of financing that puts founders first. Their work beyond Tractor Ventures in being members on numerous boards, taking part in industry talks and educational sessions and mentoring the community was also recognised.
READ MORE
Regional Ecosystem Hero of the Year
Posthumous Winner: Peter Dostis
This year, the Regional Ecosystem Hero of the year is awarded posthumously to Peter Dostis, Co-founder and CEO of Runway Geelong, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Victoria’s regional and rural startup ecosystem. His legacy continues to support regional and rural founders through Runway’s programs, mentorship, collaborations, and networks.
READ MOREBest Newcomer
Firms less than three years old
Winner: Currus Biologics
Currus Biologics is a privately held company spun out of research from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. The award recognises their ground-breaking work developing the next generation of CAR-T cell therapies to treat solid cancers. Founded only 12 months ago, Currus has already raised $10M Series A funding from the medical Research Commercialisation Fund and Uniseed, and commenced development of their proprietary technology for clinical application.
READ MOREFinalists
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Scaleup of the Year
Startups less than ten years old, but greater than three years old
Winner: Linktree
Founded in 2016 and the first tool in market of its kind, Linktree helps users to share more, sell more, curate more and grow more. Validating the success of the platform and its astronomical growth over the last five years, Linktree has secured US$55.7M funding to date, closing a US$45M Series B round in March 2021. The company has grown from 12 employees (pre-COVID) to a remote workforce of 170+, with employees based in Australia, the US, and worldwide. Despite more than 90% of its users being based outside of Australia, Linktree is committed to supporting Victoria’s tech ecosystem and nurturing diverse talent from its HQ in Collingwood. They remain invested in creating top tech and product roles right here while driving D&I initiatives that support greater diversity within our ecosystem.
READ MOREFinalists
Startup of the Year
Firms that have had a minimum Series A in the last four years
Winner: Amber Electric
Amber Electric are disrupting the energy sector and have a goal of shifting Australia to 100% renewables. In the last twelve months, Amber Electric raised both a Series A (Dec 2020) and a Series B (May 2021), grew their team from around 20 to over 50, automated and controlled hundreds of smart devices to use power at cheaper and greener times, and onboarded thousands of customers.
READ MOREWinner: Seer Medical
Founded in 2017, Seer is Australia’s largest provider of epilepsy diagnostic services, serving more patients than all Australia’s hospitals combined. Its technology has monitored 10,000+ Australians who would have required 50,000+ days in Australian hospitals, diverting ~95-bed years from the Australian hospital system to reduce patient wait times dramatically. With 35% employment growth in 2021, all Seer’s design and manufacturing occur onsite in its Melbourne headquarters, and Seer is taking Victorian expertise to the global stage.
READ MOREFinalists
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