Three SA startups share 2026 William Buck Impact Award top prize
What's the deal? Hydrofoil board maker Foil DriveDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, point-of-sale tech firm MyVenueDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and fintech HowMuch Group tied for the top honour at the 2026 William Buck Impact Awards in South Australia. The award recognises innovation, growth, and contribution to the state's economy.
Who else won? Adelaide-based livestock breeding technology company ART Lab SolutionsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → took the "Dark Horse" award for future growth potential. Inovor TechnologiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which develops, manufactures, tests, and operates satellite technology, won the Innovation Award for its work on the state's sovereign space industries.
The hall of fame: Drakes Supermarkets founder Roger Drake was inducted into the awards' Hall of Fame, joining past inductees Maggie Beer and Glenn Cooper. Drake opened his first store in 1974 and has built Australia's largest independent grocery retailer, with more than 68 stores across South Australia and Queensland.
Accepting the award, Drake said: "You've got to surround yourself with people that are a lot smarter and who have better visions and better knowledge of what you're doing."
Why it matters: Awards chair Seth Thuraisingham said the winners show "just how much business capability is being built here in South Australia." He pointed to local firms selling globally from outside major hubs: "you don't need to be based in a major global city to compete on a global stage."
What else? Four scholarships went to leaders looking to extend their skills and global networks. MyVenue's Tim Stollznow received the CEO Institute Scholarship, Foil Drive's Trent Rowe took the Stone & Chalk Scholarship, The Yoghurt ShopDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Brandon Reynolds won the SA Leaders Executive Leaders Series Scholarship, and ART Lab Solutions' Marie Ellul received the Australian Centre for Business Growth Scholarship.
The signal: The spread of winners — from manufacturing and fintech to satellites and livestock tech — points to a diversifying South Australian startup base. As managing partner Adrian Chugg put it, the firms show "what's possible when South Australian ambition is matched with innovation and commercial capability."
Read more: indailysa.com.au
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
