YOUNG INNOVATORS

Who says being different is a bad thing? These young innovators may not have made it into the Top 30 but their ingenuity certainly turned the heads of our judges, from the creation of new technologies to the reinvention of old industries.

Alex Gelback – 26 – VIC

Alex Gelback and his brother seem to have a knack for technology innovation. They have launched two start-ups in the last three years. Seamless is an innovation in CMS (content management solution) systems, while Yoober ventures into the highly competitive world of mobile communication and social network technology. Within two months of its launch, Yoober had acquired over 60,000 members.

Jeremy Levitt – 28 – NSW

Jeremy Levitt has had many different business ideas, but they all had something in common – they offered something new and unique to their consumers. His first successful business, PodProperty, offers legal assistance for groups of people looking to make a joint property purchase. His second successful business, Service Seeking, founded alongside Oliver Pennington (28), is an online marketplace that allows people to bid for services offered by other people.

David Dinh – 29 – NSW

David Dinh has no qualifications in IT or medicine, yet he uses IT to help save lives. He and his brother launched Synapsed-Solutions in 2003, which later evolved into osTechnology. The company is involved in the research and development of innovative clinical decision support systems that can be applied in urban and remote hospital environments.

Jesse Costelloe – 21 – QLD

Jesse Costelloe is an innovator who has always done things his way. From humble beginnings selling mangoes and horse manure, Costelloe has now developed a new brand in the field of home theatre systems. His company, Evok, is driven by a desire to create aesthetically pleasing home theatres systems with matching furniture. Starting with one successful model, Evok now has a range of over 20 designs and is marketed nationally.

Josh Pell – 26 – VIC

Josh Pell defied the odds as a teenager and took it upon himself to learn the skills needed to make his own bike. Now an adult, he’s helping other people achieve similar dreams through his company, AFTAA, which helps innovators to develop their own products and inventions and converts them into tangible, marketable products.

Ben Neumann – 27 – VIC

Ben Neumann can cater to your partying needs wherever you are! His experiences as a caterer and bartender led him to develop his own company, which essentially brings the bar to your venue. Liquid Infusions is a distinct mobile bar that provides all of the necessary beverages, glassware and bar staff for any function or event. Never fear that the booze will run dry ever again.