LinkedIn revealed Australia’s Top 20 start-ups

Australia’s top emerging companies to work for this year have been revealed by LinkedIn. See the list and the surprise inclusions in the mix.

LinkedIn has released its 2025 LinkedIn Top Startups Australia, with a few surprising newcomers including fast-casual restaurant chain Pappa Flock, best known for their delicious chicken tenders.

The annual list ranks the top emerging companies to work for that are redefining industries, driving innovation, and attracting top talent.

More than 60 per cent of this year’s top start-ups are new to the list, with many harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform sectors including technology, healthcare, and finance.

“The fact that 13 out of 20 companies are new to the list is a really good sign of how healthy our start-up environment is,” LinkedIn Career Expert Brendan Wong said.

“AI and healthcare are dominating this year. Last year, we had two on the list that were AI-related, and this year we have five, four of which rank in the top 10.”

LinkedIn Careers Expert Brendan Wong says is a good sign that 13 of the top 20 companies are new to the list.

The number one spot this year is taken by newcomer Relevance AI, an AI-agent-building platform.

A company spokesperson said they look for people “who are smart, hungry, and winners. For job seekers, our advice is simple: if you want to work in a start-up like ours, immerse yourself in AI.”

The Top Startups list is driven by data based on actions of more than 1.2 billion LinkedIn members globally across four core areas: employee growth, jobseeker interest, member engagement within the company and its employees, and how well these start-ups have attracted talent from LinkedIn’s Top Companies list.

The number one spot in this year’s list has been taken by newcomer Relevance AI, an AI-agent-building platform.

Heidi Health, which offers AI-powered medical scribe software to automate clinical documentation, ranked at number two.

“We look for curiosity, adaptability, and empathy. We want people who ask ‘why’ and ‘what if’ as much as they ask ‘how’,” a company spokesperson said.

Heidi Health’s advice for job seekers is to show “you’re someone who wants to build, learn, and grow. There’s no such thing as the perfect job application for a start-up.”

Pappa Flock at Westfield Chermside. Picture: Supplied

One of the more surprising entrants to the start-up list this year is Australian chicken chain Pappa Flock.

“Pappa Flock definitely stands out, in a positive way, on the list,” Wong said.

“It’s a reminder that start-ups aren’t limited to software. You can innovate in the food space.”

One of the more surprising entrants to the start-up list this year is chicken chain Pappa Flock. Picture: Supplied

Wong believes the focus on AI to transform companies will only increase each year.

“I think what it means is that the barriers to entry are going to be lower. I would not be surprised if we see more founders who are younger, even under 20,” he said.

“The youngest founder on this year’s list is Kai Van Lieshout from Lyrebird Health. He’s 23 years old and established the company when he was 21, two years ago.

“Who knows, next year we may have our first youngest founder.”

AUSTRALIA’S TOP 20 START-UPS 2025

1. Relevance AI

Provides a platform that enables businesses to build and deploy custom AI agents to automate repetitive tasks and extract insights from unstructured data such as text and images.

2. Heidi Health

Health technology company that offers AI-powered medical scribe software to automate clinical documentation, helping healthcare professionals reduce administrative workload and improve patient care.

3. Howatson+Company

Independent Australian advertising agency that provides creative, media, data and technology services to brands across various industries.

4. Instant

Fintech company that offers online checkout and payment solutions for e-commerce.

5. Everlab

Preventative health company that provides personalised health assessments, diagnostics and AI-driven care plans through a membership-based platform aimed at early disease detection and long-term wellbeing.

6. V2 AI

Consultancy that helps enterprises use data and artificial intelligence to modernise operations, improve decision-making and deliver measurable business outcomes.

7. Lyrebird Health

Develops AI-powered medical documentation tools that transcribe patient consultations into structured clinical notes, helping clinicians reduce administrative tasks and focus on patient care.

8. ProcurePro

Provides procurement software for the construction industry, streamlining subcontractor management, tendering, contract generation and analytics into a single platform.

9. Arkeus

Designs and manufactures autonomous optical systems for defence and security applications, enabling real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance across land, sea, air and space environments.

10. Zeller

Offers integrated financial services for businesses, including payment terminals, business accounts and expense management tools to help manage cash flow and transactions.

11. Constantinople

Software-as-a-service platform that provides digital banking infrastructure for financial institutions, offering tools for customer onboarding, payments, lending, compliance and operational support.

12. Bridgit

Financial services company offering short-term loans that allow homeowners to buy a new property before selling their existing one, using a digital application process and deferred repayment structure to simplify access to finance.

13. AutoGrab

Automotive software company that provides real-time pricing, inventory management and customer engagement tools for car dealerships, finance and insurance companies.

14. Visibuild

Offers construction quality management software that enables real-time tracking of inspections, defect resolution and project progress to improve on-site productivity and compliance.

15. Pappa Flock

Australian fast-casual restaurant chain that specialises in fried chicken tenders served with sides like seasoned chips, toast and house-made sauces.

16. Dabble

Mobile sports betting app that allows users to place bets on racing and sports events, follow other users’ bets and engage in social features like chat and content sharing.

17. Local: Residential

Build-to-rent property company that develops and manages long-term rental apartments in Australia, focusing on sustainability, community living and housing accessibility.

18. easykind

Healthcare provider in Australia that offers affordable access to medicinal cannabis through telehealth consultations, focusing on personalised care for patients with chronic conditions.

19. GRIDSIGHT

Cloud-based analytics platform that helps electricity utilities manage distributed energy resources by providing real-time insights into grid performance, load flow and network constraints using AI.

20. JustFund

Australian company that provides credit to help people pay family law legal fees, allowing repayment after their case is resolved based on the expected legal settlement rather than income or credit score.

Originally published as LinkedIn revealed Australia’s Top 20 start-ups