South Australia’s high-flying entrepreneurs: 19 rising business stars watch
It’s not just Tobi and Kayla, South Australia is home to a long list of high-flying young entrepreneurs. We explore some of the state’s emerging talent.
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From exploring the frontiers of space, to making South Australia the industrial hemp capital of the country, to tackling important societal issues through social enterprise.
The state has a long list of high-flying entrepreneurs who have ambitious plans to become leaders in their field.
Today we profile some of the state’s emerging talent, and delve into their exciting and innovative ideas.
Eloise Hall
Age: 24
Company: TABOO Period Products
Founded: 2017
Role: Managing director and co-founder
TABOO, co-founded by Eloise Hall and Isobel Marshall when they were just 17 and 18 years old, is a social enterprise which sells high-quality period products in Australia with all company profits and advocacy efforts committed to ending period poverty.
The company sells directly to consumers online and through retailers, and also directly to independent businesses, organisations and local governments.
Not surprisingly Ms Hall has been the recipient of a number of awards including The Advertiser’s Woman of the Year Rising Star award in 2021, and EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year Impact category award this year.
Ms Hall says the company continues to work to spread its message, collaborating with advertising agency Black Sheep recently on the “Bloody Important Conversation” campaign which ultimately encourages workplaces to supply their staff with free period products.
“TABOO has a few points of growth on the horizon and the pursuit of growth is underpinned by the company’s vision to see an end to period poverty, in Australia by 2030,’’ Ms Hall says.
“Firstly, the market of selling directly to businesses is growing, as the movement for period-positive organisations is an evolving global discussion.
“TABOO wants to expand its range of products sold to consumers and is currently trialling new, environmentally considerate products. Finally, TABOO is actively looking to expand the current ‘Pad it Forward’ program and its current impact model so more people at risk of period poverty can receive access to free and dignified period care as well as improved menstrual health education across the country.
“TABOO is ready to work with interested philanthropists to further the impact of these existing programs.”
Ms Hall said she was heartened that a lot of young entrepreneurs had an increasingly “for good” focus, and encouraged anyone looking to start their own endeavour to back themselves.
“My advice to these young entrepreneurs is to stay brave and stay grounded. The younger you are, the more creative, ambitious and practical your ideas are likely to be. If you have an idea to make the world a better place (yes, even through trade), give it a crack!’’
RaviTeja Duggineni
Age: 33
Company: ResearchSat
Founded: 2018
Role: Founder and chief executive
The founder of space technology start-up ResearchSat is exploring opportunities to expand the business overseas next year after completing a maiden space mission from Sweden.
RaviTeja Duggineni established ResearchSat in 2018, supporting drug and pharmaceutical companies with their research and development by sending bacteria and other fungi viruses into space to see how they react.
After participating in the inaugural Venture Catalyst Space incubator program, he is gearing up for a second launch in February before expanding into India and Europe.
Mr Duggineni said networking was one of the key factors behind his early success in business.
“My advice to young entrepreneurs would be to make a target to, in the next 6 months, build 500 connections in SA,” he said.
“Embrace the challenges of your journey with the perseverance of first love. Entrepreneurship demands passion, resilience, and unwavering commitment.”
Ricky Chau and Charmain Ooi
Age: 37 and 26
Company: Brand Your Own Foods (BYO Foods)
Founded: 2020
Role: Founders
Ricky Chau and Charmain Ooi have secured an impressive list of customers for their specialist juice business after identifying a gap in the market at the height of Covid-19.
Brand Your Own Foods (BYO Foods) supplies custom-branded, cold-pressed juices to cafes, restaurants and hotels across the country, including Peregrine Corporation and the Sofitel Hotel
The business was initially established to provide university students with business experience during the pandemic, but when Ms Ooi joined as an intern during the final stages of her marketing degree, the venture quickly morphed into something quite different.
“With the help of mentors and incubator programs run by UniSA and Adelaide Uni, what began as a South Australian start-up has expanded to service hundreds of venues nationally,” Mr Chau said.
“When deciding whether or not to start something new, it’s important no to put too much weighting on failure. We tend to imagine a worst-case scenario that is indefinite before we’ve even begun which prevents us from ever starting. Failure is what gets you to the starting line.”
Supriya Dixit
Age: 30
Company: eDON
Founded: 2022
Role: Co-founder
Entrepreneur Supriya Dixit is approaching a critical milestone for her start-up eDON which has developed an app to ease the shortage of nurses in Australian hospitals while improving work-life balance in an industry under strain.
eDON helps hospitals bridge shortfalls in their staffing by directly connecting them with qualified nurses.
During the upcoming summer period, eDON will be deployed across a group of private hospitals across Adelaide, and there are plans to follow the local rollout with a rapid expansion interstate.
Ms Dixit said an intense focus on the customer and intimate understanding of the issues facing the nursing sector had been important factors behind the early success of eDON, which was only founded last year.
“It has been invaluable to spend time speaking to nurses and hospital managers as we’ve been developing our product, and the feedback that we’ve received has allowed us to shape our offering as one that is fit for purpose and that provides a genuine improvement to their working lives.”
Harrison Box
Age: 28
Company: Paladin Space
Founded: March 2023
Role: Founder
Harrison Box is aiming to solve the “most dangerous pandemic” facing the space industry by creating the world’s first reusable space debris removal satellite.
Just seven months after he established Paladin Space, it has already developed a prototype, and is in the final stages of negotiations with investors in its bid to secure funding for activities planned next year, including the development of an artificial intelligence capability.
With investment from the South Australian government, letters of recommendation from defence and space agencies, and having recently graduated from the Venture Catalyst Space incubator program, Paladin Space is shooting to become a big name in sustainable space technology.
“My best advice for budding entrepreneurs is to find an area that they are passionate about and pursue it without trepidation,” Mr Box said.
“I love what I do, and as a result, challenges become opportunities instead of hurdles.”
Edward Robinson
Age: 20
Company: Robinson Aerospace Systems
Founded: 2022
Role: Co-founder and chief executive
At just 20 years of age, Edward Robinson has a clear vision for his fledgling start-up which is on a mission to inspire students to pursue careers in space and STEM.
In 18 months Robinson Aerospace developed RASCube education kits, delivered its first batch of satellites to schools, completed its pilot program and has begun developing a satellite that will take educational experiments into space in 2024.
RASCube is an educational satellite kit designed to replicate a real satellite. High school students can assemble a real satellite, collect wireless data, conduct experiments and develop their own expansions.
Mr Robinson, who participated in the Venture Catalyst Space program run by the University of South Australia’s Innovation & Collaboration Centre, said he was hoping to secure funding from investors in the coming weeks, which would enable him to develop more products next year.
He encouraged young entrepreneurs to dive into their business “headfirst”.
“The time to start is never ‘right’ – you’ll always have more to learn, and your product or service can always be better,” he said.
“We pre-sold our first batch of RASCube kits before the prototype even worked. We just gave people a clear idea of what we were making, along with a precise price and timeline to build confidence.”
Huw Dent and James Chervatin
Age: 35 and 35
Company: Redrawn
Founded: 2022
Role: Directors and coaches
Huw Dent and James Chervatin joined forces last year to break down the barriers facing budding engineers from under-represented minority groups.
They created social enterprise Redrawn, which operates as an engineering and drafting consultancy that supports the education and development of people from all walks of life.
Mr Dent says Redrawn was established to create a “safe space” for people to learn new skills and change the face of engineering with greater representation of women, people with a disability, migrants, refugees and other minority groups.
“There are plenty of people in Australia looking for their opportunity to start a STEM career. Many face barriers,” he said.
“Redrawn is seeking the right kind of work to open doors for these people to show the world what they can do. South Australia has some big ambitions for multiple future industries and this will require a skilled and experience workforce. Redrawn is preparing the talent our industry needs by accessing and supporting forgotten sections of our population.”
Syed Hussan and Imtiaz Aziz
Age: 30 and 28
Company: Migrova
Founded: 2020
Role: Founder and chief executive / Co-founder and chief operating officer
Syed Hussan’s personal experiences as an international student have inspired a passion for supporting others seeking access to Australia’s highly regarded universities.
In 2019, while working in the international education and migration space, he identified a gap between migrants’ expectations and the services they received from migration agents.
He launched Skillera in 2020 with a mission to help international students gain admission to Australian universities, and after recognising the potential of technology to bridge many of the gaps facing migrants more generally, he evolved the business into Migrova – an online marketplace connecting migrants with registered migration agents.
Imtiaz Aziz joined the business in June, and currently leads development of Migrova’s platform.
Having established a residency at the Stone & Chalk incubator at Lot Fourteen, and after securing funding from seed investor Antler.co in September, the business partners are looking to “revolutionise the experience of migrants and migration agents”.
Mr Hussan said vision, adaptability and perseverance were important attributes to have as an entrepreneur.
“Entrepreneurship is a marathon rather than a sprint and it’s important to prioritise self-development, to be coachable, adaptable and to always be willing to go the extra mile,” he said.
Ben Tripodi
Age: 30
Company: Lumin Sports
Founded: 2018
Role: Chief executive
Former triathlete Ben Tripodi is eyeing off the lucrative US market five years after establishing sports technology company Lumin Sports.
Spotting a gap in the market, Mr Tripodi joined forces with Ryan Brereton and James Begley in 2018 to develop platforms that collect and analyse sports data to provide insights for professional athletes and sporting teams.
The company has since pivoted to a “more scalable and affordable” option for all sporting teams globally, with the US and Asia-Pacific regions identified as key markets.
Lumin recently employed its first staff on the ground in the US – in California and New York State – after signing up more than 10 US clients including universities, high schools and its first professional US team – the Philadelphia Wings lacrosse team.
Mr Tripodi put much of his success down to the team of people he’d surrounded himself with.
“My advice to a young entrepreneur would be to be really passionate about something that lights you up – passion is what draws people to you and makes people want to help you out and follow your journey,” he said.
“Networks are everything and you can never have too many coffees catch ups, travelling to meet people in person never hurts. Remain forever curious, everything in this world was created by a human who is no better than you. And always be a nice person, no one wants to work with a d**khead.”
Sim Penzo
Age: 34
Company: CodeFish Studio
Founded: 2014
Role: Director and lead designer
CodeFish has been picking up accolades aplenty in recent years, including the Excellence in Business award at this year’s BDO Fast Movers program, where it’s also been in the top 25 companies for the past three years running.
The most recent award was partly in recognition of the company successfully establishing a four day work week in early 2022, which Sim Penzo said reflected that they truly care about their team, “and we do our best to provide the perfect work-life balance while delivering incredible products’’.
The company designs, develops and delivers digital experiences and products – think web and mobile applications, as well as industrial design, user interface design and even 3D modelling.
“Our expertise spans from crafting mobile and web applications to innovative smart devices and physical products,’’ Mr Penzo said.
“We are deeply engaged throughout the entire process, from initial strategy workshops to the delivery of the final, tested solution. Every product we create is meticulously designed to enhance engagement and revolutionise the industry. We lead the charge with innovation and creativity, transforming ideas into impactful solutions.’’
Mr Penzo said the company was expanding rapidly into areas involved in digital transformation, such as Internet of Things.
“We are one of the few companies in Australia to have in house software engineers and industrial designers. Our growth will be focused in smart products, mining, home automation, manufacturing, Industry 4.0 in general.’’
Mr Penzo said aspiring entrepreneurs needed to embrace a growth mindset.
“Be adaptable and open to change. Stay updated with industry trends, technological advancements, and market demands.
“The ability to pivot and evolve your business model quickly can ensure long-term sustainability.
“Entrepreneurship is a journey that requires passion and a sense of purpose. Stay connected to why you started your business in the first place.
“Your passion will drive you during challenging times and inspire others around you.’’
Nick Boniciolli
Age: 32
Company: Optible AI
Founded: 2021
Role: Chief executive and co-founder
Nick Boniciolli has been self-employed since the age of 20, having chosen the “entrepreneurial pathway”.
His latest venture, Optible AI, was established during the Covid-19 period in 2021, designed to automate the processing of masses of data held by governments and private companies.
The platform has been used to fast-track the assessment of grant applications for several government departments, and Mr Boniciolli is now targeting the private sector in his bid to make Optible AI the “go-to solution for any organisation facing the challenge of evaluating substantial amounts of information”.
“My advice to young entrepreneurs is simply to start now,” he sad.
“Immerse yourself, engage with your ideal customers, listen, and involve them in bringing it to life. Don’t allow the fear of failure overshadow the excitement of victory.
“Stay authentic, stay daring, and carve your own path to success.”
Tobi Pearce and Kayla Itsines
Age: 31 and 32
Company: Sweat
Founded: 2015
Role: Co-founders
Former partners Tobi Pearce and Kayla Itsines are among the most successful entrepreneurs to emerge out of Adelaide.
Together they grew Sweat into one of the world’s largest digital fitness platforms, with a global following of more than 55 million women across its social media platforms.
Just six years after Sweat’s origins as a humble e-book in 2015, the pair sold the business to US fitness giant iFIT in a $US150m ($A235m) deal.
While Itsines has remained the face of Sweat, and deeply involved in the business from Adelaide, Mr Pearce resigned last year and has taken a new direction in business.
Earlier this year he took the helm of online driving instructor marketplace EzLicence – a start-up that launched five years ago allowing learner drivers to find, compare and book verified driving instructors online.
In July Mr Pearce, who is a co-founder of the company and its largest shareholder, said the industry was “ripe for opportunity”, both in Australia and overseas.
With the backing of high profile investors including Rob Chapman’s Chapman Capital Partners and Oodie founder Davie Fogarty, Pearce has ambitions to take EzLicence to the world.
Aaron Hickmann
Age: 34
Company: Vailo
Founded: 2012
Role: Chief executive and founder
Aaron Hickmann started his first business – selling PlayStation memory cards – in high school.
Nineteen years later he’s on a mission to bring hi-tech manufacturing back to South Australia, and is in the process of setting up a new production facility Wayville to bring his vision to life.
Mr Hickmann established hi-tech lighting company Vailo at the age of just 23, starting out as a manufacturer of LED downlights and residential lighting products for major home builders.
When imports flooded the market the company pivoted to a new specialisation in high performance stadium lighting.
Hickmann rose to prominence in Adelaide business circles with a speech to 700 people at a Business SA lunch last year. In a 23-minute address he delivered his six tips for becoming wealthy and successful. They were: Trust yourself; Break the rules/ break the mould; Don’t be afraid to fail; Don’t listen to the naysayers; Work your butt off; Give something back.
Vailo became a household name after it took over naming rights for the Adelaide 500 supercars event last year.
But Mr Hickmann’s ambitions have also expanded into new areas including real estate and industrial hemp.
Last year he unveiled an ambitious plan to make South Australia the industrial hemp capitalof the country, and is creating a huge innovation precinct at Monarto.
Arseniy (Arie) Kolesnichenko
Age: 23
Company: HMO Unity
Founded: 2020
Role: Founder
A personal struggle to find compatible housemates and the perfect place to call home has been the inspiration behind Arseniy Kolesnichenko’s entrepreneurial journey.
In October, Mr Kolesnichenko was named this year’s South Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year at Business SA’s annual SAYES (South Australian Young Entrepreneurs Scheme) graduation ceremony, three years after launching specialist property management agency HMO Unity.
The 23-year-old, originally from Kazakhstan, established HMO Unity with a mission to connect real estate agents and tenants under a “house in multiple occupation” (HMO) model. The agency rents properties from property investors and agents, and converts them into HMOs that are sub-let to tenants room by room.
The business has already rented out about 85 rooms across 18 properties, and there are plans to expand into other capital cities while also building up its own portfolio of investment properties.
“I understand how hard it is to live away from home, family and friends, and I hoped HMO Unity could offer a place where others feel right at home and where people are united as a family,” Mr Kolesnichenko said.
Chantal Ryan
Age: 33
Company: We Have Always Lived In The Forest
Founded: 2021
Role: Founder and director
We Have Always Lived in a Forest was a winner in the PAX Australia indie showcase awards this year for its game darkwebSTREAMER, which describes itself as a “permadeath horror RPG streaming sim’’.
Company founder says her business is a “video game studio focused on avant-garde design and narrative technologies’’.
“We started punk – two people, each in a room on the other side of the world, banging some mad project to life.
“We’ve always been real and open about our journey, our goals and our ethos – to make video games more empathetic and human, to tell stories in ways no one else has been telling them, to do things no one has ever done before – and we’ve gained our following due to that.
“The strategy is to keep showing up, meeting our audience face-to-face, and to keep being straight with investors and inviting only the cocky and bold into our circle. It’s only people with these traits who change the world.’’
Ms Ryan said entrepreneurs are often told their ideas won’t work.
“Imagine if I’d listened. When someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about tells you something is impossible, tell them ‘challenge accepted’.
“When someone who does know what they’re talking about tells you something is impossible but you have a strong vision and a clear plan: smile, nod, wink and keep doing your thing.’’
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