Jessica Gardner Reporter

Jessica covers Australia's technology start-up scene, writing on breaking news and trends in entrepreneurialism, media and marketing. She was previously named Australia's best New IT Journalist for 2011.

View more articles from Jessica Gardner

Ones to watch

Published 27 September 2012 04:42, Updated 01 October 2012 05:03

+font -font print

BRW’s spies are watching a number of young technology entrepreneurs, especially those joining the “Aussie mafia” in Silicon Valley. Some are bound to make the BRW Young Rich.

Towards the top of the contender list is Ryan Junee, whose first company Omnisio reportedly was sold to Google for $US15 million in July 2008. The qualified pilot is now turning heads in digitally savvy corners of the fashion world with his start-up Inporia. Junee raised an impressive $US1.25 million from a clutch of investors, including Silicon Valley kingmaker Ron Conway.

Anthony Goldbloom, an economist turned self-taught hacker, is the flavour of the moment in big data circles. His website Kaggle links companies that have plenty of data and need experts to help predict answers to large problems. Prizes in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars are offered to attract a crowd of the best data scientists fighting it out to solve the problems. So enamoured with the idea – dubbed “99designs for geniuses” – were a couple of venture capital firms that Goldbloom closed a series A round of $US11 million in late 2011.

And although their capital raisings may be smaller, a few businesses look likely to grow in significance. A few big years or a defensive acquisition might easily sweep them into the ranks of the Young Rich.

Brothers Sam and Nick Chandler are challenging the establishment of Adobe with NitroPDF and have raised $3.5 million.

Back at home, the trio behind shopping websites Shoes of Prey and Sneaking Duck , Michael and Jodie Fox and Mike Knapp, look likely to prove that customised retail is lucrative.

Finally, BRW waits with interest to see the next project from Cathy Edwards. The 29 year old was the former chief technology officer of Chomp, an app search engine that was sold to Apple for $US50 million in February 2012. (The company’s CEO, Ben Keighran, returns to the list worth $20 million, ranked 90th).

She is reportedly now working as a senior engineer at iTunes but another successful private venture would make her one of the few women on the Young Rich.

MORE YOUNG RICH:

Comments