Technology Fast 50 2020

Now in its 20th year in Australia, the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program ranks fast growing technology companies, public or private, based on percentage revenue growth over three years.

Winners are recognised by the technology and financial industry as being forward thinking and innovative technology companies. There are four nomination categories: Technology Fast 50, Rising Star, Leadership and the Technology Female Leadership.

2020 winners were announced in November 2020. Meet the winners here.

To pre-register your interest in the 2021 awards program, please click here.

What's in it for you?

• Recognition: join the ranks of previous Technology Fast 50 winners, including Afterpay, Prospa, NEXTDC, Vinomofo and Vocus Communications as some of Australia's most successful technology innovators.
• Networking: exclusive networking opportunities with other high performing technology companies and industry experts.
• Exposure: winning companies will feature in our Winners' Report and supporting materials, along with Technology Fast 50 media exposure and coverage. Winners also gain access to the Technology Fast 50 logo to use in business communications.
• Go global: eligible nominees will get automatic entry into the Deloitte Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500 program, a ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology companies in the region.

Frequently asked questions:

What is the Deloitte Technology Fast 50?

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 is a program that ranks 50 fast growing technology companies, public or private, based on percentage revenue growth over three years and includes all related industry sectors - communications, media, software, hardware, life sciences and healthcare, online, fintech and clean energy.

How do I nominate my company for Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia?

Detailed information on the online nomination process is available here.

When do nominations open for the 2021 program?

Nominations open in August 2021. Click here to pre-register your interest in the 2021 awards program.

How does the program determine winners?

Our Technology Fast 50 winners are ranked based on percentage revenue growth for three years. Our Deloitte team will check the submitted data to the company's operating revenues as disclosed in their financial statements, which are provided during the nomination process. Deloitte does not audit nor does it analyse the companies' financial standings.

How do companies qualify for the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 awards categories?

To be eligible for each of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 awards categories, your company must meet certain criteria. Explore the criteria for each category here.

How do companies apply for the regional Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500 program?

Companies headquartered in Australia apply via the Technology Fast 50 Australia program. If you do not satisfy the criteria for the local program, you may still be eligible to participate in the Asia Pacific Program, which does not have the $8 million cumulative revenue requirement.

Does a company have to be publicly listed?

No, both private and public companies are welcome to enter.

What information is required to nominate?

The information required can be found on the nomination page.

What is the Leadership award?

The Leadership award recognises established innovative companies with a strong growth track record (third year operating revenue of at least $50 million), showcasing its leadership status in the technology industry to new start-ups.

What is the Technology Female Leadership award?

The Technology Female Leadership award recognises those companies within the Technology Fast 50 list that were founded or co-founded by a female(s) or have a female CEO.

Can applications be made for the Technology Fast 50, the Leadership award and/or the Technology Female Leadership award?

Yes. In order to be eligible for the Leadership and/or the Technology Fast Female award, companies must first make the Technology Fast 50 list. Through submitting your nomination you will be automatically considered for the three categories.

What is the Rising Star award?

The Rising Star award recognises those companies that meet all of the main Technology Fast 50 criteria but have been trading for less than three years.

Can applications be made for both the Technology Fast 50 and the Rising Star award?

No. The Rising Star category is for companies that have been trading for less than three years and therefore do not meet the Technology Fast 50 award criteria.

Now in its 20th year in Australia, our program continues to rank fast growing technology companies, public or private, based on percentage revenue growth over three years.

Winners are recognised by the technology and financial industry as being forward thinking and innovative technology companies. There are four nomination categories: Technology Fast 50, Rising Star, Leadership and Technology Female Leadership.

2020 winners were announced in November 2020. Meet the winners here.

To pre-register your interest in the 2021 awards program, please click here.

Our eligibility criteria below explains what it takes to be a winner. You can also take a look at previous winners to discover the formula for success!

Nomination criteria

We announce our winners under four categories:

Category: Technology Fast 50

• Is a technology company defined as:
• Producing technology
• Manufacturing technology-related products
• Be technology intensive, or use unique technology to solve problems
• Devoting a significant proportion of operating revenues to research & development of technology.
• Has been in business for a minimum of three years.
• The company must be Australian owned and headquartered in Australia. Subsidiaries or divisions of overseas companies are not eligible (unless they have some Australian public ownership and trade separately).
• Operating revenues must be at least $50,000 in the first reporting year (in 2020 this is 2018).
• Must have total cumulative operating revenues of $8 million during the last three operating years. For example, a technology company will qualify in 2020 if its revenue for the year ended June 2018 was $105,000 and its year-end revenue for June 2019 and June 2020 were $2.5 million and $5.5 million, respectively. (Please note that companies with operating revenues of less than $8 million may still qualify for the regional Asia-Pacific Technology Fast 500 program). 

Category: Rising Star

Does your company meet all of the main Technology Fast 50 criteria, but has been trading for less than three years? Our Rising Star category could be for you!

The nomination process for the Rising Star award is the same as the Technology Fast 50 award. The only difference is that Rising Star applicants have under three years' worth of verified financial data and do not meet the $8 million revenue threshold. To qualify for this category, companies need at least 2 years of trading history (1 full year and 1 part year) and operating revenue of at least $50,000 in the first year or part year.

Category: Leadership

Are you an established technology company with a strong track record and operating revenues greater than $50 million in 2019/FY20? Then the Leadership category could be for you!

The nomination process for the Leadership award is the same as the Technology Fast 50 award. The difference with Leadership applicants is that they must have greater than $50 million in the last reporting year.

Category: Technology Female Leadership

Was your company founded or co-founded by a female or currently has a female CEO? Then the Technology Female Leadership category could be for you!

The nomination process for the Technology Female Leadership award is the same as the Technology Fast 50 award. The difference with Technology Female Leadership applicants is that they must have been founded or co-founded by a female or currently have a female CEO.

What information is needed to nominate?

To nominate your company for one of the four Technology Fast categories in 2020, be ready to submit:

1. Company details (name, address, ABN, contact details)
2. CEO and founder details
3. A brief description of company and proprietary technology (maximum of 300 words)
4. Company logo in high resolution
5. Financial information for 2018, 2019 and 2020, or for those companies with calendar year-ends, financial information for 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Note: Deloitte does not audit the nominations and your financial information is kept strictly confidential. Only three year growth rates are published.

Nominations for 2020 Technology Fast 500 are now closed.

Winners will be announced in February 2021.

In order to qualify for the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific 2020 program, your company must meet the following general requirements and eligibility criteria:

1. Have been in business for a minimum of three full years and be able to provide financial statements for all three full years (each year must be a 12 month period)

2. Be headquartered within Asia Pacific

• Note: Subsidiaries or divisions of companies are not eligible unless they have some public ownership and are separately traded. Companies that are acquired prior to the finalization of the list are not eligible to participate.

3. Have base-year operating revenues of US $50,000 in the first year of the three years being analysed

4. Own proprietary intellectual property or proprietary technology, sold to customers in products that contribute to a majority of the company's operating revenues

• Owns proprietary technology that contributes to a significant portion of the company's operating revenues
• Manufactures a technology related product
• Devotes a significant proportion of operating revenues to research and development of technology
• Be technology intensive, or use unique technology to solve problems

Note:

1. Using other companies' proprietary technology or intellectual property in a unique way does not satisfy this requirement

2. Consulting companies, professional service firms, resellers, and others are not eligible

Industry Segments

Participants can be public or private, and encompass all technology industry segments, including:

• Hardware
• Software
• Communications
• Media
• Life sciences
• Clean Technology

We caught up with our Technology Fast 50 2019 winners to hear the stories behind their successful start-ups. They share key business actions, insights and tips on setting up, running and growing a business in this fast-paced, competitive and rewarding industry.

Why potential, not experience, proved a winner for WithYouWithMe

Tom Moore went from working from his kitchen to a global success story in three years. He shares his key actions for building a successful tech start-up.

View blog article

WithYouWithMe’s Tom Moore shares his business insights

Tom Moore went from working from his kitchen to a global success story in three years. He shares his key actions for building a successful tech start-up.

View blog article

Risking it all gave Katherine McConnell a Brighte future

Katherine McConnell quit her career and re-mortgaged her home for her start-up dream, but with her money running out, the clock was ticking to get investor backing. Find out what it took to get the money and launch Brighte.

View blog article

Fast Female winner Katherine McConnell’s business insights

Sustainable home improvement financing company Brighte won the all-new 2019 Tech Fast Female award. Founder and CEO Katherine McConnell shares her key insights into running a successful tech start-up.

View blog article

Taking his eye off the ball was a winning decision for Tommy Bugg

We caught up with Tommy Bugg, ZOOZ Group co-founder and CEO, on being a budding entrepreneur and what it takes to drive a business – one social media influencer at a time.

View blog article

Rising Star winner Tommy Bugg’s business tips

Social media and influencer management company ZOOZ won the 2019 Tech Fast 50 Rising Star award. Co-founder and CEO Tommy Bugg shares his three key business tips.

View blog article

Want millennials? Don’t stich them up, says Afterpay’s Anthony Eisen

We chat to Afterpay co-founder and CEO Anthony Eisen, who tells us how to get millennials on board, why Barack Obama is his top tweet choice and his five key business insights.

View blog article

To see the full list of companies who made the 2019 winners list, download our report.