Aussie payments disruptor Zepto crowned NSW Business of the Year for 2022
After collecting the Excellence in Innovation gong at the Northern Rivers Business Awards, Zepto has been crowned Business of the Year at Business NSW’s 2022 Business Awards.
Byron Bay founded and headquartered payments technology company, Zepto, has had a huge 12-months. From boot-strapped start-up with about 30 staff a year ago, the fintech is now really making waves. Having closed a successful Series A raise, the well-funded, rapidly scaling upstart is on track to process transaction values of some $50 billion in 2022. Now the employer of nearly 100 people in Australia and New Zealand, Zepto has its eyes firmly on the US and beyond.
The company is on a steadfast mission to power the movement of value through the economy. Right now, that means the dollars and cents of fiat currency, but Zepto’s tech is engineered for a future brimming with any digital stores of value. And that’s what has investors and awards programs taking notice.
“We are incredibly proud of our regional origins and are acutely aware of the privilege we have to be creating a world-class technology company on beautiful Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers. It is a source of great pride to us,” said Chris Jewell.
“Drawing inspiration from Byron’s iconic lighthouse, our vision is to be a global beacon of payments lighting the way to smarter, faster ways to pay,” added Jewell.
Collecting the Excellence in Innovation award at the Northern Rivers Business Awards in October was, understandably, a moment of great satisfaction and pride. Business NSW’s Business Awards recognise growth, entrepreneurship and celebrate business success right across the state.
“We are blown away about being named NSW Business of the Year for 2022,” said Jewell.
Zepto’s founders began their entrepreneurial journey together as merchants operating a Byron Bay skydiving business. Yet simply receiving payments in a timely manner was an enormous perpetual pain-point and strain on cash flow. After navigating the spaghetti mess of fragmented payment offerings, they decided they could do a better job themselves.
In effect, Zepto was founded in response to a pretty simple question: In a modern digital economy, why is it so hard to move funds seamlessly and instantly between customer and merchant bank accounts?
Fast forward a few years and Zepto is now a leading innovator in the global payments landscape, transforming the way businesses and consumers engage through payments.
“A huge congratulations to Zepto, an amazing rise to success exemplifying the spirit of the Northern Rivers with their innovative mindset and courage to drive solutions that make a difference. This team is so well deserving of being recognised as winners in the Business NSW State Awards,” said Jane Laverty, Regional Director Northern Rivers, BUSINESS NSW.
Zepto is embedded at the intersection of real-time payments and data, with a clear view of “what’s possible” when it comes to payments. The company is picking up where banks have left off, leading account-to-account payments innovation and – like an icebreaker – has carved a new path for others to safely follow.
