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Melbourne is abuzz with anticipation as the city’s trailblazers prepare for the Young Entrepreneur Awards.
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
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