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The Australian Young Entrepreneur Awards attracted record nominations in 2022, and for the first time since the initiative went national in 2018 there were more applications from Sydney than any other city.
This makes sense given the NSW capital is the country's largest, most populous business hub, but it was the diversity and forward-thinking, progressive clout of the group that the Business News Australia team and judges found most striking.
What was also notable was the level of entrepreneurs who didn't qualify as finalists due to the tight competition this year.
As the culmination of interviews, analysis and a rigorous selection process of entrepreneurs from across the Harbour City who shared their time and stories with us, leading founders will gather tonight for the Sydney instalment of the awards at ivy Ballroom to unwind, mingle and celebrate their achievements.
The competition is set to be red-hot across the various award categories and for the top prize, which was claimed last year by One Stop Warehouse (OSW) and Discover Energy founders Anson Zhang and Jeff Yu. The duo also won the event's Manufacturing, Wholesale and Distribution category, as well as taking out the Sustainability & Social Responsibility Award.
Known as one of Australia’s largest solar distributors, OSW’s growth was reinforced when China-based GCL acquired a 51 per cent stake in the company six years ago. With the backing of the world's largest solar panel manufacturer, the group has gone from strength to strength under the leadership of Zhang and Yu who in 2018 launched their own renewable energy retailer Discover Energy.
The finalists will also be vying for the coveted Trailblazer Award, which recognises a founder who has achieved exponential growth in their business over a short period of time and is on the cusp of much greater things.
Last year, the award was taken home by Mina Nada and Michael Johnson, who are the co-founders of e-bike rental platform Zoomo. Founded in 2017, the company banked $28 million in a Series B round led by top-tier US VC Collaborative Fund nine months ago.
Following a comprehensive judging process, the winners will be announced across 16 categories at the gala dinner.
Young Entrepreneur Awards founder Camilla Jansen said she was excited to kick off the event tonight and give Sydney’s talented finalists the chance to celebrate their successes.
“Tonight’s event is all about showcasing the most inspirational young founders who have worked hard to build remarkable companies from the ground up. Every entrepreneur should be incredibly proud of the contributions they have made to economies at home and abroad.
“I’d also like to thank our corporate partners Go1, VentureCrowd, OSW, Whispir and iVvyfor helping us make this event possible."
Aside from the two major awards of Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Trailblazer, the gala will span a range of sectors with 16 different award categories including:
- Digital Disruptor
- Fashion & Design
- Finance
- Food & Beverage
- Health & Medicine
- Hospitality & Tourism
- Manufacturing, Wholesale & Distribution
- Marketing
- PR, Media & Events
- Professional Services
- Property & Construction
- Retail & Services
- Specialist Services
- Startup
- Sustainability & Social Responsibility
- Technology
The finalists in the 2022 Sydney Young Entrepreneur Awards are as follows (in alphabetical order by company):
Dr Patrick Aouad & Daniel Mann - [cu]health, Loxley Health
Jaya Yoannidis – A Man & His Cave
Lambros Photios – Adaca, Ante
Xavier Orr & Chris Shaw – Advanced Navigation
Tom Caska – Aerologix
Alex Khor, Adrian Petersen, Mike Forster, Adam Smith & Dave Insull – AfterWork Ventures
Preet Singh – Ampar, AEK Media
Ammar Issa – AMR Hair & Beauty Group
Zyran Erasmus – App Boxer, The X/OVER, Glo Diabetes
Dr Benjamin Coorey & Robert Coorey – Archistar
Paul Eastwood – Argon & Co
Paul Wenham, Erika Villanueva & Nicholas Lew Ton – AssuranceLab
Chris Parker – Awaken
Sam Wood – Azura Fashion Group
Jenna Davies & Jade Spooner – Big Uppetite
Charlie Karaboga – Block Earner
Jason Hood – BourkeHood
Nick Jacobs & Aaron Bassin – Bridgit
Candice Gersun Meisels – Candice PR
Paul Maric & Alborz Fallah – CarExpert.com.au
Xixi Liu & Allen Fu – CheekyGlo
Emily Bobis & Angus McDonald – Compass IoT
Kirsten Kore – Designerex
Shivani Gopal – Elladex
Amal Wakim & Jade Spooner – Equalution
Neil Fabry – Fab Industrial
Samantha Cook & Stuart Cook – Flave
Ben Lipschitz – FoodByUs
Bishara Hatoum – Fundo Loans
George Papura – Georgiemane
Cooper Darling-Blair – GovConnex
Stephen Brush & Corey Biczo – HealthProof
Anaita Sarkar & Vikram Davé – Hero Packaging
Michael Lin & Lisa Lin – Hey Mama
Sam Lambert & Hayley Lambert – H + S Building NSW
Matthew Holloway – Holloway Group
Arjun Paliwal – InvestorKit
Jack Petersen – InVista Group Australia
Stephen Pastor – Kings of Neon
Julian Fayad – LoanOptions.ai
Rita Agoulian – LickYourPhone Media
Mathieu Bertrand & Jenna Leo – Like Family
Brad Manuel – Livewire Group International
Ally Mellor – Locako
Carl Hartmann – Lyre’s
Alexis Soulopoulos – Mad Paws
Abdul Razak & Samira Razak – Maple Community Services
Jamie Cerexhe & Doug Vincent – Mastt
Sean Pieres & Matthew Craig – MindArc
Amy Elliott – National Inquiry Agency
Sean Crook & Christopher Makhoul – Neolink
Afonso Firmo & Lochie Burke – NETNADA
Bianca Commisso & Anthony Simonette – OnPointPlanningCo
Jacob Markarian & Salpi Markarian – OWEST
Nick Nicolaides & Hayden Smith – Pearler
Jules Bouillon – Pistou
Will Chambers & Scott Ellie-Flint – Recess
Dr Vincent Candrawinata – Renovatio Bioscience
Nathan Rust – Safetyline Jalousie
Steve Chapman & Sam Prince – Shine Drink
William On & Rob Hango-Zada – Shippit
Vishavdeep Singh – Solar Power Nation
Katya Vakulenko – Soup Agency
Tomoyuki Hachigo & Alex Solo – Sprintlaw
Lelde Smits & Julia Maguire – The Capital Network
Sam Jamsheedi – Trademark Global, Trademark Group
Hiral Shah – Trikon, Metaweb
Stuart Cook & Ryan Barnes – TWIYO Capital & Advisory
Khoder Daher – United For Care, All SDA
Anish Sinha & Skye Theodorou – Upcover
Noah Verin – Urban Green Produce
Amanda Siqueira & Michelle Aguilar – VAPAR
Jeremy Yang & Mo Moubayed – Veridooh
Wilson Poon – WhiteTower Digital
Raj Singh – Windsor & Lux
Ben Delaney, Vanessa Zhao, Ho Jun Tang & Adrian Brossard – Yellowbox
Tyler Martin & Sophie Heatley – Yes You Can Drinks
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