Travlr named best startup and Kismet, scaleup of the year in Victorian governor’s annual awards

Victoria’s leading startup founders, investors, and ecosystem builders were honour at the annual Governor of Victoria Startup Awards at Government House last week. 

Her Excellency Professor Margaret Gardner AC recognised outstanding contributions to the state’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem 

Government startup agency LaunchVic helps coordinate the awards, now in their 4th year, with 4-5 startups and others named as finalists across across five categories, including investor of the year and best newcomer.

Previous winners include Linktree, Mr Yu, Hex’s Jeanette Chea, unicorn fintech Zeller and Amber Electric, which last week announced a $45 million raise supported by the state government fund Breakthrough Victoria.

“Travel-as-a-service” platform, TRAVLR was named the 2025 Startup of the Year, founded by Simon te Hennepe, of The Bali Bible app fame. It enables tourism operators to launch and market their own booking sites and experiences. 

Scaleup of the Year went to Kismet, a healthcare platform improving access to NDIS services. Founded by Mark Woodland in 2023, Kismet connects people to healthcare and support providers – such as cleaners, occupational therapists and physiotherapists – in their local area. Last year Kismet banked a $12.6 million Seed raise.

Grace Brown’s Andromeda Robotics, creators of the colourful, bubble-blowing AI-powered robot Abi, designed to combat loneliness in aged care, received the Best Newcomer award. Andromeda, founded in 2022, raised $3 million 12 months ago and recently signed a deal with aged care provider to introduce Abi to 22 facilities nationally. 

Ecosystem Hero of the Year was awarded jointly to Dickie Currer and Megan Luttrell for their grassroots  work building community among early-stage founders. 

Archangel Ventures founder Ben Armstrong took home Investor of the Year as a long-time supporter of Victoria’s startup ecosystem as both an investor and mentor. 

LaunchVic CEO Dr Kate Cornick said the awards provide a platform to recognise the innovators behind  the scenes of startup success.  

“Victoria’s startup ecosystem has undergone remarkable expansion with more than 3,500 startups now valued at $132 billion,” she said. 

“The annual Governor of Victoria Startup Awards recognise the people behind these growth statistics and  the incredible startups and networks they are building.”