The Brisbane tech firm run by entrepreneur Jamie Wilson has just been listed among the 20 best of its kind in the world

A Brisbane tech start-up has just received a shock shout out as one of the best of its kind in the world

A BRISBANE tech start-up has just received a shock shout out as one of the best of its kind in the world. 

Forbes magazine released a list this week of “The 20 Best Cybersecurity Start-ups To Watch in 2020’’ after canvassing nearly 22,000 such companies around the globe.

Only one Australian outfit made the cut and it’s the Cryptoloc Technology Group.

Founder and boss Jamie Wilson told City Beat on Wednesday that he was elated to get the recognition and his email inbox has been overflowing with virtual high fives. His website has also seen a predictable spike in activity.

Tech start up founder Jamie Wilson has been named as a figure to watch.

 Wilson, who launched the business in 2014, said he had no idea about the win until one of his investors alerted him.  

“It’s great news. The recognition on a global stage has been fantastic,’’ the former accountant said. “We’re now ready to just smash it.’’ 

His point of difference is a patented, world-first software that protects data in the cloud from ransomware, malware and other bugs. Every document uploaded is secured individually with encryption. 

The company is clearly on a growth trajectory, enjoying a 27 per cent spike in revenue over the past six months. 

With clients in more than 20 countries, Wilson expects turn over will reach about $3 million this financial year and he’s confident about generating his first ever net profit. 

Cryptoloc is also expanding overseas, opening an office in Tokyo in March with the assistance of Trade and Investment Queensland. It joins an existing network of outposts in the US, UK and South Africa. 

Back home, Wilson told us he’s absolutely confident that the hackers who penetrated the IT system at Brisbane’s XXXX plant this week would have been thwarted if the brewery had been using his service. Over to you Lion!

PLUGGED IN

Brisbane’s mega-wealthy energy titan Trevor St Baker will take another leap forward on Thursday in his goal of establishing a chain of ultra-fast charging stations for electric vehicles along the east coast of Australia.

Evie Networks, which is chaired by St Baker and largely subsidised by his “energy innovation fund’, will open one of the stations at an Ampol servo in Avenel, about 130km north of Melbourne.

It’s the first of six sites set to be rolled out across Victoria and NSW over the next 12 months.

Evie hopes to create the nation’s biggest network of such stations by 2022, with 42 outposts between Cairns and Adelaide.

Brisbane’s mega wealthy Trevor St. Baker is one step closer to his goal of setting up a chain of ultra fast charging stations.

The company’s first station was launched in November at a servo on the Bruce Highway at Coochin Creek, about 60 km north of Brisbane. 

Both Evie, and its main competitor Chargefox, are counting on forecasts that electric vehicles will account for about a quarter of all new car sales by 2030. 

St Baker’s energy fund, along with a grant from the Australian ­Renewable Energy Agency, has committed about $50 million to develop the Evie chain of stations.

In a neat bit of symmetry, Evie will be deploying chargers built by Brisbane-based Tritium, which is also chaired by St Baker.  

He’s tipped an estimated $100 million into Tritium, which last week revealed a $45 million fill up thanks to a debt placement deal as it aims to ramp up production over the next six months.

NOT FLYING HIGH

It’s almost as if nothing had happened.

The crew at Velocity, the frequent flyer program linked to Virgin Australia, sent out breezy emails on Wednesday encouraging clients to book flights.

That’s right, the same airline that’s now grounded and in administration, with two potential buyers circling but no guarantee of a deal to resuscitate the business.

“You could book a Virgin Australia domestic Reward Seat or Any Seat (for travel from 1 September 2020), to one of these popular destinations, and reconnect with loved ones interstate or #HolidayHereThisYear and support local businesses,’’ the message gushed.

You just can’t make this stuff up.