Entries for the YBF Lift Off Awards close this Sunday

Simon Thomsen

Apr 21, 2021 2 min read

2019 Lift Off Awards co-hosts Winitha Bonney and Jason Lim with winner of Best Social Media, Shahirah Gardner of Finch and awards director, Courtney Blackman of YBF

Entries for the third annual Lift Off Awards, which celebrate diversity in tech, close this Sunday, April 25.

Organised by YBF Ventures nominating for the 2021 Lift Off Awards is free and takes just minutes.

After missing out on the 2020 awards due to the coronavirus pandemic, YBF has expanded the 2021 awards beyond fintech into 10 categories in total. They are:

Fintech Startup or Scaleup of the Year
Diversity & Inclusion Tech Leader of the Year
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Tech Startup or Scaleup of the Year
Legaltech or Regtech Startup or Scaleup of the Year
Cybersecurity Startup or Scaleup of the Year
Proptech Startup or Scaleup of the Year
Agtech Startup or Scaleup of the Year
Healthtech or Medtech Startup or Scaleup of the Year
Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning Startup or Scaleup of the Year
International Tech Startup or Scaleup of the Year

YBF CEO Farley Blackman said the Lift Off Awards are their most prominent annual event.

“It is important for us at YBF and for all leaders in tech within Australia and beyond to highlight and acknowledge the need for diversity,” he said.

“I certainly look forward to a day when we don’t need awards for diversity; when diversity is just natural and part of what we do.”

The awards ceremony will be held in the Ballroom at YBF’s headquarters in Melbourne on July 22, with a satellite event at YBF Sydney as part of a digital hookup.

The 2021 judges are: Ali Adey, Cathy Ngo, Chris Croker, Farley Blackman, Genevieve Collins, Grace Watkins, Isabel Sutherland, Jason Lim, Karen Katz, Kate Bennett Eriksson, Omaru Maruatona and Winitha Bonney.

Collins, Chief Executive Partner of Lander & Rogers said her company had supported the Lift Off Awards since they began in 2018.

“We feel that they are incredibly important for Australia––to lift up and celebrate all individuals and communities within the tech ecosystem,” she said.

We’re excited about this year’s awards as there is a range of new categories that really mirror Australia’s thriving tech landscape.”

Applications are now open for individuals, startups and scaleups: https://liftoffdiversity.com/

Award supporters include Lander & Rogers, Tyro, AirTree, Girls in Tech Australia, Impact Investment Partners and Keynoteworthy.

Find out more and apply or nominate here: https://lnkd.in/gnBGqhK

About the author

Simon Thomsen

Simon has been editor of Startup Daily since 2019. He hosted the Startup Daily show on streaming service ausbiz.com.au from 2020 to 2023, and now, the weekly podcast Startup 360. He was previously associate editor of Business Insider Australia, a national restaurant critic, editor of The Good Food Guide, and newspaper proprietor during a 30-plus-years career in journalism and publishing. He’s also an investor in early stage startups.