Entrepreneurs

Forbes Australia has picked out three of the entrepreneurs who have been making waves in the startup scene as of late – and they’re ones to watch.

Lark Distilling spent the last three years maximizing production capacity. Now that it has increased supply, the new CEO aims for 80% of its whiskey to be sold abroad.

Melbourne’s Finn brothers are on the ride of their life. Their startup Roller recently landed a private equity raise of $78m from U.S Insight Partners. Now their sights are set on 100,000 other leisure attractions around the globe.

Nick Mathers oversees 1700 staff across his 12 U.S. restaurants. There will be six more venues in 2024. Mathers tells Forbes Australia that his company is on track to bring in $120m this year. By 2026, it will be $200m. Then, maybe an IPO.

AI decisioning platform, Rich Data Co, has banked $28 million in a Series B funding round led by Westpac and US cloud banking software firm nCino.

The A-lister debuts on the Forbes 30 Under 30 this year while attempting a transition from model to mogul. Can Jenner’s 818 Tequila stand out in the crowded celebrity spirits space?

Psychae Therapeutics bagged the raise from Tin Alley Ventures and the University of Melbourne’s pre-seed investment fund.

The Sydney-based drone company landed $2 million in a pre-Series A raise. The funds have facilitated the acquisition of Brazilian mapping firm Mappa and the global launch of AerologixMaps.

Iconic Australian self-tan brand Bondi Sands sold to Japanese chemical and cosmetics giant Kao Corporation in August this year, in a deal worth $450 million. Now, co-founder Blair James is on to his next venture, with serial entrepreneur Hamish Buckley. They say they’re staring down a $230 billion opportunity.

The $3 million investment into First Australians Capital was made through Block’s social impact fund. Block is the Dorsey-founded parent company of Australian fintech super unicorn Afterpay.