Smart 100 2010

The following SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during ...

Dean Cameron was given a challenge. Four plastics experts told him that it was impossible to transport plastic sewerage tanks in parts and assemble them on site. “Inventors don’t like accepting ‘no’ for an answer. So I set to work to come up with my own solution. I was intrigued by the way clams and other molluscs were able to use filaments – called byssus threads – to attach themselves securely to rocks. That’s when I realised that the way these threads work could be used to solve my problem of joining plastics and other materials.” The solution was Joinlox.

The Smart Solar Desk Lamp was conceptualised in 2008 when it was apparent that there was no carbon data available from highly dispersed, tiny carbon emitters like kerosene lamps and cook stoves used by the global poor. Our Solar Desk Lamp had already gained market traction, but it was very difficult to find a method to cost-effectively measure carbon emission savings from eliminating kerosene lighting. Another Australian company, Daintree Networks, provided the basis of inspiration, at a CleanTech Conference, and the Chinese national distributors of a UK technology provided a partner for practical, low-cost development.

Dr. Peter Cooper and Dr. Nikolai Petrovsky met at a social function in Canberra and realised that they shared a common interest in research into improved vaccines. From this initial research collaboration, Advax, a novel plant-sugar-based ingredient that enhances vaccine action, was born. Advax is now a leading ingredient in vaccines being developed in Australia, the US and Japan against pandemic influenza, HIV, malaria and a range of other infectious diseases.

Following the 1998 major hail storm in Sydney (during which our car was extensively damaged), my wife and I were in Narooma one weekend. We heard that a severe storm was approaching the South Coast, and that it may contain hail. Having found that there was no undercover parking available in Narooma on a Saturday afternoon, I tried to find cardboard boxes to protect our car. Luckily it only rained, but it then became obvious to me that a portable shelter would have been ideal. Thus in 2003, Steve Anderson and I started on our project.

ImGreenPowered is a simple and easy way for individuals or organisations to minimize their impact on the environment in an overt way so that you the consumer can show others how green and responsible you are and how easy it can be for others to offset the negative environmental impact of an everyday product like a Mobile Phone or Laptop computer, a front-of-mind product most of us use every day.

Looking at the emerging market for cloud-based personal health records, as the sharpest end of smart phone applications where the tensions between authenticity and privacy are so acute, I had an epiphany that Lockstep’s intellectual property for encrypting virtual identifiers could be embedded in each mobile device app. The idea is to bake into each app a unique local handle for the user, indelibly marking all data originated from that app, authenticating the user without necessarily identifying them, and stopping data streams to be linked across apps without the user’s consent.

A mortgage broker with a conscience realised that the reason MOST people need to borrow MORE money is because they don’t have a budget. Further research showed that not only have most people under 60 NEVER been taught how to set one up, but there was NObody that offered a service to coach and teach people this skill. Many times people are told to ‘do a budget first’ but there are very few people who actually KNOW how to start.

The initial system was developed for a third party in order to replace reversing sirens on large mining trucks. It was soon realised that there was a huge requirement for a system such as this across many industrial sectors (mining, logistics and warehousing, freight terminals, gantry cranes and more) as a system to help reduce risk of collision between any moving machinery and personnel. The current system has been developed over several years of research, development and testing to the point that it is now ready for full commercial release with the aim of saving lives in the workplace.

I accepted a consulting assignment to help an ASX 100 organisation improve the way its staff sourced and selected external service providers. I was astounded at the difficulty and inefficiency staff faced in simply trying to work out which Service Providers in the market had the ideas, experience, capability and availability they needed. It went beyond business managers being frustrated at wasting time. The organization was at significant commercial risk from poor process and selection. Ironically, service providers were still struggling to find good clients. It didn’t make sense. When I realized this was common across industries, the penny dropped.

Our business concept came to life when we had both permanently swapped our weekends for 20+ hours working as lifeguards. During this time we discovered that we had both studied Logistics, were passionate about business, technology and innovation, and hated the idea of working for someone else. We realised that we had complimentary skills. I have the tech/web knowledge; Michael has experience in the logistics industry, providing him with insider knowledge and many contacts. We knew that by working together we were in a unique position to innovate in an industry that wasn’t keeping pace with new technology.

Founders Sarah Taylor and Jeff Dusting realized how time consuming and unsatisfactory it was to locate, book, and pay for home, health and beauty services, and how few service providers had access to efficient low-cost online trading.

We saw businesses struggling to advertise themselves, unsure of where to start and lacking in time, money and media experience. We created a trusted marketplace matching available media space, both rate card bookings and ‘last minute’ deals, with those businesses wanting to purchase advertising. All types of media are available, including: TV, Radio, Newspapers, Magazines and Digital (online). We developed the Last Chance Ads marketplace to be: fast, easy to use, open 24/7, media company independent and offering businesses the opportunity to search, find and purchase - all in the one place via the web or mobile.

Signmanager was born from an idea developed by directors Dan, Kris and Alan, who at the time were working for a sign manufacturer and saw a gap in the market for their idea: Signmanager. Signmanager acts as an independent consultant on behalf of major corporations to procure and manage their global branding requirements and the ongoing maintenance of their branded assets in the retail environment. Signmanager currently manage the corporate brands of more than 30 multinational corporations at over 40,000 retail outlets worldwide. Signmanager has offices in the Asia-Pacific region, UK and Europe, and the US.

Emily found herself limping home barefoot after a rather fancy wedding and had found herself in this rather unladylike position a few times in the past, and decided to take action giving ladies the opportunity to get home with (most) of their dignity intact for under $20. The Tipsy Toes concept was researched and product developed between January and June 2009; it was then the business name was registered after some serious "sole searching" for the right name...

The following SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during ...

This application is built on our existing Merlin Platform which is a multi-media information switch. We were trying to position Merlin Platform as a conferencing solution but ran out of time. When this space became very "competetive" we had to come up with some innovative ideas to seek pole position again - This is what we have done with K2K

I was working in a bulky goods retail store in 2005. I noticed the huge amount of white polystyrene foam that was going into the bin - and ultimately ending up in landfills. I thought, ‘There must be a better way to recycle’... so I started looking, only to find drop-off locations which not only charged, but you also had to drop it off to them! I looked elsewhere, to no avail. That was when I realized that the cost of disposal was because it weighed nothing, and took up lots of space. That’s how the HG machine was born.

This innovation initially came to life when my business partner and I recognised that Australians had almost no flexibility when it came to the use of gift card vouchers. We soon discovered that the market was worth about $1b and that 1 in 3 cards were never redeemed, representing an incredible waste. We wanted to provide a service that gave people the option to use gift cards as they wanted to. A market study demonstrated that similar services existed in North America but not yet in Australia.

We were moving house and reflecting on how much stuff we didn't need. Often these items (furniture, homewares, appliances, clothes, musical instruments etc) get thrown away for lack of a better home. We didn't want money for it; we just didn't want it to become landfill. We realised one of our neighbours might be in need of the precise thing we were disposing of, but how would they know? Yoink was born to be the matchmaker between these unneeded items and the people who had a use for them.