Governor of Victoria Startup Awards - LaunchVic

Ecosystem Hero of the Year

Emily Casey

Founder, What the Health

Regional Ecosystem Hero of the Year

Dr Elena Kelareva

CEO, GippsTech

Investor of the Year

Joint Winner

Nick Crocker

General Partner, Blackbird

Investor of the Year

Joint Winner

Rachael Neumann

Co-Founder, Flying Fox Ventures

2023 Finalists

Ecosystem Hero of the Year

Regional Ecosystem Hero of the Year

 

Investor of the Year

Award Categories

Six award categories will recognise Victorian startup achievement.

Company Categories

  • Best Newcomer for firms less than three years old
  • Startup of the Year for those that have had a minimum Series A in the last four years
  • Scaleup of the Year for firms less than ten years old

Individual Categories

  • Investor of the Year
  • Ecosystem Hero of the Year
  • Regional Ecosystem Hero of the Year

Selection Criteria

The awards for Best Newcomer, Startup of the Year and Scaleup of the Year categories are selected from a shortlist of the top 30 Victorian startups based on criteria that include: money raised, age of the firm and job creation or number of employees.

This data comes from LaunchVic’s startup database, findingstartups.launchvic.org, powered by Dealroom.

Shortlisted applicants provide a written submission assessed by an external expert panel.

For the Investor of the Year, Ecosystem Hero of the Year and Regional Ecosystem Hero of the Year award, LaunchVic will invite nominations from the public.

Nominations for this year’s awards are now closed.

FAQs

I’ve been nominated, but I don’t want to participate. What do I do?

LaunchVic will advise you if you have been shortlisted for a specific category at which time you can communicate your wish to be involved.

Can I nominate myself?

The Best Newcomer, Startup of the Year and Scaleup of the Year categories will be selected using quantitative data from Dealroom’s findingstartups.launchvic.org’s database rather than a nomination process.

However, you are welcome to nominate yourself, or someone you believe is worthy for the Investor of the Year, Ecosystem Hero of the Year and Regional Ecosystem Hero of the Year. The Top 5 nominations for each category will then be put to an external expert panel to decide the winner.

I live interstate – am I eligible to nominate?

Yes, as long as you are nominating a Victorian-based startup, scaleup, investor, or community builder.

How are the finalists chosen?

The Best Newcomer, Startup of the Year and Scaleup of the Year categories will be selected using quantitative data from LaunchVic’s startup database, findingstartups.launchvic.org, powered by Dealroom, rather than a nomination process.

For the Investor of the Year, Ecosystem Hero of the Year and Regional Ecosystem Hero of the Year award, LaunchVic will invite nominations from the public.

The LaunchVic team will shortlist the top 5 people for each category based on the eligibility criteria, and our external expert panel will assess this list to determine the winners.

Can I win again if I was a winner last year?

Yes.

What is the prize for the Governor of Victoria Startup Awards?

There is no ‘prize’ (monetary or in-kind). However, the winner receives ‘acknowledgment’ of the highest order from the Governor of Victoria for being #1 ranked in front of their colleagues and peers.

What is LaunchVic's role in the awards?

LaunchVic, as Victoria’s startup agency, is coordinating the Awards Process, using both quantitative (Dealroom) and qualitative (Victorian expert panel) metrics to evaluate nominations.

Are these awards a once-off?

This is the second year of the awards. We anticipate these awards will become a regular, annual event hosted by the Governor of Victoria.