- Levur wins major $100,000 KPMG Nature Positive Prize
- Five finalists to share a $250,000 pool of tailored advisory services to help scale their businesses
- Native Botanical Brewery is the First Nations winner
- Coral Maker wins $20,000 KPMG People’s Choice Award
KPMG Australia has announced the winners of this year’s KPMG Nature Positive Challenge – with NSW-based ethical oil startup Levur taking home the major $100,000 Nature Positive Prize.
The annual Challenge, which champions and supports innovative startups solving environment dilemmas, saw a record number of startup companies apply. It also attracted the broadest range of entrants to date, including startups using drones to control agricultural pests, new technology to regenerate coral at scale, and harnessing electricity to grow crops faster. This year’s Challenge focused on two new themes: regenerative economy and sustainable food systems.
From the almost 100 applicants, five finalists were short-listed, who pitched to a panel of judges including WWF-Australia Chief Regeneration Officer Nicole Forrester; Climate Salad Co-founder Mick Liubinskas and Jawun Chief Executive Shane Webster as well as KPMG’s National Nature Lead Carolin Leeshaa and Josh Geelan, KPMG Enterprise Lead Partner for ESG & Sustainability.
Andrew Yates, CEO, KPMG Australia said: “The KPMG Nature Positive Challenge continues to unearth some exceptional eco innovators. Levur was the ultimate choice of our judging panel because of their highly innovative application of science and the scale of the challenge they are tackling – replacing unsustainable plant and animal oils with sustainable alternatives. The widespread adoption of sustainable oils could have a tremendous global impact, maintaining biodiversity and reducing the devasting effects of deforestation.”
“The goal of the KPMG Nature Positive Challenge is to shape a better future by supporting entrepreneurship that is focused on helping people and planet. We are incredibly proud to be helping fast-track the growth of these amazing businesses,” he added.
Levur Co-Founders Tom Collier (CEO), and Joanne Barber (COO) were thrilled to have been selected by the judges. Tom Collier commented: “Winning the KPMG Nature Positive Challenge feels like a pivotal moment for Levur. It’s a validation of the mission our team has worked so hard to make a reality and a powerful reminder of why we started this journey: to protect our planet and create solutions that leave a lasting impact. We’re already seeing the strategic benefits of KPMG’s advisory support and the doors this will open for a relatively young business. Thanks to this prize, we’ll be able to scale faster and reach more markets, helping to commercialise our sustainable alternative to palm oil. Creating long-term impact takes a village, and we’re deeply inspired by the work of our fellow finalists. We’re proud to be part of a community dedicated to driving meaningful change.”
The finalists
- Coral Maker (Rudds Gully, WA) – a coral reef restoration company focused on technology to scale the deployment of corals.
- Lord of the Trees (Sydney, NSW) – pioneering sustainable pest management through innovative drone technology.
- Native Botanical Brewery (Erina, NSW) – a First Nations family business producing native beverages while actively restoring local ecosystems by propagating native food species.
- Rainstick (Cairns, QLD) – using electricity to mimic the natural effects of lightning to grow crops bigger, faster and more sustainably.
