People's Choice Awards In December we went out to the public to nominate individuals who have made a difference in the startup ecosystem in 2021. A panel of independent experts whittled down 83 incredible submissions from the public to a shortlist of 13 finalists, which was then put to a public vote closing on December 20. The winners will be announced at an invite-only awards ceremony at Government House in February 2022. Now, it's time for you to decide the winner. VOTE NOW Ecosystem Hero of the Year The Ecosystem Hero of the Year award celebrates the people behind the scenes of startup success. This one's for the community builders and master connectors who deserve their moment in the sun. Judy Anderson CEO, Startup Victoria Judy runs Startup Victoria, Australia’s largest network for entrepreneurs, where she organises Australia’s largest startup events and provides world-class founder memberships. Rohit Bhargava Startup BDM, AWS; Host of Startup Playbook Podcast Rohit is a podcaster, connector and ecosystem builder. For the last 5.5 years he has been helping to support the ecosystem through his podcast, The Startup Playbook Podcast. Cameron Ensor Student Fellowship Associate, Startmate Cam is helping to grow the startup ecosystem by actively promoting this as THE desirable career choice for talented and motivated university students. Cristabel Gekas Women Fellowship Associate, Startmate Cristabel runs the Startmate Women's Fellowship, a two month program helping ambitious women to kickstart their careers in technology. Aiman Hamdouna Co-Founder & CEO, Hatch Quarter Hatch Quarter is a global innovation hub harnessing the value of diversity to bridge the gap between technology, industry and humans. Jonathan Jeffries Co-Founder, Think&Grow JJ created the Re-Trained platform to help connect humans displaced during the pandemic. The platform has helped 171 people re-enter the workforce and secure employment in the Victorian startup ecosystem. Ilena Young CEO, Startup Shakeup (and Former Chair) Ilena is a champion of our regional startup ecosystem having launched Startup Shakeup across North East Victoria and supported scores of regional founders. Investor of the Year Victoria's investor community is famous for supporting startups with not just capital, but the networks and know-how they need to win. The Investor of the Year category recognises individuals who have been crucial to shaping Victoria's VC landscape this year Aprill & Matt Allen Co-Founders, Tractor Ventures Tractor Ventures provides a flexible, revenue based financing alternative for founders who want to lead profitable technology companies. Chelsea Newell CO-CEO, Scale Investors Chelsea leads Scale Investors, Australia's first and only network of angel investors who invest in exceptional female founders. Rachael Neumann Founder, Flying Fox Rachael is passionate about helping companies scale and increase their impact through differentiated customer experiences and new product development. Nicole Small Investment Director, Rampersand Nicole works with visionary early-stage founders addressing emerging problems for individuals, companies and society. Hugh Stephens Founder & General Partner, Galileo V Galileo's mission is to enable first time emerging founders. After three years of raising, Galileo launched its inaugural $10m fund in 2020. Rachel Yang Partner, Giant Leap Ventures Rachel backs exceptional, rapidly scalable businesses that blend financial returns with deep social and environmental impact.
A new awards ceremony celebrating the outstanding contribution of Victoria’s $10.5 billion startup sector is set to shine a light on entrepreneurs, leaders and investors across the ecosystem. Governor of Victoria Startup Awards The Governor of Victoria Startup Awards will be hosted by The Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, early next year and will recognise Victorian startup achievements across five identified categories. These include: Best Newcomer for firms less than three years old; Startup of the Year for firms less than ten years old; Scaleup of the Year for those that have had a minimum Series A in the last four years; Investor of the Year as nominated by the founder community; and Ecosystem Hero of the Year featuring People’s Choice Experts' Choice “If you are a Victorian startup founder, investor or community builder I urge you to get behind the Governor of Victoria Startup Awards and nominate someone who you believe is making an impact in Victoria’s startup sector.” Kate Cornick, CEO, LaunchVic People's Choice Award open for nominations Nominations for the Investor of the Year and Ecosystem Hero of the Year categories are being sought from the startup community, which will then be put to a public vote. Ecosystem Hero of the Year The Ecosystem Hero of the Year award celebrates the people behind the scenes of startup success. This one's for the community builders, the master connectors, the thought leaders and first believers who deserve their moment in the sun. > Nominate now Investor of the Year Speaking of first believers, Victoria's investor community is famous for supporting startups with not just capital, but the networks and know-how they need to grow. Nominate an investor you feel has been crucial to growing Victoria's startup ecosystem this year. > Nominate Now Voting Process The awards for Best Newcomer, Startup of the Year and Scaleup of the Year categories will be selected from a shortlist of the top 30 Victorian startups based on criteria that includes: money raised, age of firm and job creation or number of employees. This data will come from LaunchVic’s startup database findingstartups.launchvic.org, powered by Dealroom - see more below. Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to provide a written submission to be assessed by an external expert panel. Explore Victoria's Tech ecosystem “Victoria’s startup sector is one of Victoria’s fastest growing sectors – growing by $3 billion to $10.5 billion in the past year alone." Kate Cornick, CEO, LaunchVic Explore the Victoria Tech ecosystem via LaunchVic’s startup database , powered by Dealroom. Built by and for founders, investors, executives and tech enthusiasts. Visit findingstartups.launchvic.org The Governor of Victoria Startup Awards are supported by The Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, and will be presented at Government House in early 2022. Initiated by the Victorian Government, the awards celebrate the outstanding contribution to the fast-growing sector. LaunchVic as Victoria’s startup agency is coordinating the Awards Process, using both quantitative (Dealroom) and qualitative (Victorian expert panel) metrics to evaluate nominations.