Thursday, 24 February 2022

Ministers statements: Governor of Victoria Startup Awards

Ms PULFORD (Western Victoria—Minister for Employment, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Resources) (12:46): I am very excited to update the house—specifically Ms Bath, but everyone—on the inaugural 2021 Governor of Victoria Startup Awards. The awards, which took place last night, recognise the incredible achievements of the startup sector, undoubtedly one of our most exciting sectors and a key component of the Victorian economy. Hosted by Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, at Government House, the awards acknowledge Victorian founders, investors and the community that are making amazing things happen across our startup ecosystem, and it is a sector that is worth celebrating. Victoria has one of the fastest growing startup sectors in the world. In the past 12 months Melbourne’s startup sector value has grown by more than $3 billion, bringing it up to a total value of $10.5 billion—quite extraordinary in a year.

Some of the incredible startups recognised last night include Amber Electric and Seer Medical, named as joint winners of the Startup of the Year category. Link-in-bio startup Linktree was recognised as Scaleup of the Year for its work in supporting a community of 18 million content creators across the world, perhaps some of them here in this chamber. Local angel investor team Aprill and Matt Allen took out the Investor of the Year award in both the People’s Choice and the Expert’s Choice categories for Tractor Ventures, Victoria’s first dedicated revenue-based fund. And a very special Regional Ecosystem Hero of the Year was awarded posthumously to Peter Dostis, co-founder and CEO of Runway, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to regional and rural startups across Victoria. Peter’s work has inspired countless entrepreneurs to follow their dreams and build a successful startup, and his legacy continues through Runway’s programs, mentorship, collaborations and networks. Victoria is home to 2600 startups. They have created 40 000 jobs, more than 30 000 of them in Victoria.