People thinking of tech companies might instantly think about cities like London or New York or even think about areas like Silicon Valley. Australian industry might not be the first thing people think of but perhaps more credit should be given to the Land Down Under. Australia has provided many global companies and not everybody notices that these companies hail from Oz.
There is a tech boom happening in Australia’s biggest cities. Regional clusters are popping up in the country that have been compared to Australia’s own Silicon Valley offerings. Many tech companies have become known in the US and elsewhere in English-speaking countries (and beyond).
Atlassian: A Global Leader in Software Tools
One of the most well-known tech companies from Australia is Atlassian, which was founded in 2002 by two university friends, Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar. The company is best known for its flagship product Jira. This software has one of the iconic Australian brand logo designs that is seen on icons in offices everywhere as people load up their project management tool that is widely used by software development teams across the globe. Atlassian also offers other collaborative software tools such as Confluence and Trello which have applications around the world.
Headquartered in Sydney (but with staff in many locations) Atlassian has grown into a multi-billion-dollar company listed on the NASDAQ .
The tools they create may not be super glamorous. The brand has been built on creating a range of tools for offices and to make the workplace a lot more streamlined and efficient. As a result of this Atlassian’s global success can be attributed to the flexibility and scalability of its tools – used by both small startups and large enterprises.
Australia has a few hubs for software development now and Atlassian has really helped pave the way. Around 2,800 people are employed at the NSW office of this company.
Canva – Revolutionising Graphic Design
Some of the newer companies out there have made a huge impact and Canva is another Australian tech success story. The browser-based editing software was founded in 2013 by a trio of Aussie entrepreneurs. This online design platform has made graphic design accessible to the masses by offering a user-friendly interface that allows even non-designers to create professional-looking graphics. Canva has become a go-to tool for creating everything from social media posts to presentations and marketing materials.
What started as a small business in Perth has quickly grown into a global company with over 60 million users worldwide. Canva has achieved what is known as unicorn status. This doesn’t mean that it is a mythical company – it means it has a valuation of over $1 billion and it even continues to expand its offerings. We now see features including video editing and social media scheduling tools.
This is an example of what can happen when a business from Australia goes stratospheric – and for those looking to find investment opportunities in Australia – there is a huge clamor to try and find the next big thing and predict the winners in the stock market. The race is on to be the “next Canva”.
The story of Canva highlights the growing demand for accessible and affordable design tools, and the company’s ability to tap into that market has made it one of the most successful tech startups in Australia…ever!
Freelancer – Connecting Freelancers with Jobs
One Aussie tech company has played a huge part in the gig economy and a new way of working for pretty much everyone. Gigs from freelance sites are much more common for people now.
The idea is that talented people can find jobs in their industry and companies get labor for a reasonable rate (without having to employ). It is an ecosystem for freelance work.
The platform allows freelancers to bid on jobs and have their own profiles where people can find them. Freelancer has expanded beyond its original marketplace and now offers tools like Escrow.com, which provides secure online payment services.
Freelancer’s international success demonstrates Australia’s growing influence in the gig economy and its ability to compete in the global marketplace – not everyone realizes this company hails from the Land Down Under!
Afterpay – Pioneer in the Buy Now, Pay Later Model
Aussie companies have a role to play In the world of fintech. Afterpay has made waves as one of the pioneers of the BNPL model.
Lots of consumers and shoppers in Oz will already know about the business – Afterpay allows consumers to make purchases and pay for them in installments over time, without the need for traditional credit. It works particularly well with those consumers who are wary of credit cards and high interest rates and may use this sort of system instead for flexible financing and it provides people with more options on how they pay.
