The young SEQ entrepreneurs primed for takeoff
They are the cohort of bright sparks leading a generation of burgeoning southeast Queensland entrepreneurs. We list more than 30 of the state’s best and reveal their secrets to business success.
Logan
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Every year new businesses emerge with radical solutions to age-old problems and tech companies chase the next million dollar trend. But what distinguishes achievable goals from delusional dreams?
Below this group of young Queensland entrepreneurs all had wildly ambitious ideas and found success in their fields, be it cryptocurrency, e-commerce, hospitality or property.
Find out the secrets to their success and the most common mistakes aspiring entrepreneurs make in the competitive business world.
Anti Ordinary
Rob Joseph (25), online retail shop for snow sports, selling beanies that are as safe as helmets
For people who love the thrill of snowboarding and skiing but hate the clunkiness of wearing a helmet, Rob Joseph developed the perfect product through his company Anti Ordinary; a beanie that is just as safe as any helmet.
“Our concept was instead of trying to make helmets more comfortable, why don’t we make beanies more safe?” said Joseph.
“People all the time tell me they have been looking for a product like this and that is how we launched. People just signed up through email because they want to be part of the journey and believe in the product.”
Anti Ordinary launched to market in August this year and sold out $30,000 worth of units in under 24 hours.
Joseph said they plan to launch into the United States in the next few months and through the internet the brand has gained traction at a rapid rate.
“We are still heavily invested in the Australian and New Zealand markets and places like Japan, but we plan to eventually get involved in Europe too.
“It has been crazy, I walked into a helmet shop in Whistler, Canada last year and they knew who I was and I’d never spoken to them before.
“There are a lot of people who knew who we are and know what we are doing, all around the industry.”
Drone racing and filming
Rudi Browning, Former professional drone racer, now using drones to film in high budget films and television shows
Rudi Browning has been competing in drone racing since the age of 10 and in 2019 won the FAI drone racing world championships.
He turned his competitive pursuits towards the entertainment industry and now uses his drones to capture film for major motion pictures, television shows and commercials.
“I was probably one of the biggest pilots in Australia pushing FPV (first person view) cinema and the footage these drones can create is like nothing we have seen before,” Browning said.
“I’m doing a lot of big commercials for companies like Toyota and the Voice, I’ve made a lot of great connections in the film industry and it’s been an amazing experience.
“The footage is extremely dynamic, these drones can do loops, chase past cars, dive down anything and that’s why people like me have become highly sought after by directors.”
Browning orders the drone parts from China and puts them together at his home workshop and believes the demand for drone pilots will only increase in the film industry.
Zest Robotics
Sarah Eisenmenger (19), Founded robotics company to get girls involved in robotics and STEM subjects
“There is always going to be a million reasons why you shouldn’t do something, but entrepreneurs they act on the one reason you should,” said Sarah Eisenmenger.
“Odds are against you but entrepreneurs are crazy people, will work countless hours and put so much money in on the chance it will work and when it does, it is amazing.”
Eisenmenger was raised on the Sunshine Coast and founded company Zest Robotics in 2019 when she was frustrated by the lack of girls studying STEM subjects and pursuing those careers.
She said countless parents have told her their daughters’ experience in the Zest Robotics workshops was nothing like they had ever had in school.
“I taught a girl when she was eleven and kept in touch with her three years later, now she is studying all STEM subjects in high school which is great to see.”
The Queensland University of Technology awarded Eisenmenger the budding entrepreneur scholarship which allowed her to invest the $24,000 figure into her business.
Eisenmenger hopes to study a masters degree in artificial intelligence and believes A.I. will play a major role for in the future.
GO 1
Vu Tran (32), Chris Hood (39), Andrew Barnes (32) and Chris Eigeland (31), tech education start-up – valued at $2 billion USD
“It’s easy to get caught up in the popular culture image of an entrepreneur, the young, visionary, all-knowing person who leads a company to success,” said Chris Eigeland.
Eigeland and three friends, Chris Hood, Vu Tran and Andrew Barnes founded tech education company Go1 in 2015.
Go1 was recently valued at $2 billion USD, has more than 650 employees and has worked with Microsoft.
What started as a dream in a leaky, Logan basement has grown rapidly and the company has expanded its presence into Asia and Europe.
Go1 provides online education resources to companies and Eigeland said it had done for corporate learning what internet banking had done for consumers.
Eigeland’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs was to prioritise decisions and not just listen to the loudest voice.
He said there would always be too few hours in the day and it was impossible to have all the answers all the time.
“The best entrepreneurs I know surround themselves with great people, set challenging and interesting problems to solve, and are able to absorb and compare many different opinions quickly.
“This way they can reach the best possible solution in the shortest amount of time.”
ORIGIN TEA
Chris Seaton (31) and Lawrence Seaton (27), organic tea retail, annual revenue of $3 million
The Seaton brothers founded organic tea company Origin Tea in their Logan garage in 2012, based on their family connections to tea plantations in Sri Lanka.
The companies annual revenue was roughly $3 million last year and they have partnered with major players such as Coca Cola and Campos.
Covid was a major hindrance on their success when cafes began to close, as that was 80 per cent of their business, but they have partnered with Woolworths and Coles to bring their unique take on organic tea directly to the consumer.
BON MAXIE
Clare Spelta (34), accessory store founder, made $2 million AUSD this year
Clare Spelta founded her online retail store Bon Maxie in 2015 while on maternity leave, selling products that fixed everyday solutions such as earring holders.
Her originally designed handbag netted her $150,000 in 10 minutes as it sold out instantly after being out of stock for nine months due to a manufacturing shutdown.
Bon Maxie stocks around 100 products and what started as a $300 business investment has grown into a million dollar online retail success story.
JACARANDA FINANCE
Daniel Wessels (33), financial loans, company had revenue of $30 million
A jacaranda was a purple plant common across the Americas and parts of Oceania, while beautiful to look at, it also populated the street Daniel Wessels grew up on in Harare, Zimbabwe.
So in 2014 when Wessels went out on his own in the financial loan world, Jacaranda Finance was the only appropriate name.
As the CEO and founder, Wessels said Jacaranda Finance separates itself from other loan businesses by providing loans for everyday people, those who are deemed unbankable by other companies.
It provides loans for life’s necessities rather than luxuries.
Last year its revenue was $30 million AUSD with a loan book of $50 million AUSD and it hopes to reach a loan book of $120 million AUSD by 2023.
HOMES BY CMA
Chris Baptista (35), property developer, company made $70 million AUSD this year
“I have a $6 million home and drive an Aston Martin, and because I’m 35 people think I just got lucky, people are very quick to judge and assume,” Chris Baptista said.
Baptista was born in France and moved to Queensland permanently when he was 18, he boldly founded home building business Homes by CMA in 2008 after the recession and the company now has a yearly revenue of $70 million AUSD.
Homes by CMA was based in North Lakes and Baptista said there were big expansion plans on the horizon.
He said he would not call himself the ‘cocky type’ but he was always confident in himself and that helped him achieve success.
“I have always liked doing things differentfrom everybody else, I honestly had no doubt that the business would succeed as my product was different.”
He said young entrepreneurs often make the same mistakes and shared his advice.
“The one biggest mistake that I see young entrepreneur do is being too impatient, in the new age of social media, when everyone seems to make money quickly, it simply doesn’t happen like that.”
“As a young entrepreneur, you should focus on the long term, and ignore the noise around. Stay focused on your lane.”
CGIO FINANCE
Cara Giovanazzo (32), home loans, deals with $20 million AUSD of loans a month
Cara Giovinazzo founded CGIO Finance in 2020 and relaunched the business as Borro the next year, bringing on 15 staff members to her independent venture.
The home loans company launched from a Shailer Park office and also deals with personal finance, car loans, asset finance, business cash flow lending, commercial and agricultural lending.
The mother of two has been a strong supporter of other women in the finance loans sector and has worked on releasing a technology that allows customers to see live updates on their home loan.
SWYFTX
Alex Harper (27) and Angus Goldman (27), cryptocurrency pioneers, trade $3 billion AUSD a month
“By the time the Olympics comes to Queensland, digital and traditional finance will likely be almost indistinguishable from one another,” Swyftx founder Angus Goldman said.
Goldman and Alex Harper founded cryptocurrency exchange company Swyftx in 2018 and the crypto giant now has more than 600,000 customers across Australia and New Zealand.
This year the company announced a $1.5 billion AUSD merger with share trading platform Superhero but Goldman said the company grew from humble beginnings.
“We had to make a decision, use our life savings to put deposits on houses or start a business. We chose Swyftx,” he said.
“At the start we worked from a share house basement in Paddington, it was like something from an old school Palo Alto incubator, we were surviving on cereal and frozen meals.”
Swyftx traded more than $3 billion AUSD a month this year and Goldman shared his tips for aspiring entrepreneurs.
“Have a very clear understanding of the problem you are trying to solve, lean on the expertise and experience of people around you and always put your customers first.
“Set your direction, stick to it and if something isn’t working, fail fast. Don’t waste energy on initiatives that don’t reinforce your core business goals.”
ECLIPSE
Siobhan Coster, nutrition innovator, announced $3 million AUSD investment round
It takes 10,000 litres of cow’s milk to produce just one kilogram of lactoferrin, a key ingredient in breast milk and young nutrition innovator Sobhan Coster has been working on an alternative solution.
She will commercialise a synthetic version of lactoferrin, with Eclipse currently being incubated in CSIRO and plans to raise a $3 million AUSD private investment early next year
Coster projects the groundbreaking innovation to reach an annual revenue of $90 million AUSD by 2027.
LSKD CLOTHING
Jason Daniel (34), clothing retail CEO, $65 million AUSD in revenue
What started as “loose kid”, a nickname from LSKD founder and CEO Jason Daniel’s Logan high school days, developed into a major fitness and fashion brand in 2018, known primarily for activewear.
He said when customers buy the LSKD brand, they are not just buying clothes, they are buying into a lifestyle.
“I’m inspired by the community and I’ve always had a huge passion for fitness,” he said.
“I always had the vision for it to be something, but we’re really only just getting started.”
Daniel’s advice for aspiring young entrepreneurs was to be bold, brave and not afraid to make mistakes. He said to also be aware that it would take time and not happen overnight.
“You don’t know everything and there is so much to learn, if you want to start a new business, just do it now.”
CYBORG DYNAMICS ENGINEERING
Stephen Bornstein (32), entrepreneurial engineer, awarded a $3.3 million AUSD contract by Australian Defence Force
Cutting edge engineer Stephen Bornstein was given a $3.3 million AUSD contract this year by the Federal Government to develop a lightweight, semi-autonomous, unmanned ground vehicle for the Defence Force.
His companies Cyborg Dynamics Engineering and Athena Artificial Intelligence work in the innovative fields of robotics and artificial intelligence, an industry that was predicted to be worth $60 billion USD by 2025.
Bornstein served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and said entrepreneurs need to stay humble and hungry and not count their chickens before they hatch.
LUST MINERALS
Stacey Hollands (32), natural beauty retail CEO, $12 million AUSD in sales this year
Sunshine Coast local Stacey Hollands started her makeup business Lust Minerals in 2014 after her father tragically passed away from cancer, which prompted her to research the connection between chemicals and deadly illnesses.
The mother of two’s mission was to provide a healthy, natural alternative to makeup containing harmful chemicals.
Lust Minerals most popular product was the Pro Finish Liquid Foundation and one unit was sold every minute.
Hollands joins a long list of innovating female entrepreneurs, who harnessed the online retail space.
SPONSOREDLINX and DISRUPT DIGITAL
Ben (39) and Shannah Bradshaw (36), digital marketing gurus
Ben and Shannah Bradshaw have been at the forefront of digital marketing for the last 15 years, working closely with tech powerhouse Google along the way.
The Bradshaws founded internet marketing service SponsoredLinx and Disrupt Digital in 2006, which has provided marketing assistance for more than 10,000 companies.
The power couple spun on from their success and created music distribution start-up Disrupt Music and artificial intelligence software data spin-off Deep Future.
Ben released a book titled “Don’t Guess”, about online marketing strategy and was formerly a professional magician.
MUSCLE NATION
Nation Nathaniel Anthony (31) and Chris Anastasi (37), supplement and retail founders, made $50 million in revenue this year
While businesses struggled during the Covid pandemic or ceased to exist entirely, Nathaniel Anthony and Chris Anastasi’s gym apparel and supplement company Muscle Nation thrived.
Online shopping reached new heights and Muscle Nation’s range of 1000 products and 300 supplements were popular purchases for housebound consumers around Australia.
They also reached an agreement this year with Coles to put their custard protein bars and powders on the retail giants shelves.
Anastasi and Anthony will aim to reach their goal of $70 million AUSD annual revenue next financial year.
WLTH
Brodie Haupt (36), financial loan expert, company projected to finance $1.2 billion AUSD by end of 2022.
Digital lending and payment platform company WLTH was formed this year by Brodie and Drew Haupt who said they are on a mission to shake up the lending and payments space.
WLTH offers low interest loans which can be organised in 15 minutes from a smartphone app.
The company launched a $15 million Series A capital raise and project they will finance $1.2 billion AUSD worth of commercial and residential loans by the end of the 2022.
LIKE A PHOTON
Nadine Bates (44) and Kristen Souvlis (36), media production, company valued at $20 million AUSD
What started as a dream in a warehouse in Rocklea, animation company Like a Photon has developed into a $20 million AUSD business which employs more than 100 people.
Kristen Souvlis and Nadine Bates have worked on such legendary animated children’s programs as Sesame Street and they estimate the company could be worth up to $100 million AUSD in the next two years.
International entertainment giants like Disney, Universal and Dreamworks have all played a role in the nine-year old company’s success and as long as children continue to like cartoons, Like a Photon will always have a place in the media landscape.
AUDEARA
Dr James Fielding and Dr Chris Jeffrey, audio innovators, company had $21 million dollar AUSD market capitalisation
The global consumer headphones market was forecast to reach $27 billion USD by 2025 and Dr James Fielding alongside University of Queensland business partner Dr Chris Jeffrey, were hoping to be a major part of that.
Audio company Audeara was founded in 2015 and raised close to $500,000 AUSD in a Kickstarter campaign in 2017, which had a modest target of only $100,000.
Since then the tech company has gone from strength to strength and was backed by Wotif co-founder Andrew Brice.
VALIANT SPACE
Andrew Uscinski, space exploration, awarded $750,000 grant by Australian Government
Innovative space exploration company Valiant Space has partnered with billionaire icon Elon Musk’s company SpaceX and received a $750,000 grant as part of the Australian Government’s moon to mars initiative.
CEO and founder Andrew Uscinski said the funding will go towards harnessing flight testing, scalability, and delivery.
The University of Queensland graduate was also granted $200,000 by the Australia Space Agency last year.
BLUEBIRD PROPERTY
Claire O’Rourke (37), Riye Arai-Coupe (36), property pioneers, projects worth almost $2 billion AUSD
The Fortitude Valley based property group Bluebird Property was established in 2018 by Claire O’Rourke and Riye Arai-Coupe and has almost reached the $2 billion AUSD figure for total project value.
Bluebird works with small companies through to large corporates including major players such as Destination Brisbane Consortium, Sekisui House and Consolidated Properties Group.
O’Rourke and Arai-Coupe said they saw a gap in the industry when the formed the company and have also launched Bluebird Development Partnerships, an open-book service for land owners.
CITRUSAD
Brad Moran (35), advertising software, sold company for $205 million AUSD
Brad Moran only managed 21 games of AFL in his sporting career but has kicked goals in the business world remarkably quickly; his start-up company CitrusAd sold for $205 million AUSD last year.
CitrusAd was an auction-based retail advertising software which has been used by 81 retailers, including giants like Tesco, Target, Woolworths and Coles.
Moran said the company reaches 1.3 billion people and rivals the biggest corporation in the world, that being Amazon.
The fast-tracked success of CitrusAd can be attributed to the rise of e-commerce and the way they cracked into the goldmine of the American consumer market.
WILDFLOWER GIN
James Greig (38), hospitality, raised $7 million AUSD in pre-IPO
Gold Coast entrepreneur James Greig’s Wildflower Gin has gone beyond a passion project and transformed into a dynamic hospitality brand that has won awards and sits on more than 350 bottle shop shelves around the country.
Greig’s other business venture iVvy, an events platform, raised $7 million AUSD before it listed on the ASX despite being heavily affected by the pandemic.
He says what stood out personally for him out of his products, was the pink gin which he described as beautiful and eye-catching on the shelf.
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