Australia, a huge country, houses a small population and is famous for its beautiful tourist spots. However, that’s not it- the incredible ecosystem and exciting startups in Australia are slowly gaining loads of international attention. In fact, Australia has been placed seventh on the list of best startups destination in the world. It is important to be reminded that despite the competition, Australia has managed to make a name for itself in the world.
The rate of startups in Australia is 5.8 percent – higher than most countries around the world. This portrays that you must keep an eye out for exciting startups in Australia. The ecosystem in Australia is surely on the rise and is slowly beating other countries with the startups it is introducing. There are loads of companies here that have the potential to reach millions.
Here are some exciting startups in Australia that you need to know about:
1Ninja Block
The Australian startup, Ninja Block, is known to connect the world to the web. It was founded in 2021 in Sydney, Australia, and San Francisco, Calif. The two founders, Marcus Schappi and Pete Moore created digital blocks that would bind physical components to the internet. The blocks are Wi-Fi-operated and contain a custom Arduino board, along with a thermometer and an accelerometer.
With the help of extra sensors, Ninja Block detects sound, humidity, light, and motion. It can also take videos. Ninja Block received funding of $1.1 million from Kickstarter, which greatly helped the project reach a wider audience. This initial investment also encouraged other big-shots to invest, such as Atlassian founders Mike Cannon-Brookers and Scott Farquhar and Guitar Hero founder Kai Huang.
The best part about Ninja Block is that knowing how to program is not necessary. You can learn to understand Ninja Block without this skill. Ninja Block can be used to perform a number of activities, like sending a message to your cell phone if someone rings the bell or turning on the bedside lamp when your baby lying down in the next room starts to cry. Dropbox, Google Docs, Twitter, Xbox Live, and Facebook are also supported by the platform.
2Posse
Posse, a local discovery platform and exciting startup in Australia was founded by Rebekah Campbell and was initially launched in 2008. However, it was re-launched in 2021 and was marketed as a local social discovery service. Even though it was founded in Sydney, Australia, it will be setting up its headquarters in New York very soon. This platform creates a social network to be used for real places. Users of Posse can create a number of lists based on their preference, such as a list that can be made for their “best dessert spots” or “best spa date.” These lists can then be shared with loved ones and friends.
Rather than gamification via check-ins, Posse allows its users to earn rewards and points. This can be done by posting a comment on a family member’s favorite location. These points can then be used to add a new street. This may sound minimalistic, but it must be kept in mind that Posse is aiming to drive Yelp and Foursquare out of the competition. This means that a majority of the population will solely rely on Posse for recommendations on a number of things, such as shops, grocery stores, dessert parlors, restaurants, salons, and bars.
Moreover, Bill Tai, Dave Sibley, and Simon Rothman are backing up this project currently. Other board members consist of Lars Rasmussen, the creator of Google Maps, and an engineer who helped make Facebook. Together, all these members and project supporters have invested approximately $3.5 million into Posse.
399 Dresses
99 Dresses was founded in 2010 by a woman, Nikki Durkin, in Sydney, Australia. After a few months, the company moved to the United States of America. Nikki had a very simple concept- she wanted to create an online marketplace where clothes could be traded. The platform used a currency called “buttons.” Women could use this virtual currency to set prices for the clothing they were interested in buying. The closet that 99 Dresses provided was infinite- there were hundreds of clothes to choose from.
This may sound like your neighborhood thrift shop, but 99 Dresses has a lot of potentials. This is mainly because users can set the prices of each dress themselves. During its test run, 4,500 dresses were uploaded on 99 Dresses. Out of these, 3,500 were sold instantly. This shows that there is a large population willing to thrift clothes online. Going to a shop is no longer preferred as women as busy with their work and household responsibilities. Instead, they prefer having the option to choose clothes online. Moreover, this is also a wonderful platform to clear your closet and get rid of any old clothes.
It must also be kept in mind that 99 Dresses was a part of one of Silicon Valley’s most popular startup accelerators, Y Combinator.
4Shoes of Prey
Shoes of Prey, an exciting startup in Australia, was founded in Sydney, Australia. Three individuals, Jodie Fox, Michael Fox, and Mike Knapp, were the brains of this project. It came into existence in 2009 and focused on the shoe market with an initial investment of $3 million from CrunchFund, Bill Tai, and Atlassian founder Mike Connon-Brookers. This platform has collaborated with a 3D designer who encourages all users to make their own shoes.
You can customize your shoes by first choosing the shape, such as stiletto, mule, sandal, wedge, or ballet flat. Then, you can go on to choose the color of your shoe, as well as the fabric and height of the heel that you want. Once you have digitally made your virtual shoe, it will be shipped to you in five weeks. The best part is that it does not matter where in the world you live, the delivery time will stay the same!
The aim of Shoes of Prey is that finding the kind of shoe you want in the market is frustrating. You may find the perfect pair of shoes, only to see that it is super common- everywhere you go, you see at least three people wearing the same pair of shoes! Another annoying scenario is when you love the design of pair of shoes that you just saw, but the size of the heel does not suit you- it is too small or too long. In this case, Shoes of Prey is a brilliant option to customize the type of shoe you want.
