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More Tech Jobs For Victoria With Young App Entrepreneurs

24 November 2015

Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis today visited Melbourne-based tech company Appster, welcoming plans by its young founders to create more than 100 new jobs in Victoria over the next three years.

Appster is Australia’s fastest growing product development and strategy mobile app, working with entrepreneurs and established brands to bring together business strategy, digital marketing and product development.

Co-Founders Mark McDonald and Josiah Humphrey, both aged 23, started Appster in August 2011 with just $3,000 and have recently debuted on the 2015 BRW Young Rich List with revenue for Appster now surpassing $20 million.

Appster has grown quickly over the past five years to become an employer of around 300 staff, developing apps for more than 200 companies and brands around the world. Its global presence has also grown, with working offices now in three continents including India and the US.

The company holds monthly events in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for aspiring entrepreneurs and is supporting a CSIRO scheme that will roll out tech skill training in primary schools to teach coding and app development.

Mr Dalidakis said he welcomed Appster’s plans to expand the workforce of their Melbourne office, highlighting the growing strength of Victoria’s tech industry. This expansion also follows moves to Victoria by a growing list of leading tech companies including Zendesk, GoPro, Eventbrite, Square and communications giant Slack.

Victoria’s information communication technology sector now generates more than $34 billion in annual revenue and employs over 91,300 people with the demand for tech skills higher than ever before, seeing a 30 per cent increase in demand over the past year alone.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis

“Appster is a great success. Mark and Josiah have shown that age is no barrier for entrepreneurs who have bright ideas and the right foundations to grow.”

“Appster’s plans to expand their workforce here in Melbourne is another vote of confidence in Victoria as a centre for technology and innovation. We have a high-skill workforce that leads the country in information communication technology.”

“The Labor Government is committed to making Victoria stronger. Our $60 million startup initiative will encourage local entrepreneurs to develop and manufacture their ideas here in Victoria rather than send them offshore.”

Quotes attributable to Appster co-founder Mark McDonald

“Appster was founded as an app development company, but today our vision is to help accelerate ideas into reality. We are helping founders build, market and scale world-class startups and Melbourne has been a great place to do that from.”

Reviewed 10 February 2021

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