30under30 2016

Rochelle Rich, 30, created Financier in 2009 with the help of family and friends she was able to embark on her entrepreneurial endeavour. Though she started her entrepreneur journey at the age of 18, refining her idea throughout university and strived to outperform any competitors. Financier is an Australia-wide online loans company that provides the simplest and easiest way for people to apply for and receive a personal loan. Applications take no more than five minutes to complete and the loan is sent straight to that persons account if approved during business hours. Offering fast and secure transfer options, Financier helps people invest.

High school dropout turned successful businessman — this is just one way to describe Jeremy Hansen and his entrepreneurial success. In 2011, at the age of 16, Jeremy founded GlowBored, a forward thinking public relations firm, which now manages a wide variety of clients across Australia.

With the goal of making online learning globally accessible, Chris Eigeland created GO1 — the “TripAdvisor” for online education. In the early stages of development, Eigeland and his co-founder Andrew Barnes failed to raise their first round of venture capital funding for their original business idea, a CRM solution. When they went back to the drawing board a lightbulb went off. Education — this was the field in which their technology could make a true lasting impact.

A realtor’s strongest selling point can often be photos. Steve Ungermann capitalized on this truth when he started his own real estate photography and marketing business at the age of 19. At the time, professional photography was rarely used by agents, Steve says. This meant Steve was able to secure a solid spot in the market from the start.

Megan Gale, 29, launched her own business, Your Law Australia – one of Australia’s first wholly virtual law firms, in 2015. Almost immediately Gale began facing the perennial problem lawyers face – late or non-paying clients. The traditional solution is a trust account, to take payment upfront. This solution, however, brought with it onerous reporting and administrative obligations and costs, to the point that it was not a viable solution to Gale’s problem.

An entrepreneur in the business of helping fellow entrepreneurs — this is how Adrian Osman describes himself and his “addiction to getting new ideas off the ground.” In the spirit of practicing what he preaches, Adrian says his wealth of entrepreneurial knowledge only came from launching his own startup. He’s experienced highs and lows in all shapes and sizes and is now able to use those experiences to help others.

Name: Melissa Ran with Susan Zhang Age: 30 (Born: November 1986) & 29 (Born: March 1988) Gender: Female State: NSW Known for: China Ambition Pty Ltd - https://chinaambition.com Melissa Ran, 30, along...

Cyber security is quite a complex topic, so much so that many may not understand it in the slightest. Sam Crowther feels just the opposite. He’s built a cyber security company from the ground up and it seems to keep on growing. “I wanted to commercialize two ideas: eliminating passwords and improving website security,” Sam says, which is exactly what he's done.

Imagine a jigsaw puzzle that comes to life when you snap in the last piece — this is what Taj Paberi has created through Fiftysix Creations. Fiftysix Creations provides children, both privileged and underprivileged, with a kit that allows them to build their very own electronic tablet.

Christina Chun, 26, didn’t exactly have it easy growing up. Coming from a disadvantaged background with a disability and raised by a single mother who couldn’t speak English. Chun overcame these adversities to pursue her passion for advocating for young people aged 12-25, in Australia facing challenges of obtaining opportunities in the workplace. 1Scope was created and launched within four months. It is a central and virtual hub that connects these students to a plethora of opportunities available to them--employment, scholarships, training programs, and more--in the marketplace and allows them to categorically research and apply for these opportunities in one setting.

While he may not have his own startup, Tom Newby is the most innovative breed of employee. Tom says his role at RedEye Apps has inspired him to be a change maker, a thinker and a problem solver.

Imagine being a social media professional, meaning all hours spent managing followers and uploading photos deemed a paycheck. This is what Harley Mitaros does for a living. Pryzm began when Harley realised businesses weren't taking advantage of all social media has to offer. He had always hoped to embark on an entrepreneurial journey, but didn't force the idea. When Harley came to this realisation, a lightbulb went off and it “just felt right,” he says. He ran with the opportunity and turned down three post graduate studies offers to start the business.

Sebastian Chaoui ensures children’s dreams of becoming an astronaut don't have to go to waste. Cuberider is an interactive space education company for high schoolers. With his co-founder Solange Cunin, Sebastian has created a way for students to code their very own space experiments and have them launch to the international space station.

Jordan Grives has alleviated companies of the chore many employees can’t stand — answering the phone — and Fonebox’s abilities don't end there. Jordan has created a company that handles all sides of inbound telecommunications, including reporting of inbound numbers. Jordan says he noticed the market was discontent with existing providers. Products being created weren't comprehensive, reporting data was being provided in an ineffective manner and customer service was at an all-time low.

“Hungry.” This is the word Anthony Lieu chose to describe his business, Beyond Law. Beyond Law is a job search website that aims to present law students or graduates with a wide variety of career opportunities. The site features listings including non-profits, international internships, rural practices and more.

Customer centric construction — Belfort Homes, founded by Yassir Sheriff, prides themselves on embodying this motto. Having worked in the industry for a number of years, Yassir decided to create his own company when he noticed a lack of credible residential builders in the area.

Jay Wright’s team knows more about promoting small businesses than many small business owners and they’re ready to pass on their knowledge. Search Insights helps businesses generate more leads and sales through strategic digital marketing. “I entered this space because there was so much noise and gimmick in the market place, and not enough firm strategy available to small to mid-sized businesses looking to scale online,” Jay says.

Sarah Timmerman, 30, felt inspired after a trip to Paris for her 21st birthday to recreate that shopping experience back home in Brisbane. In 2008, from the comforts of her bedroom she started Beginning Boutique (BB), an online clothing shop designed specifically with the customer in mind. Since then, it has grown so much that it is now operated in an office environment, and Timmerman employs over 15 full-time staff members, along with an off-site warehouse location.

Katie Prowd, 25, started Fantasy Insider with her business partner Darryl Woodford in 2013. Fantasy Insider is Australia’s only Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) information source, community and tool that provides exceptionally accurate projections and data to help people win money-playing DFS from a beginner to an advanced level.

Dina Gofman, 30, is a Chartered Accountant (CAANZ) who started Project Accounting Australia (PAA) in 2016. She and her business partner discovered a gap that needed to be bridged between finance and project management through a streamlined framework. PAA is about bringing project professionals together through industry-standardised approaches to project finance. Currently, many large organisations are investing in project finance professionals and teams in order to take advantage of hybrid accounting and project specialists. These specialists exist mainly from the many “tests” and “failures” that the industries have undergone in the past decade.