The Australian has unveiled its 2024 list of 100 leading innovators, showcasing talent from diverse fields including medicine, health, energy, art and design and e-commerce.
Five Greek Australians made the list of emerging entrepreneurs recognised for ambition and dedication.
Alex and Chris Naoumidis, co-founders — Mindset Health
Mindset Health has more than 30,000 paid monthly subscribers using its hypnosis-based apps to manage conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, menopausal hot flushes, and quitting smoking. The apps are designed to help users manage these chronic conditions using pre-recorded audio similar to meditation apps.
The start-up was founded in 2018 by Melbourne-based brothers and Monash University alumni Alex and Chris Naoumidis. In 2023, Mindset Health raised $17.8m in funding, with backing from King River Capital and Linktree founders Nick Humphreys and Alex and Anthony Zaccaria, among others. Alex Naoumidis says hypnotherapy is being more widely adopted.
“The global demand for our hypnotherapy programs – driven by healthcare practitioners who recognise their effectiveness in supporting patients and recommend their use – has proven our thesis and demonstrated the deep market appetite for easy-to-use solutions that can help people manage and live well with underserved health conditions,” he says.
Spiro Rokos and Paul Weingarth, co-founders — Slyp
Australian start-up Slyp is working to solve a number of problems with one tech solution. It is giving retailers more data about their customers, offering consumers more rewards when they shop, and trying to decrease the use of printed receipts in Australia. More than 10.6 billion paper receipts are printed here every year, often on paper that isn’t recyclable. The idea is a simple one: receipts are sent from the retailer to an app on your phone.
“By switching to a digital-first mindset, we can create a transaction experience that’s not only more convenient for the customer, but also more environmentally friendly for our planet,” CEO Paul Weingarth says.
He and co-founder Spiro Rokos now count some of Australia’s largest businesses, including Kmart, Chemist Warehouse, Country Road and Harris Farm, among their customers. As well as helping these companies go paperless, the Slyp platform matches retailer SKUs and data about shoppers to provide insights into in-store customers.
Alex Badran and Mario Hasanakos, co-founders — Spriggy
According to research carried out by Spriggy, one of Australia’s most popular apps for teaching children about banking, 85 per cent of parents think it’s their responsibility to teach kids financial literacy, but 66 per cent of parents are reluctant to talk to their kids about money.
The Spriggy Pocket Money app is controlled by parents, who can schedule regular pocket money transfers that either go onto a prepaid card or into their child’s savings. Kids (aged six to 18) can view statement balances, while parents can monitor spending and set savings goals.
Spriggy, founded by Alex Badran (pictured) and Mario Hasanakos in 2015, has raised almost $60m from five funding rounds, with investors including Grok Ventures and National Australia Bank.
Daniel Danilatos, founder — Neara
Neara, founded by Daniel Danilatos in 2016, is on a mission to future-proof energy networks around the world. The Australian start-up uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyse energy infrastructure to determine its lifespan and how it will fare in extreme weather events or natural disasters. The software can remotely design or redesign parts of the network to deliver on safety, efficiency and environmental responsibility recommendations.
“The utility industry is spending billions physically assessing and maintaining their ageing assets, and simultaneously trying to resolve how to integrate renewable assets,” says Neara chief commercial officer Jack Curtis. “Our platform enables a holistic approach to addressing these key challenges.”
The company, which services Australian clients such as Ausgrid and Essential Energy, as well as global clients in countries including the US and Ireland, secured $20m in Series B funding in 2022 and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies in 2024.
Source: The Australian.
*Please note the above list includes the names of those who are recognised as Greek. If you know someone else, please email us at greek@foreignlanguage.com.au.
