Mr Yum, Willed and Zeller named among Victoria’s leading startups

This week the winners of the Governor of Victoria Startup Awards were announced, with Mr Yum being crowned ‘Startup of the Year’.

This is the second year the awards have run, with an aim to honour and support the Victorian startup ecosystem.

Six awards were given out on the night, including three company and three individual categories:

Company Categories

• Best Newcomer for firms less than three years old
• Startup of the Year for those that have had a minimum Series A in the last four years
• Scaleup of the Year for firms less than ten years old

Individual Categories

• Investor of the Year
• Ecosystem Hero of the Year
• Regional Ecosystem Hero of the Year

Mr Yum took out the top spot as ‘Startup of the Year’. According to a post published by the Victorian government, the food ordering company was recognised for “helping local hospitality businesses stay open during the pandemic and now providing an operating system for businesses to grow their brands and offering.”

Back in 2021 Mr Yum raised a massive $89 million in Series A, bringing its total funding amount to $101.5 million since launching in 2019. The last year has also seen it go through two rounds of layoffs, with the latest taking place back in March.

Earlier this month the AFR also reported that Mr Yum was in merger talks with ordering platform me&u.

The ‘Scaleup of the Year’ award went to fintech company Zeller for “setting an Australian record for the fastest time a local company has hit a $1 billion valuation”. The Victorian government also hailed Zeller for doublings its staff to over 220 and growing its customer base to 35,000 in its first three years of operation.

Back in 2022, Zeller reached its ‘unicorn status’ with a $100 million Series B raise, bringing its valuation to $1.1 billion despite only launching in 2021. This came under a year after a separate $50 million raise.

Earlier this year Zeller also launched its own debit cards aimed at small businesses.

Finally, the ‘Best Newcomer’ award went to deathtech startup Willed. Founded in 2020, it focuses on simplifying processes around wills, probate applications and cremations, as well as making them more affordable and accessible.

In 2022 Willed landed $6 million in Series A as it looked to expand its services and offerings.

Nick Crocker and Rachael Neumann were named as joint investors of the year, with GippsTech CEO Dr Elena Kelareva taking out ‘Regional Ecosystem Hero of the Year’ and Emily Casey winning ‘Ecosystem Hero of the Year’.