Level 3, 45 William Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
T: (03) 9614 8510
F: (03) 9614 8201
E: admin@pearcey.org.au
STATE CHAPTERS
NSW: nsw@pearcey.org.au
VIC: vic@pearcey.org.au
QLD: qld@pearcey.org.au
SA: sa@pearcey.org.au
TAS: tas@pearcey.org.au
2010 NSW ICT Entrepreneur of the Year
Embargoed until 19.00pm 19th October 2010
19th October 2010 – Sydney. The 2010 NSW ICT Entrepreneur of the
Year award was presented to Lars and Jens Rasmussen, founders of
Google Maps and Google Wave by the Hon Eric
Roozendaal
MLC,
NSW Treasurer and Minister for State and Regional Development. The
event was held at NSW Parliament this evening in conjunction with
National ICT Australia’s NICTA @ NSW Parliament research showcase.
“Lars and Jens's development of Google Maps has positioned Australia
as a global leader in online services. It resulted in Google establishing a
significant research and development team in Sydney and the creation
of many high tech jobs.” said Pearcey NSW co-chair Charles Lindop.
“Google Maps
is now used by around 1/3 of all Google visitors and
represents over 3% of all total global Google traffic. This values Google
Maps as a multi-billion dollar enterprise.”
“It was a great entrepreneurial achievement; Lars and Jens
bootstrapped their company Where 2 Technologies, attacking
a major
business opportunity with highly innovative technology, sold to Google,
and then continued to build out the business. They then did it all again
with Google Wave. What better example of entrepreneurship and
innovation can you get?”
The Pearcey Foundation has once again proven Australia has
innovators equal to the world’s best,
and with the global reach of the
internet, our innovators can fully
capitalise on their capabilities
and
conquer the world.
“This is a peer-recognition scheme. Such is the talent pool in NSW, our
judges (mainly previous winners) had a very difficult time in choosing
Lars and Jens over the other nominees. A first amongst equals” said Dr
Silvia Pfeiffer, CEO of video technology firm Vquence and chair of the
judges.
“We wish all the nominees the very best of endeavours, thank
them for their contribution to date, and are delighted to induct them into
our hall of fame”.
Receiving special recognition awards for their entrepreneurial talents
and industry contribution were (alphabetic sequence):
Level 3, 45 William Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
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STATE CHAPTERS
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QLD: qld@pearcey.org.au
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TAS: tas@pearcey.org.au
Candidate
Company
Christopher
Mapp
Omnilab
Landmark contribution to the local digital
entertainment industry over many years. Built
Omnilab into Australia’s largest privately
owned vertically integrated, digital
entertainment business with revenues
exceeding $100m and employing more than
500 people.
Geoff McQueen
Hiive Systems
Regional NSW technology industry pioneer
(Illawarra region), Geoff founded Internetrix in
2000 and recently spun out award winning
Google partner, Hiive Systems. Tireless
supporter of local industry and start-up
groups.
James
Spenceley
Vocus
A significant overachiever, founding ASX-
listed telecommunications firm Vocus in 2007
and also AusNOG , a collaborative community
of telecommunications network operators.
Joseph Renzi
OurWishingW
ell.com and
SwapAce.com
Founded, developed and commercialised 2
award-winning innovative businesses. Youth
minister to 25 volunteer leaders, providing
ministry to hundreds of children.
Liesl Capper
MyCyberTwin.
com
Serial entrepreneur; founding ASX-listed
Mooter Media in 2000 and co-founder of
MyCybertwin in 2005. Motivational industry
speaker.
Mick Liubinskas
& Phil Morle
Pollenizer
Founders of peer to peer technology
company Kazaa and more recently founders
of startup garage, Pollenizer where they have
assisted over 30 start-ups with technology
and business expertise.
Rob Manson
and Alex Young
MOB Labs
Superb mobile technology work plus HEAPS
of advocacy/evangelism. Specialists in
Augmented Reality. Have breathed all things
web since the 1990’s
The awards included a very lively debate “making a motsa from
research commercialisation”. “There is a great spirit of entrepreneurship
in Australia but still much that government, academic and industry
leaders can do to foster this and turn Australia into the clever country”
said the debate chair Mark Jones of Filtered Media and the Australian
Financial Review.
Level 3, 45 William Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
T: (03) 9614 8510
F: (03) 9614 8201
E: admin@pearcey.org.au
STATE CHAPTERS
NSW: nsw@pearcey.org.au
VIC: vic@pearcey.org.au
QLD: qld@pearcey.org.au
SA: sa@pearcey.org.au
TAS: tas@pearcey.org.au
The ICT Entrepreneur of the Year award includes a cash grant,
and
was supported by Industry and Investment
NSW and NICTA (National
ICT Australia).
This evening’s winners, will be finalists in a new Pearcey National
Entrepreneurs Award sponsored by CSIRO. The winner of this new
award, to be presented for the first time in 2011, will be drawn from
each of the 2010 Pearcey State Award winners.
About the NSW Pearcey Award
The NSW ICT Entrepreneur award is awarded annually
to the most
outstanding
ICT and digital media individual, through
an open process
of peer recognition. Previous winners include Ian Gardiner, Viocorp
(2009), Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes, Atlassian (2008),
Jeff and Pia Waugh, Open Source Community (2007), and Matt Barrie,
Freelancer.com (2006). 2004 winner Hugh Durrant-Whyte has just been
named the new CEO of NICTA.
About the Pearcey Foundation
Founded in memory of Trevor Pearcey, who built Australia’s first and
the world’s fourth programmable digital
computer, CSIRAC,
in Sydney
in 1949, the foundation is a group of concerned individuals fostering the
aims and achievements of the Australian ICT industry. Celebrating its
61st
anniversary this year,
CSIRAC is the oldest surviving computer in
the world. The Pearcey Foundation’s objective is to reinforce the
recognition, knowledge and appreciation of Australia’s ongoing
contribution to the development and growth of our
ICT professions,
research and industry.
For more information on the NSW Pearcey Awards please visit
NEWS 
