8. Superdraft

Revenue: $2.8 million
Growth: 400.1%
Founders: Jake Robinson, 32, and Mark Deacon, 26
Head office: Varsity Lakes, QLD
Year founded: 2011
Employees: 25
Industry: Construction
Website: www.superdraft.com.au

The construction sector has not traditionally been so strong on the sales side of things – which is where Superdraft’s network of builders, architects and surveyors comes in.

Founder Jake Robinson saw the building space had continued unchanged for thousands of years, and so spotted a gap in the market to create Australia’s first licence model for construction professionals.

Together with director Mark Deacon, he built up a network of more than 100 licencees to deliver design, engineering and council approval assistants to clients. The business now facilitates 1000 projects a year to the value of $100 million, and has grown its revenue from $574,000 in 2013-14 to $2.8 million in 2015-16.

The pair had big ideas for expansion, but were still at the very beginning of their business lives.

“We are ‘young’ entrepreneurs and started with very little money and zero funding and had to start/grow our business organically for many years,” say the founders.

That didn’t stop the business growing though – Superdraft has also launched sister companies, one of which looks to get ahead of the world’s obsession with virtual reality and use it in innovative ways for the business industry.

The Viz360 platform is Superdraft’s own augmented reality software that lets builders and interior designers display their work as a 3D showcase.

“We are perfectly placed to take advantage of this boom,” say the founders, who were also winners of the Gold Coast Young Entrepreneur award in 2015.

Global expansion is also on the cards, with the founders envisaging clients will be able to track project designs through augmented reality tools.

Rather than being worried about the future, the team is optimistic about where the business is placed for growth.

“The excitement of what the future holds for Superdraft and our sister companies” is what keeps the management team up at night.

Robinson and Deacon have developed a vast network in a short period of time, but the duo believe companies that stop moving are the ones that will lose out in the long run.

“Those who get comfortable and stop innovating will be left behind,” they say.