Online retailer Temple and Webster has been named StartupSmart’s Best Startup at the 2015 StartupSmart Awards, thanks to strong customer acquisition and ability to scale.
Temple and Webster beat four other finalists – media startup I Quit Sugar, hardware startup Powerpod, app developer Buzinga, and online marketplace Beer Cartel to take out the award.
StartupSmart Awards 2015! Excited to discover the winning startups #SUSawards15 pic.twitter.com/VvlwfQkJDc
— Startup Victoria (@StartupVic) April 16, 2015
The awards were judged by the DFK chairman of Australia New Zealand, Stephen Bushell, chief executive officer of Scale Investors, Laura McKenzie, Blackbird Ventures co-founder Rick Baker and StartupSmart editor-at-large Bronwen Clune.
“(Temple and Webster) is a significant step ahead of the others in terms of two of the category attributes regarding customer acquisition and scale,” Baker says.
“It is a high quality business where the team has executed very well and in a sophisticated fashion, driving significant customers and revenue over the last 12 months and well on their way to achieving scale.”
All of the StartupSmart Award winners were announced at an event in Melbourne on Thursday night.
Bitcoin startup Living Room of Satoshi won Best New Startup, the Best Regional Startup was SafetyCulture and LabFriend won the Fastest Growing Startup category.
Driven and optimistic, best way to describe #SafeWorkLaboratories, winner of ‘best disruptor’ #susawards15 pic.twitter.com/2Ce7tBx7Zz
— Mon Wulff (@monwulff) April 16, 2015
“I love using bitcoin infrastructure to build faster, cheaper financial services, so (Living Room of Satoshi) is really interesting,” Baker says.
Jessica May, who was diagnosed with anxiety following the birth of her first child, went on to found Enabled Employment, a platform which links employers and job-seekers with disabilities. She has been awarded the Startup Hero award.
Cuzin, a global network of shoppers that allows users to source and buy anything they want from anywhere, won the Best Startup Idea Award. Its network of shoppers, known as ‘cuzins’ source, buy and post items to those who want them in exchange for a tip.
“A very interesting solution to an age old problem, prevalent in Australia, but also with global application. Potential for viral growth,” Baker says of Cuzin.
Best Social Change Entrepreneur went to Wattblock, while Safe Work Laboratories was awarded Best Disruptor.
“(Safe Work Labs is) a great solution for the alcohol and drug testing industry,” McKenzie says.
For the first time in the five year history of the awards, StartupSmart included a state-based best startup category. Best Startup finalists were not eligible for the state-based category. The winners are:
Reporting from #SUSawards15 @StartupSmartnow pic.twitter.com/Z3RGc0nRRw
— eKarma.com.au (@helloekarma) April 16, 2015
- Best Western Australian startup: eKarma Ventures
- Best South Australian startup: ODD Games
- Best Queensland startup: Living Room of Satoshi
- Best Victoria/Tasmania startup: Parkhound
- Best New South Wales/ACT startup: OneShift
For more information, visit the StartupSmart Awards announcement page.
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