Business name: Taxi Pro
Age: 20
State: NSW
Zac Altman was an IT student at the University of Technology in Sydney when he entered a competition to design applications for Android smartphones.
Altman’s app, Taxi Pro, came second in the competition, launched by Optus and National ICT Australia. It attracted more than 40,000 users before it was formally advertised.
In addition to Taxi Pro, Altman founded UniRadar, a free events aggregator for university students.
He currently works for Sydney-based start-up Collusion, and has previously worked as an iOS developer at goCatch and Punchey.
“The first of several challenges was moving from an iPhone development mindset to an Android one… Taking advantage of these differences is what sets your application apart,” he says.
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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