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Finance upstarts step in where banks fear to tread

Making it easier to send money back to family overseas was the key driver for the founders of EzyRemit.

  • Alexandra Cain

How to raise capital in a tough funding market

Fast-growing companies need to follow these eight tips when looking to win over investors in a difficult economic environment.

  • Xavier Keary

The category killers that defy any slowdown

Technology innovations can catch on no matter the economic weather, as this year’s lists show.

  • Michael Bailey
Mike Cannon-Brookes, investor and climate advocate, first made it onto the Fast 100 list in 2005.

Seven enduring lessons from 33 years of top start-ups

Over more than three decades, the Fast 100 has had its share of one-year wonders and flame-outs. But the success stories are staggering.

  • James Thomson

How to slash labour costs – and build 2000pc growth

Wild Modular has burst on to the accommodation scene with pre-fabricated accommodation that takes just weeks to manufacture and days to install.

  • Sian Powell

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November 2023

Founders of direct-to-consumer beef producer Our Cow, Dave McGiveron and Bianca Tarrant.

Buying your steak direct from paddock to plate

These food companies are bypassing retailers altogether and selling fresh produce direct to consumers.

  • Nina Hendy
VisionAI cofounder Mark Strangio-McRae with senior engineers Damian Kempen and Jeremy Corbett

The AI tech that’s sorting fruit and veg amid labour shortages

Vision AI’s technology to sort fruit and vegetables faster has been picked up by manufacturers.

  • Nina Hendy
The number of Australian’s accessing hardship programs to pay off their energy bill is increasing sharply.

Solar upstart has an answer to AEMO’s big problem

Teho co-founders David and Jonathan Green reckon they can solve a big grid problem – there are not enough virtual power plants to help balance supply and demand.

  • Ben Potter
Michael Caldwell, Jonathan Carti and Brett Norris from Elysium Digital in the consultant’s Canberra office.

The consultancy that’s Australia’s fastest young company

These partners turned their extensive experience in defence and aviation into a Canberra-based consultancy that has grown by 3500 per cent.

  • Michael Bailey
Chris Nasr and Grace Tan, founders of Nectar Brands.

Meet the Fast Starters building healthcare empires

Health companies make up about 10 per cent of this year’s list, reflecting demand for better, cheaper and more convenient access to products and services.

  • Ronald Mizen
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October 2023

GovConnex UK manager William Wright at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.

The Aussie tech start-up trying to crack the corridors of Westminster

GovConnex, a tech platform for lobbyists, is barely out of the blocks at home but already eyeing up Britain. Here’s their plan to get a foot in the door.

  • Hans van Leeuwen

June 2023

Co-Founders and Co-CEOS of Nexba Troy Douglas and Drew Bilbe.

Global stage a happy hunting ground for ambitious firms

Despite the challenges of the past few years, Australian companies are surging ahead with dramatic global expansion.

  • Victoria Thieberger

December 2022

How fast companies plan to keep growth going

The top-ranked companies on the Australian Financial Review’s Fast 100 and Fats Starters lists shared their 2023 gameplan, at an event hosted by list presenters PwC and Pemba Capital Partners.

  • Michael Bailey

November 2022

Medical Rescue staff in action 

Medical services take a leap into remote areas

The pandemic spurred demand for unusual health services, such as those specialising in remote areas and hard-to-access populations.

  • Sian Powell
Away Digital co-founder Gary Bliede

Digital disruption takes hold in construction

Along with higher interest rates, tech disruption is impeding growth in the construction sector, forcing businesses such as Away Digital to look overseas.

  • Agnes King
Miss Amara

Cost-conscious consumers spell caution for luxury lifestyle products

Fast List companies offering products for a better lifestyle were buoyed by the pandemic, but staying ahead of the trends remains a challenge.

  • Therese Raft
Martina Crowley is National Business Leader, PwC Private.

Three things help businesses achieve high growth

The composition of the Fast 100 and Fast Starters lists by the end of the decade may be different, but common value propositions will underpin all of them.

  • Martina Crowley
Cloudstaff employs more than 5,000 staff and contractors.

Offshoring is galloping to outrun nation’s talent shortage

An offshoring solution business and an on-demand HR company are experiencing a boom amid Australia’s lack of local talent.

  • Nina Hendy
Catalpa co-founders,  Fergus O’Neill, left, and Barry O’Neill.

Fast starters in property, infrastructure show how to build growth

A can-do approach has contributed to the growth of construction and property-related companies capitalising on the increasing activity in infrastructure.

  • Robert Harley
Mark Summerhayes is managing director at Pemba Capital Partners.

Fast growth companies still insulated from global woes – so far

Getting access to capital and balancing pricing during tough economic times will test local SMEs in the next two years.

  • Mark Summerhayes
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Paul Ryan, Brendon Cooper and James Cathie, co-founders of Inspiring Vacations.

Travel’s return drives leisure business success

A business selling organised group tours is now dreaming of becoming a billion-dollar company by 2025.

  • Alexandra Cain
O2 Marine founder Chris Lane

Marine science business expands its footprint with environmental work

Renewable energy push has boosted the bottom line for O2 Marine, a Fast 100 list company which has doubled its workforce in the past 12 months.

  • Agnes King
JD Refrigerated Transport trucks

Innovative ideas shake up the transport and logistics industry

Technological solutions and investing in people have boosted transport and logistics businesses during the pandemic years.

  • Mark Eggleton
Box of Books enables students to seamlessly access digital resources in a range of formats with a single sign-in.

Tech, training and education make a powerful combination for business

Box of Books and Get My Course prove that successful education is simply a question of bringing students and key skills together.

  • Nina Hendy
Cube Online staff

Cube Online, Signifi Media, Awaken thrive on digital marketing surge

Online marketing and media companies have grown as businesses refocus on their digital strategies.

  • Nina Hendy

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/lists-and-awards/fast-starters