UNSW’s brightest startups, founders, and mentors honoured at the inaugural Founders Awards gala dinner
Dr Wong Fong Fui and Dimitry Tran, Harrison.ai Co-founder delivered captivating keynote addresses
Some of Australia’s best entrepreneurial minds came together on November 22 for the first-ever UNSW Founders Awards.
UNSW founders, startups, and mentors were recognised for their outstanding contribution to innovation and the startup ecosystem across eight award categories at the special gala event at The ivy in Sydney.
THE WINNERS
Startup of the Year 🚀 : Forage - Pasha Rayan
Founder of the Year 🙋♀️ : Frances Atkins - givvable
Mentor of the Year 🤝 : Leah Fricke
Best New Idea 💡 : Nanoscale Pharmaceutics - Jason Holland
Research Making Impact Award 🔬 : LLEAF - Alexander Soeriyadi
Positive Impact Award ☀️ : 4eyes Vision - Sarah Crowe
Health Innovation Award 🩺 : CardioBionic - Pete Ayre
People's Choice 🏆 : JDoodle - Gokul Chandrasekaran
The event, which was hosted by MC Simon Thomsen, editor of Startup Daily (a platinum sponsor), saw guests treated to keynote addresses from some of UNSW’s most successful alumni.
Dr Wong Fong Fui delighted the audience with his speech outlining the immense success of the UNSW Founders flagship 10x Accelerator programs which were enabled thanks to his generous donation.
“I never anticipated this level of success when the program was launched,” he said.
The UNSW Founders 10x Accelerator enables program delivery and seed investment into UNSW’s entrepreneurs and high-impact startups and has gone on to support 80 companies since its inception. Of the 10x portfolio companies, 65 are still operational, 33 have gone on to raise over $110 million in further capital and four were later accepted into Y Combinator.
Also taking to the stage was Dimitry Tran, Harrison.ai Co-founder, and UNSW alumni. The former MBA student spoke of his experience founding the med-tech company with his brother and fellow UNSW alum Dr. Aengus Tran.
“For the founders in the room, I congratulate you on the trip that you have been on and continue to go on,” he said.
UNSW Founders Director of Entrepreneurship David Burt also addressed the crowd, summing up the biggest year for UNSW Founders to date.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for UNSW, after being named as Australia’s most Entrepreneurial University, to recognise the UNSW-born startups, founders, and mentors’ hard work, commitment, and excellence,” he said.
“The award winners are further proof of the vital role entrepreneurship will play in delivering benefits for the Australian economy, now and in the future.”
To learn more about UNSW Founders, click here.
