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A blockbuster Deep Tech cohort and two new categories covering Energy & Cleantech and Beauty & Wellness will be just a few defining features of the 2025 Australian Young Entrepreneur Awards, which kick off tomorrow evening on the Gold Coast and bring together the brightest founders from all corners of the country.
Never before has the race for the coveted Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year title been so tight, and the same could be said across numerous categories for this group whose combined turnover is up 25 per cent when compared to the 2024 nominees.
This spectacular growth rate - representing an additional $500 million - was achieved despite the natural eligibility attrition for many accomplished founders as they enter their 40s, and a prevalence of pre-revenue companies that have hit significant milestones in their paths to commercialisation.
The latter is what justified the launch last year of the Deep Tech award, which was won by Convergence Medical founder Dr Christopher Jeffery who captivated the crowd with his inspiring story of building a world-first arthroscopic surgical robot.- a mission that has progressed in leaps and bounds since then.
The medtech founder will be out to defend the category this year against other successful visionaries including the founders of Andromeda Robotics, HEO, Paladin Space, Quantum Brilliance and Starbound Space Solutions.
Proceedings at The Glasshouse at Surfers Paradise will begin with the prestigious Sustainability & Social Responsibility award that recognises founders with bold ambitions to change the way we treat this beautiful planet and each other - a category that attracted a whopping 58 nominations nationwide this year.
Last year saw two heavy hitters in CMA founder Chris Baptista and Australian Property Scout founder Sam Gordon - winners of the top titles in Brisbane and the Gold Coast respectively - vying for the Property & Construction category.
This year Baptista and Gordon achieved the same feat again, but will also be up against Sydney Young Entrepreneur of the Year Jonathon Mendez of Vivacity Property Group, Procon Materials founders Giovanni Pino and Ellie Vaisman from Melbourne who are no strangers to the awards stage, and Geoffrey Steele of Steele Build in Adelaide.
Last year's Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year winners, Sigma Prime founders Mehdi Zerouali, Paul Hauner and Adrian Manning, bowed out in 2025 to "leave the space for other brilliant entrepreneurs who are on their own journeys".
Their absence leaves the Technology category wide open, as well as the top title which is also being contested by Melbourne Young Entrepreneur of the Year winners Josh Brooks-Duncan and Joshua Ball of Farmers Pick, the aforementioned winners in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, alongside stellar entries from all over Australia.
Who will win the title of Trailblazer is also anyone's guess.
Australian Young Entrepreneur Awards founder Camilla Westerlund says the initiative searches the country far and wide for the most innovative, tenacious, and successful talent making an impact on business and society.
"Since creating this event in 2008, we’re proud of the role the awards have played in unearthing and showcasing game-changers in ways that inspire others. This is a legacy that has been built by many," she says.
"This is about recognition and the normalisation of entrepreneurship as a meaningful and viable life path, but it's also a meeting point for collaboration between peers, sharing moments of celebration as these founders reflect on their own successes and learnings with others.
"These awards are the culmination of a deeply engaged process involving our editorial team with entrepreneurs across Australia and rigorous judging."
The initiative's founder uses the analogy of what makes a great sports team, drawing on her past experience as a European handball coach.
"You don't just want a few star players driving the team forward. What you need is depth in every position and a diversity of talents across all players," Westerlund says.
"This is what we're seeing now in this year's cohort of young founders in Australia, where you could practically pick any industry at random and see examples of outstanding performance."
The 2025 Australian Young Entrepreneur Awards would not have been possible without the support of its corporate partners - the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program, the City of Gold Coast, Vaun Group, SUBCO, and iVvy.
The Australian Young Entrepreneur Awards is also underpinned by the work of an esteemed panel of judges including Dental Boutique founders Dr Reuben Sim and Dr May Chan, Go1 co-founder Andrew Barnes, CitrusAd founder Brad Moran, Greencross founder Dr Glen Richards, Vita Group founder Maxine Horne, Acusensus co-founder Alexander Jannink, Loanezi founder Renee Tocco, and Business News Australia founder Camilla Westerlund.
Meet the 2025 Australian Young Entrepreneur Awards finalists
Adelaide
George Giannakakis - BuildPilot
Jordan Sinclair & Cameron Mulroney - JC Commercial Services
Harrison Box - Paladin Space
Edward Robinson - Robinson Aerospace Systems
Geoffrey Steele - Steele Build
Brisbane
Rob Joseph - Anti Ordinary
Cian Davis & Sinead Davis - Aspira Health
Ben Weedon - BLW Marine Management
Jaryd Terkelsen & Ash Bisset - Beforeyouspeak Coffee
Chris Baptista - CMA, ARQUE
Dr Christopher Jeffery - Convergence Medical
Ashley Robertson - Forward Moves Group
Sam McNamara - Getahead
Jason Le - JRNY Digital
Amy Williams - Lash Prodigy
Courtney Lockett - Lockett McCullough Lawyers
Daniel Mikus & James Rolph - MR Group
Nic Blair & Matt Anderson - Midnight Health
Jae Martin & Bec Martin - Mondaze Burgers & Shakes
Thomas Fu & Tom Mcpherson - Motor Culture Australia
Dean Leibbrandt, Tegan Leibbrandt & Jaryd Leibbrandt - Nakie
Tony Chan - Wagepay
Blake Thompson - x-recruiter
Byron Bay
Sophie Kovic - Seed & Sprout
Cheryl Kitchener - Unscripted Photographers
Canberra
Claire Saito - MIIROKO
Mark Luo - Quantum Brilliance
Dubbo
Warrick Edwards - Delroy Park Dental Care
Geelong
Brad McAuliffe - Ramp Advisory Partners
Gold Coast
Samuel Gordon - Australian Property Scout
Tom Egan - Avia Homes
Shokria Siddiqui - Capability Support Services
Katie Fielding - Country Girl Management
Jeremy Lynch & Marc Everest - Dealer Studio
Sasha Karabut - Ecom Capital
Sterling Sheddan & Abdul Muqtadir - Fastway Enterprises
James Carney, Alec Carney & Paul Carney - Gemelli Italian
Mark Hawley & Reuben Scheckter - Golf Journeys
Reuben Bergola & Michelle Williams - Green Life Clinics
Mike Kellett - Macro Mike
Reuben Bergola, Wayne Kampen & Jameson Smith - New Wave Group
Jameson Smith - New Wave Legal
Hayley O'Connor & Daniaal Trezise - Sea Street
Sheila Gough Kenyon - Starbound Space Solutions
Karen Mitault & Sylvain Mitault - TweetyCam
Broden Johnson - Yakk
Hobart
Hannah Vasicek & Rachel Vasicek - Francesca Jewellery
Hunter Valley
Zac Joyce & Courtney Joyce - Virtual Spotter
Lake Macquarie
Allana Ford - Muse Pilates Studios, Spicy Pilates
Melbourne
Grace Brown & Yan Chen - Andromeda Robotics
Harley Cannard - Ausso
Jamie Marciniak - Electrify Me
Joshua Ball & Josh Brooks-Duncan - Farmers Pick
Natasha Marcello - For Keeps Merch
Trent Scheirs & Lachlan Catanese - Grant Help
Jordan Mylius - Hairification
Melinda Farley - Kollektive
Micky Ahuja - MA Services Group
Ethan Donati - My Million Dollar Funnels, Ethan Donati Enterprises
Nathan Yun & Rex Zhang - Paire
Dr Mohammed Al Ebrahimi & Ali Al Ebrahimi - People First Healthcare
Ellie Vaisman & Giovanni Pino - Procon Materials
Michael Ramsey - STRONG Pilates
Sonny Moshinsky, Joey Moshinsky & Richard Mathieson - Tutero
Chloe White - Visa Sidekick
Winson Tan - WA Group
Blake Thomson - Xeople, SlakeTech, Vertex
NSW Central Coast
Lauren Perrett - BubbaDesk
Stephen Pastor - Kings Of Neon
Perth
James Flattery, Vida Yan & Nicholas Scanlan - AMF Engineering & Construction
Umar Farooq - Burk
Mathieu Bourget - Il Locale Pizzeria
Dr Kent Tan - My Implant Dentist, My Dental Lab
Jak Tidman & Daniel Dawson - Paperly
Jonah Palelei - Poly Hoops
Andrew Holder - Revo Fitness
Heuson Bak - Solar Naturally
Brandon Willington - Where U?
Sunshine Coast
Clement Ouvrard - Mad Wild Campers
Sydney
Samuel Wood - Azura Fashion Group
Sanjay Sundarjee - Damican
Tahlia Carlyle - Empowered Living Care
William Crowe & Hiranya Jayakody - HEO
Jarron Aizen - Hapana
Daniel Lazarus - Industrias Services Group
Matt Purcell - KYU Media
Alexis Oujani - Lion's Den Collectibles
Omar Sabré & Zane Sabré - MAISON de SABRÉ
Amanda Wickramage & Gayan Herath - Mandy the Physio
Kristina Orlic-Edmonds & Matthew Orlic - Qure Skincare
Henrique Turra - Radish Events
Scott O'Neill - Rethink Group
Johan Misquitta - Simplyai
Hayder Shkara - The Justice Network
Sam Jamsheedi - Trademark Group of Companies
Jacob Ritchie - Two Birds Social, Poly Studios
Jonathon Mendez - Vivacity Property, MHE Property Co, Land Lease SPV, Earthbuilt
Torquay
Paz Pisarski - The Community Collective
Wagga Wagga
Grace Mattingly - Street Slamin Dance Centre, Venom Allstars Cheerleading
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