Agtech DAS and Hex founder Jeanette Cheah honoured in the Victorian governor's startup awards

The Governor of Victoria’s annual startup awards have recognised the state’s best founders an others, with satellite mapping firm Digital Agriculture Services (DAS) named Startup of the Year.

Founded in 2017 in partnership with national science agency CSIRO, DAS set out to give farmers “one click” insights on productivity and disaster risk assessments, backed by science.

We’re on a mission to build the best SaaS company dedicated to financial services and agri-enterprise. The tech platform delivers location intelligence for financial services and enterprises.

Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner recognised Victoria best in the third annual Governor of Victoria Startup Awards.

“It is a great pleasure to host these awards to recognise the ingenuity and determination shown by Victorians and to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in our state,” Prof Gardner said.

Scaleup of the Year went to Acusensus after it raised $20 million as part of its public listing on the last year. The company builds AI into road safety cameras to detect distracted drivers and has expanded operations to include a USA manufacturing facility in Las Vegas and an outpost in the UK.

Best newcomer was jointly awarded to construction management proptech BuildPass and green ammonia agtech Jupiter Ionics, which recently raised $9 million.

HEX CEO and cofounder Jeanette Cheah was named Ecosystem Hero of the Year for her global advocacy work for Victorian startups, while Investor of the Year also resulted in joint winners with Jodie Imam from Tractor recognised alongside Rachel Yang from impact fund Giant Leap.

“It was an absolutely stacked lineup for the Ecosystem Hero category, which makes it all the more special to take home the award. Each of the finalists are tireless contributors, and I was so proud to stand amongst them,” Cheah said.

“The recognition also lies with my team at HEX and the global platform we’ve built together, which gives me the opportunity to advocate for the Victorian startup ecosystem in Australia and overseas.

“To be recognised alongside HEX investors, Rachel Yang from Giant Leap and Jodie Imam from Tractor Ventures, and long-time friends and supporters, DAS, just speaks to the power of this ecosystem and how important it is for us all to support each other as we reach for global heights as Victorians.”

The state is home to more than 3,500 startups, scaleups and unicorns that employ 56,000 people globally, including around 26,000 in Victoria.