MEDIA RELEASE Thursday 23 January 2014 Australian Start-up community to be recognized and rewarded at the fourth annual StartupSmart Awards Digital publication, StartupSmart.com.au continues its commitment to developing a more powerful start-up culture in Australia, announcing its 4th annual StartupSmart awards, sponsored by DFK Australia and New Zealand (DFK ANZ). With nine award categories, including Best Disruptor and Start-up Hero, the awards are a platform for a wide range of start-ups to gain industry recognition, media attention and exposure to potential investors. Prizes include a strategic review with start-up experts DFK ANZ, and an advertising package with the publisher of StartupSmart, Private Media, valued at $10,000. “We are dedicated to educating and showcasing Australia’s start-up community every day,” said StartupSmart editor, Gavin Lower. “The StartupSmart Awards are an important extension of this, whereby each year we can shine the spotlight on some of the best new start-ups and provide them with access to important resources and potential investor opportunities.” For the second year running, the major sponsor of the awards is DFK ANZ, an association of 15 independent accounting and business advisory firms. “The decision for us to get involved again this year was an easy one,” said DFK ANZ Chairman, Stephen Bushell. “We look forward to uncovering some amazing start-ups in 2014 with these awards and providing them with advisory support that can help them develop and grow. Entries close midnight AEDT Friday, February 21, 2014, with finalists announced Friday 28 February. The awards will be announced and celebrated at a cocktail reception in Melbourne, Victoria, on Wednesday 26th March. For logos, images, media accreditation at the awards event, interviews, please contact Samantha Dybac sjdybac@sammway.com.au

1. MEDIA RELEASE
Thursday 23 January 2014
Start-up community to be recognized and rewarded at the fourth annual
StartupSmart Awards
Digital publication, StartupSmart.com.au, continues its commitment to
developing a more powerful start-up culture in Australia, announcing its fourth
annual StartupSmart awards, sponsored by DFK Australia and New
Zealand. (DFK ANZ).
With nine award categories, including Best Disruptor and Start-up Hero, the
awards are a platform for a wide range of start-ups to gain industry
recognition, media attention and exposure to potential investors. Prizes
include a strategic review with start-up experts DFK ANZ, and an advertising
package with the publisher of StartupSmart, Private Media, valued at
$10,000.
“We are dedicated to educating and showcasing Australia’s start-up community every day,”
said StartupSmart editor, Gavin Lower .
“The StartupSmart Awards are an important extension of this, whereby each year we can
shine the spotlight on some of the best new start-ups and provide them with access to
important resources and potential investor opportunities.”
For the second year running, the major sponsor of the awards is DFK ANZ, an association
of 15 independent accounting and business advisory firms. “The decision for us to get
involved again this year was an easy one,” said DFK ANZ Chairman, Stephen Bushell.
“We look forward to uncovering some amazing start-ups in 2014 with these awards and
providing them with advisory support that can help them develop and grow.
Entries close midnight AEDT Friday, February 21, 2014, with finalists announced Friday 28
February. The awards will be announced and celebrated at a cocktail reception in
Melbourne, Victoria, onWednesday 26th March.

2. For logos, images, media accreditation at the awards event, interviews with finalists
and winners and further information, please contact;
Samantha Dybac – Sammway e: sjdybac@sammway.com.au
p: +61 411 251 373
ENDS
StartupSmart Awards 2014 Overview
The StartupSmart awards are an annual celebration of Australia’s new companies with big
dreams and smart plans. With new businesses launching every year and spanning every
industry, the awards are an opportunity to showcase the variety and vibrancy of Australia’s
start-up sector. Because no start-up is easy, we’ll be naming the leading start-ups at a
ticketed event where start-up leaders will share their biggest mistakes and how they
survived.
Proudly brought to you by StartupSmart and DFK.
Categories:
Best Start-up Idea: Identifies a unique problem and applies an innovative solution. You
have not started your business yet, it's at idea stage. (sponsored by MyNetFone)
Best Start-up: Demonstrate significant growth in terms of customers/users and financial
over the past few years.
Best New Start-up: Demonstrate significant growth in terms of customers/users since
launching after January 1, 2013.
Best Disruptor: An idea is disruptive and has ongoing potential to change the industry or
problem space they’re focused on.
Best Social Change Entrepreneur: An innovative approach to solving asignificant social
issue in the community.
Fastest Growing Start-up: Demonstrate the highest percentage revenuegrowth over the
past four years. (sponsored by DFK)
Best Regional Start-up: Demonstrate success outside a capital city while overcoming
challenges of distance from major population centres.
Start-up Hero: Goes to a start-up founder with an inspiring story behind them and their
business. (sponsored by MyCRA Lawyers)
People’s Choice: The most popular start-up as voted by BY YOU, the start-up community.
Criteria To enter you must meet the following requirements. **This criteria does not apply
to the Best Start-up Idea category.** The business started up after July 1, 2008 for all
awards EXCEPT for Best New Start-up where the business launched after January 1, 2013
and Best Start-up Idea where the business has not launched yet. Businesses will be
Australian and their founders have at least 20% equity in the business. The business must
not receive 50% or more of its revenue from government grants or one customer/client.

3. The company must be Australian (not the subsidiary of a multinational). No entry will be
considered complete without answering all questions markedmandatory on the entry form.
Please do not submit applications via email, all applications must be received via this
awards entry form. Please stick to the word limit where they apply. Our judges will stop
reading at the word limit. To go to the Awards page, please click here
Judging panel
Stephen Bushell, Chairman at DFK ANZ
Stephen Bushell is the Chairman of DFK ANZ. He has decades of experience in the
accounting profession, supporting the small to medium enterprise sector with accounting,
taxation, superannuation, business management and IT solutions.
Gavin Lower, Editor at StartupSmart.com.au
Gavin Lower is the editor of StartupSmart. He has worked for newspapers and wire services
around Australia including Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall StreetJournal.
Steve Sammartino, Serial Entrepreneur
Mentor in the Melbourne start-up community.
Peta Ellis, GM and Mentor at RiverCity Labs
General manager and mentor at Brisbane’s leading start-up co-working space RiverCity
Labs.
Gavin Appel, Partner at Square Peg Capital
Partner at Square Peg Capital and has over 15 years of global start-up and corporate
experience within the digital industry.