Business name: Cappture
Age: Both are 20-years-old.
State: NSW
What do you do if your founding team is decimated by the undeniable lure of working for tech giants Google, Apple and Facebook?
If you’re Carpenter and Callum Chapman, you press on regardless and strike a deal with a major US player to set your product up for global expansion.
In June, the Sydney duo struck a partnership deal with Mokriya, a Silicon Valley-based firm, to handle the development of Cappture. This followed the departure of two of their co-founders shortly after beginning work on the start-up in February.
Cappture is an app that allows users to take multiple photographs, with each picture accompanied with a caption that will summarise their day. The app will have a calendar-style view and will be integrated into social media.
Despite their age, both Chapman and Carpenter have significant experience in working on start-ups.
Chapman, a designer, has worked on multiple brands in the UK and Australia, while Carpenter launched ZOR Technology as a 16-year-old, before the online tech retail business was scrapped following an unfortunate legal wrangle.
“We’re not in this to make a quick buck,” says Carpenter. “Cappture will be free to use and will remain so throughout its life. We would love to see people using Cappture all over the world on a daily basis.”
It appears not only are barriers such as technology and start-up capital coming crashing down for young Australian entrepreneurs, but also attitudes. In compiling this year’s Future Makers – our annual selection of the most promising Aussie entrepreneurs aged under 25-years-old – one message came through time and again: Investors, business partners and customers just aren’t that bothered about age any more. Maybe it’s the ‘Facebook effect’ of continual publicity of the fresh faced billionaires in Silicon Valley. Or maybe we are just ditching unnecessary prejudices regarding age. Maybe both. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that it’s not startlingly unusual for someone to start a business while at university, gain a legion of customers via social media and raise seven-figure sums in investment before they are out of their teenage years. So which tyros are at the vanguard of Australia’s young entrepreneurs? We’ve picked out 10 start-ups we believe are destined for great things based on their innovation, passion and success to date. To meet the class of 2012, click on each of the profiles below:
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