2021 Tas Award
Nina McMahon, co-founder and CEO of PopUp WiFi was the recipient of the 2021 Tasmanian Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year Award. This year's award was presented on 12 November in Hobart during the gala industry dinner following TasICT's Annual Conference and in collaboration with the Tasmanian Branch of ACS as well as TasICT.
The award was presented by Hon Michael Ferguson MP, Minister for State Growth, Minister for Science and Technology, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Finance.
James Riggall, chair of the Pearcey Tasmania judging committee (2015 Tas Pearcey) commented:
PopUp WiFi is a business that could have started anywhere, but through a commitment to excellence across all aspects of the business Nina and the PopUp WiFi team have carved out a profitable niche at a global scale. Nina's success is evidence that startups can be born and flourish globally from Tasmania, which has an incredible flow-on effect for the local ICT sector. PopUp WiFi is based in the Enterprize startup hub in Hobart, which has given Nina the opportunity to mentor and advise other aspiring and early-stage Tasmanian entrepreneurs, as well as supporting education and training through our local VET sector.
Nina McMahon
Under Nina's leadership, PopUp WiFi has experienced extraordinary success since it was established with co-founders Andrew Davies and Linden Kurth in Hobart in 2013. With live events disrupted globally over the last 18 months, Nina and the team pivoted the company towards supporting event live streaming and, in the process, tripled PopUp WiFi's revenue over a 12-month period. PopUp WiFi's success has allowed Nina and the rest of the PopUp WiFi team to give back to the wider community, with a vision "to invigorate communities". Since the company was founded, PopUp WiFi has contributed over half a million dollars in in-kind and cash donations to community and charitable events that align with this purpose.
PopUp WiFi manufactures rugged appliances that deliver multi-carrier bonded internet for industrial production hire or lease. Combining world-leading advanced networking and 3D printing techniques, PopUp WiFi's portable, remotely managed internet solution deliver highly redundant, seamless connectivity in challenging situations such as crowded festivals, onboard moving vehicles or in remote areas. Professional producers across the US and Australia rely on PopUp WiFi solutions for a range of high stakes purposes, like powering cashless payments at temporary bars at Dark MOFO, supporting the SpaceX Inspiration IV live stream at Cape Canaveral, Florida or streaming a live product launch from the Volkswagen headquarters.
