Melbourne Young Entrepreneur Awards to honour diverse group of game changers

An exciting crop of highly accomplished business leaders under 40 will share the spotlight at the glittering gala event at the Park Hyatt this evening. 

These finalists represent a combined revenue of $582 million and employ more than 6,000 individuals, making the Melbourne cohort the economic leader from an income perspective within the Young Entrepreneur Awards initiative for 2023. 

And it’s not just a numbers game for this group. 

As one might expect from the cultural metropolis that is Naarm, leaders in fashion, arts, hospitality and sustainability are all contesting the title of Melbourne’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year. 

However, standing beside them are many of the city’s well-known entrepreneurs from diverse sectors such as manufacturing, medicine, fitness, technology and more.

Founder of Business News Australia and the Young Entrepreneur Awards, Camilla Jansen, says the cross-section is both impressive and impactful.  

“Each finalist has demonstrated exceptional acumen, driving innovation and progress in a wide array of fields,” she says. 

“Their stories inspire others, creating a ripple effect that fuels Melbourne's entrepreneurial ecosystem.” 

She adds that the Melbourne Young Entrepreneur Awards represent much more than an accolade, and the gala is similarly more than a glamorous evening. 

“This event transcends the boundaries of conventional recognition – it exemplifies the essence of community and collaboration,” says Jansen. 

“It is also a fertile ground for the cross-pollination of ideas where people from different sectors converge, share their experiences and forge connections that often lead to unprecedented alliances.” 

While there are many fresh finalists in 2023, others are returning to defend titles from their respective categories in 2022. 

These past winners include the founders of Bianca & Bridgett, Untitled Group, Ampersand, Strong Pilates, Dental Boutique, My Careers, Found-Space and Burger Road. 

Charged with the difficult task of selecting winners this year are esteemed judges Dr Glen Richards, James Grieg, Robert Hynes, Baden U’ren and Camilla Jansen; highly accomplished entrepreneurs who have played a part in shaping the country’s modern business landscape.  

Representatives from event sponsors Maserati, Coraggio, Venture Crowd, Stone & Chalk and Ivvy, all notable champions of innovation and entrepreneurship, will also present awards on the night. 

“Attendees can expect an electrifying atmosphere as Melbourne's young titans meet under one roof,” says Jansen.  

“Over the years, this vibrant gathering has witnessed it all including the birth of transformative partnerships, ground-breaking ideations and even first meetings between life partners. This year promises to be no different.” 

The 2023 Melbourne Young Entrepreneur Awards finalists are (in alphabetical order by company):

Cam Noble, Matt Noble and Keenan Te - ACTS Music Group, ACTS Music Publishing, ACTS Agency, Six Degree Studios, Staple Studios, Waave, Five AM, ACTS Distribution, JM Talent, Six Creative

Alexander Jannink - Acusensus Australia

Alex Bottomley - Ampersand Projects

Steve Aidun Xie - AQUAME

Scott Gavens - ATEO

Breanne Eley - Baby Spa Australia, Baby Spa Swim Australia

Tim O'Sullivan, Liam Gostencnik & Sumin Do - Bae Juice

Michael Bronfman - baresop

Bianca Roccisano and Bridgett Roccisano - Bianca and Bridgett, Booby Tape

Gaurav Kawar - Book An Artist

Tim Huang, Jenny Le and Justin Huang - Bubble Tea Club

Matt Perrott and Aaron Vanston - BuildPass

Anna Dewan and Ishu Wadhawan - Burger Road Australia

Hash Tayeh - Burgertory, Consortium Food Group, Bean Lab, Mipasto

Rebeca Dee and Alana McLeod - Burrito Bae

Hayley De Angelis - Cleanse and Co, Soll The Label

Serene Lim - Cup 49

Genevieve Day - Day Management, Next of Kin Management

Dr Rita Trakhtman - Dental and Skin Clinic

Dr Reuben Sim and Dr May Chan - Dental Boutique

Gary Sheppard - Direct Cranes Hire

Evan Vassos - Dolphin Corporate Investments

Luke Tadich - Dreamcourts

Emma Scott - ELS School of Dance, ELS Children's Entertainment

Blake Thomson - Entire Software

Costa Vasili - Ethnolink

Susannah Carp and Jeremy Carp - FAIRLEY

Alex Tyson - Found—Space

Nathan Trifonidis - Front Row Entertainment

Ali Terai - Future Golf, Vinh and Ali Show

Lachlan Catanese and Trent Scheirs - Grant Help

Liam Highmore, Ashleigh Dodson and Luke Ray - Homeable

Stephanie Silver - I Am Mindful

Joel Harris - J Group Consulting

Melinda Farley - Kollektive

Kristina Youssef - KYK HAIR CARE

Jessica Arthur, Lauren Rugolo and Emma Spiliopoulos - Lash Therapy Australia

Regan Lethbridge - Lemon Tree Music

Micky Ahuja - MA Services Group

James Marshall - Marshall Group

Jonathan Byrt and Jesse Leeworthy - memobottle

Sally Kellett - Mirosuna, The Wellpreneur Code and Inner Wilder

Lauren French - Motto Fashions

Fergus Creese - My Careers

Ethan Donati - My Million Dollar Funnels, Iconic Speaker

Maria Baker - Nobody's Princess

Ruby Wang - Nudie Glow

Mia Bowyer - One Earth Marketing

Nathan Yun and Rex Zhang - Paire

Jesse King and Anthony Gunter - Pandr Outsourcing

Fernando Berghella and Matthew Aubry - Personalised Support Systems, Bodyfit Pilates & Yoga, M&M Your Business, Bliss By Holly May and Sevesi Travels and Tours

Steven Gringlas - Picos Media

Nikita Gossain and James Smorgon - PPR Capital   

Michael Tutek - preezie

Troy Rowe - ReSource

Deepak Verma - Search Marketing Group

Yuri Miloslavsky, Mauro Garcia, Luciano Vitetti - SharePass, YMtech

Divyang Patel, Jatin Patel and Monika Patel - So Moorish Foods, Choco Nuts

Nicholas Quinn and Jesse Moors - Spatium Capital

Simon Tuong - Strapify

Michael Ramsey - Strong Pilates

Harry Sanders - StudioHawk

Sharleen Vong and Vivian Kha - SVK BEAUTY

Elon Datt - Tapt

Michael Wang, Dr Raymond Wen and Dr Christopher Sia - Telecare and RxPad

Melanie Nolan - The Natal Naturopath

Talia Datt - The Social CliQ, The Content CliQ, Tapt, Matcha Maiden, Alivio Wellness

Dominique Acciarito and Helene Hill - The Spoonie Society

Mennan Yelkenci - Tierra Consulting Group

Ethan Yong - UmamiPapi

Nicholas Greco, Filippo Palermo, Christian Serrao and Michael Christidis - Untitled Group, Beyond The Valley, Pitch Music & Arts, Wildlands, Grapevine Gathering, Ability Fest, For The Love, UGLY Vodka, Underscore Agency, Proxy Agency and Sun Cycle NYD

John Terziovski - ZEN

Hannah Goldberg and Ahron Goldberg - Zenn Design