Cool Company Awards 2010

iiNet likes to call itself a challenger brand. First and foremost, that means taking on communications behemoths like Telstra and Optus (sometimes in court). But it also means challenging itself with breakthrough products, such as Naked DSL in 2007, phone-modem combo BoB in 2009 and internet TV in 2010.

Energy Matters is one of Australia's leading sellers and installers of sun-borne energy. The company has embraced its role as an online trailblazer, serving as a vocal advocate for renewable-energy legislation and being available when the media needs an expert sound bite. Energy Matters describes itself as "the Fonzie of solar. It doesn’t get much cooler than a company that is helping to cool the globe!" Eyyy!

When his employer closed down the Australian operations of its advertising agency, Chieftain founder Steve Fontanot was given the hard task of breaking the news to clients. The dilemma quickly turned into an opportunity leading to Fontanot’s first client. In a world where advertising has traditionally been omni-directional, Chieftain specialises in creating brand experiences and communication strategies that target the Australian youth market. Chieftain is this year’s Commercial Creativity Award winner in the Anthill Cool Company Awards.

Law school graduate Ben Lipschitz was out for a night on the town in Sydney when he noticed many women were walking barefoot. Obviously, they were taking a break from their high heels. But the sight struck the young man as wrong -- these young ladies should have backup protection for their soles. Hmmm. A set of portable, fold-up shoes would do the trick, he thought. Cue light bulb. Flipsters is this year’s Micro Business Award winner in the Anthill Cool Company Awards.

There's something inherently cool about the idea of world-class scientists battling it out for the honor of creating the most elegant solution to a sticky, real-world problem. Four men in a Melbourne office created the arena for these clashes. Kaggle is this year's X-Factor winner in the Anthill Cool Company Awards.

In 1998, Australian entrepreneur Rob Cecconi heard some friends were having a tough time getting tickets to the Daytona 500 NASCAR race in the U.S. Cecconi poked around and learned Australia had few travel agencies that booked trips to sports events. Game, set, match. Sportsnet Holidays was born.

Australians love pies. We consume more than 300 million a year, yet, by 2003, the category had become... stale. Pie Face was launched to change all that, adopting a cheeky and fun attitude to the sale of a traditional market, coupled with the franchise model. Each flavor comes with a signature face baked into the crust. No humble pie, these. Pie Face is this year’s Big Kahuna Award winner in the Anthill Cool Company Awards.

A website that compares financial services doesn't need to be fusty by nature. That's the directive for the people at Mozo, which is trying, in its own little way, to shake up the banking sector. Mozo lets people compare offers on home and personal loans, savings accounts and credit cards, offering a "top 5" list in each category and then allowing the user to find options that best match his or her requirements.

Gretha Oost is an innovator with a passion for environmental protection and a knack for marketing her own ideas. Her latest creation is 321 Water, a portable, on-the-go water filter. The name refers to the three litres of water required to normally make one litre of bottled water.

Freelancer.com has a long, long reach. Headquartered in Sydney, the web-based company connects business and individuals who need a task done with those who have the talent do it. Freelancer.com has more than 2 million users. The company describes itself as a marketplace of talent -- an eBay of people, if you will. The company so impressed our august panel of Anthill Cool Company Awards judges that it took top honors in two categories: Global Growth and Online Business.

Socialista Media is a social network for fashion lovers. The online company gives fashion brands the opportunity to tap into and engage with their target market of woman aged 18 to 35. The main platform is 2threads.com, Socialista's fashion hub. The site is packed with the latest fashion news, trends, photos, videos and shopping advice. The goal is to do what fashion magazines did in the print era and transport it to the online area of social media.

Vulture Street combines a virtual. web-based conference room with smart, energetic consulting and a lean, mean company profile to help business develop innovative ideas in a short time. Its signature tool is the jam session, an web-based event that gathers online all the key players a client needs to hammer out new ideas and directions.

Pollenizer provides all the services a business needs to create an online presence. Well and good. Australia is stuffed with companies that do that. Where Pollenizer sets itself apart is that it serves as a web-business' co-founder. In their own words, "we will be there from idea inception to launch and forward, with our team helping every step of the way." The organisation has 18 portfolio companies, 125 employees worldwide, $10 million raised and $50 million in valuation. And we did it in less than three years with only $1,000.

Living Fundraisers offers a range of herb- and vegetable-growing kits that offer an alternative for chocolate bars and cookie dough for school money drives. The company also offers seed-embedded Christmas cards. "These products allow schools and community groups to promote healthy, educational activities instead of flogging chocolate bars," co-founder Rachel Taylor said.