AVCAL 2012 award winners announced

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Media release

AVCAL 2012 award winners announced

20 September 2012

The winners of the 2012 AVCAL Awards were announced at a gala dinner last night for nearly 500 fund managers, domain experts, investors and advisors attending AVCAL's annual 'Alpha' conference.

The winners were: For Excellence in Investor Reporting, awards were presented to Brandon Capital Partners and CHAMP Ventures.

In recognition of vision, achievement, creativity and entrepreneurship in portfolio management and outstanding returns for an exit in the 2012 financial year:
Best Early Stage Award went to Starfish Ventures for telecomm expense software company, Quickcomm.
Best Expansion Stage Award went to Equity Partners for designer of premium compression sportswear Skins.
Best Management Buyout under $100 million went to Archer Capital for specialised container lessor, SCF.
Best Management Buyout between $100-500 million went to Archer Capital for leading sports goods retailer, Rebel Group. And making it a trifecta, was Archer Capital's win together with co-investor HarbourVest in the Best Management Buyout over $500 million category for software giant MYOB.

Last night also saw the presentation of the inaugural Michael Hirshorn Award which honours a PE or VC-backed company whose products or services have been instrumental in doing public good and delivering to the community. The award went to BTF Ltd and was accepted by the company's former CEO, Mark Gauci, and Mike's former business partner, Simon Uziclas from Four Hats Capital. AVCAL CEO Dr. Katherine Woodthorpe said the award to BTF recognised the ground-breaking work the company achieved in producing biological controls to deliver safe drinking water. BTF is now owned by bioMerieux France, a world leader in industrial microbiology.

"BTF's science is now helping people right around the globe access safe drinking water so it is a very worthy recipient of this new award.

“It is no exaggeration to say that the Australian biotech industry would be nowhere near its scale today if it hadn't been for Mike, nor too would the VC industry.

“Mike's death deprived us all of a great leader and friend and this annual award will help remind us all of the principles that Mike applied so scrupulously throughout his career," said Dr. Woodthorpe.

ENDS

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