The LinkedIn Top Startups list dropped this week, and I read every single entry. Twice.
Congratulations to Heidi, Everlab, Andromeda and the whole crew. Heidi raised $475 million and hit a $1.26 billion valuation. Everlab has Pat Cummins in its corner. Andromeda built a humanoid companion robot for aged care. A ROBOT. For aged care. I’m genuinely impressed. Australian innovation is having a moment, and I’m here for it.
But I’ve spent 35 years in leadership and people work, so I read lists like this the way I read a CV. I’m not just looking at what’s there. I’m looking at what’s missing.
So here’s what I noticed.
📍 The postcode problem. Melbourne, Sydney, one in Adelaide and one in Mornington. Brisbane? Queensland? Not a sausage. Apparently innovation stops at the Tweed.
We’ve got the talent, the universities, the lifestyle and the grit up here. What we haven’t always had is the spotlight, the networks or the capital that flows so easily a few hours south. That’s not a whinge. It’s a challenge. Queensland founders, I see you.
🤖 The AI gold rush. AI scribes, AI support agents, AI legal tools, AI sales intelligence, AI-driven care plans. LinkedIn says four in 10 professionals now feel more likely to start a business because of AI.
AI is writing the clinical notes, answering the customer calls, drafting the contracts and finding the leads. It’s brilliant. It’s also changing what we need from humans at work. When the machine does the tasks, the human job becomes judgment, trust, courage and connection. In other words, leadership.
👀 The job title tell. Look at the most common job titles across the list: Software Engineer. Sales Development Representative. Account Executive. Software Engineer. Software Engineer. Software Engineer.
You know what’s not on there? Anyone whose job is to make sure those engineers and SDRs have a decent leader.
(Andromeda, I see Human Resources in your top three job functions. Gold star. ⭐)
What hyper-growth actually does to people.
Everlab was founded in 2023 and already has 130 full-time staff. Heidi has 361. Constantinople has 180. Howatson+Company has 172. That’s extraordinary growth in three to five years. And here’s what nobody puts in the press release.
Every time a company doubles, someone gets promoted before they’re ready. The best engineer becomes the team lead. The top sales rep becomes the sales manager. Suddenly they’re running one-on-ones, handling a mental health disclosure, having a performance conversation with a mate and trying to hit a target, all in the same week.
Nobody gave them a playbook. Nobody gave them a coach. Nobody gave them time.
I’ve seen this movie in corporate, in hospitality, in retail and in recruitment across Australia and Asia. The plot never changes. Growth outpaces leadership, the culture quietly cracks, the good people leave first, and then everyone wonders why the “amazing culture” from the early days disappeared.
That’s not a criticism of these founders. That’s just what hyper-growth does. And it’s exactly where great companies are made or broken.
Headcount is easy to count. Leadership isn’t.
The list measures employee growth, jobseeker interest and how well these startups pull talent from big companies. All useful signals. But it doesn’t measure whether people want to stay. Whether managers know how to lead. Whether the culture survives the hiring sprint. Whether the humans are okay.
Those are the numbers I care about.
The women question.
And while we’re being honest, this list has had a long-running founder problem. In 2023, it featured one woman founder alongside 32 men. I’d love to see a year where that conversation is over. We’re not there yet.
Look at the industries on this year’s list. Semiconductors. Quantum computing. Defence drones. Construction tech. Robotics. These are some of the most exciting sectors in the country, and some of the most male-dominated.
I’ve spent my career championing women leading in male-dominated industries, because I know what happens when they’re given the tools, the backing and the belief. They don’t just survive. They change the room.
So my question to every company on this list: who’s developing the women in your engineering teams, your sales floors and your labs? Not in a once-a-year panel. Every single week.
So let me introduce you to a startup that won’t be on this list. Yet.
I’m building Worksparks, an AI-powered leadership coaching platform for everyone at work. Not just the C-suite. Not just the managers with a fat development budget. The new team leader in week one. The engineer who just got “promoted” into managing his mates. The quiet achiever nobody has ever asked about her career.
It’s built on 18 years of LeadershipHQ frameworks, research and real coaching conversations as well as cuting edge global knowledge. Your coach in your pocket, there at 9pm before the hard conversation, not three weeks later when the damage is done. Real-time leadership, real results.
$29 a month, 14-day free trial, and teams can come on board together.
Am I a solo female founder in Brisbane building AI in a world of Sydney and Melbourne hoodies? Yes. Do I have 30 full-time staff? Not even close. Have I built something from nothing before? Darling, I started LeadershipHQ in 2008 as a sole parent after around 40 job rejections. Nothing is my favourite starting point.
Here’s my hot take.
Every company on this list is using AI to do the work faster. Brilliant. But AI can’t make people want to follow you.
The next great Australian startups won’t just grow headcount fastest. They’ll grow leaders fastest. The ones that win the next decade will be the ones where a 26-year-old new manager feels as supported as a senior executive with a coach on speed dial.
Worksparks uses AI to make leadership more human, not less. And honestly? Every company on this list could use it tomorrow. (Heidi, call me. 😉)
- How do you develop first-time managers?
- What happens when someone is struggling, as a leader or as a human?
- Who coaches your leaders, and how often?
If they can’t answer, that tells you everything the ranking doesn’t.
Shout-out to this year’s 20 👏 Heidi , Everlab , Andromeda , Lyrebird Health , Kismet , Firmable , Lorikeet, Updoc , Fetch 🐾 , Syenta , Bridgit , Skip Loans , Diraq, Praetorian, BuildPass, CORTO , InvestorHub , Your Reformer and Constantinople
Seriously, well done. Now go and look after your leaders.
Want in early? I’m running a live Worksparks early-access session for HR and L&D leaders on 30 October, 12pm AEST, right here on LinkedIn. Come kick the tyres, tell me what you think, and help shape what leadership development looks like next.
Bring your curiosity. Leave the hoodie at home. And Queensland founders, see you on next year’s list. 💪
Sonia x
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