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As the calibre of nominees continues to strengthen each year, participants in the 2025 Australian Young Entrepreneur Awards saw a 25 per cent lift in both combined turnover and employment to $2.5 billion and 15,500 jobs respectively - a growth rate that was outpaced by profit acceleration at 37 per cent. An expanded judging panel had to make some of the toughest deliberations in the history of the initiative.
A Gold Coast-based founder has won the Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the first time since 2018, with Australian Property Scout founder Samuel Gordon ultimately winning over the most judges to take home the top accolade.
Gordon's achievement puts the title back in Gold Coast hands for the first time since it was won by National Veterinary Care founder Tomas Steenackers in 2018.
The entrepreneur's passion for property investment has translated into a multi-faceted business that helps its clients identify opportunities, both as a buyers agency for residential and commercial properties, as well as through its educational platform and a podcast that has been a successful lead generation machine.
His performance narrowly edged out fellow Queensland-based entrepreneur, builder Chris Baptista of CMA and ARQUE, Andrew Holder of Perth-based Revo Fitness, Brad McAuliffe of Geelong-based egg producer and poultry consultancy Ramp Advisory Partners, and developer Jonathon Mendez of Vivacity Property.
"Australian Property Scout has become one of Australia's most profitable property businesses, combining a high-performance buyers agency with a fast-scaling education platform and a top-ranking national podcast," noted one judge. "Its integrated model - residential, commercial, education and media - has created a self-reinforcing ecosystem that continues to scale rapidly while maintaining elite customer outcomes."
"He's built a highly profitable, mission-driven business with genuine impact," said another. "His model combines education, investment and media in a way that scales rapidly. His vision and margins make him stand out at a national level."
Meanwhile the Trailblazer award, given to founders who have seen exponential growth and have the potential for major success, went to Omar Sabré and Zane Sabré, the Sydney-based globetrotting founders of leather goods and accessories business MAISON de SABRÉ.
"Omar and Zane win the Trailblazer for us because they are building one of Australia's next global luxury houses, combining explosive product demand, cultural relevance, and world-class design innovation," said one pair of judges. "Their momentum across 80-plus countries, major pop-ups, global retail doors and sell-out drops shows the trajectory of a brand on the edge of worldwide breakout."
"This is the definition of a Trailblazer," said another. "They're not just selling handbags - they're rewriting the rules of modern luxury from the ground up. Zero-waste manufacturing, materials science, global wholesale expansion, celebrity organic adoption, pop-ups in Paris and Tokyo - and no outside capital. They've essentially built a modern LVMH challenger with the speed and creativity of a tech startup."
Setting a new record for the initiative, seven awards went to founders based outside of the four main cities where Young Entrepreneur Awards galas are held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Five of these awards were for founders based in Perth, earning the WA capital the second-largest haul on the night, just behind the leader Sydney and ahead of the Gold Coast.
This is a remarkable achievement considering that until last year no Perth founders had ever won an award at the event, although founders have won in the past from the likes of Logan, Adelaide, Byron Bay, Newcastle and Wollongong.
Now Geelong and Canberra can also be added to that list after McAuliffe of Ramp Advisory Partners won what was arguably the most tightly contested Food & Beverage category the initiative has ever witnessed, and Mark Luo of Quantum Brilliance took home the award in an equally competitive Deep Tech category.
The Australian Young Entrepreneur Awards also undertook the launch of two new categories this year which received strong interest from around the country in their first iteration, with Beauty & Wellness won by Qure Skincare founders Kristina Orlic-Edmonds & Matthew Orlic, and Energy & Cleantech won by Heuson Bak of Solar Naturally.
Attendees were treated to inspiring stories from the winners throughout the evening, not to mention one another's tales of hardship and success. This celebration of entrepreneurship, that finds and recognises exceptional talent, would not have been possible without the awards' sponsors the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program, the City of Gold Coast, Vaun Group, SUBCO, and iVvy.
The esteemed panel of judges also made a significant contribution and worked hard to balance up the achievements, business models, impacts, spirit and trajectories of participating founders.
Business News Australia would like to thank all founders who participated in the awards this year for sharing your journeys with us, and we can't wait to hear from you all again in 2026. Be sure to mark 1 July in your calendars for when nominations open.
All of the winners from the 2025 Australian Young Entrepreneur Awards:
- Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Samuel Gordon - Australian Property Scout
- Trailblazer: Omar Sabré & Zane Sabré - MAISON de SABRÉ
- Beauty & Wellness: Kristina Orlic-Edmonds & Matthew Orlic - Qure Skincare
- Deep Tech: Mark Luo - Quantum Brilliance
- Digital Disruptor: Jeremy Lynch & Marc Everest - Dealer Studio
- Energy & Cleantech: Heuson Bak - Solar Naturally
- Fashion & Design: Omar Sabré & Zane Sabré - MAISON de SABRÉ
- Finance & Fintech: Tony Chan - Wagepay
- Fitness: Andrew Holder - Revo Fitness
- Food & Beverage: Brad McAuliffe - Ramp Advisory Partners
- Health & Medicine: Dr Mohammed Al Ebrahimi & Ali Al Ebrahimi - People First Healthcare
- Hospitality & Tourism: James Carney, Alec Carney & Paul Carney - Gemelli Italian
- Legal: Hayder Shkara - The Justice Network
- Manufacturing & Supply Chain: Umar Farooq - Burk
- Marketing: Brandon Willington - Where U?
- PR, Media & Events: Thomas Fu and Tom Mcpherson - Motor Culture Australia
- Professional Services: Micky Ahuja - MA Services Group
- Property & Construction: Samuel Gordon - Australian Property Scout
- Retail & Services: Umar Farooq - Burk
- Specialist Services: Daniel Mikus & James Rolph - MR Roads
- Startup: Alexis Oujani - Lion's Den Collectibles
- Sustainability & Social Responsibility: Joshua Ball & Josh Brooks-Duncan - Farmers Pick
- Technology: Johan Misquitta - Simplyai
A full list of finalists in the 2025 Australian Young Entrepreneur Awards can be found here.
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