Airtasker founders make rich list debut

Airtasker founders Tim Fung and Jonathan Lui have joined the ranks of Australia's richest young business people just five years after setting up their business.

Jonathan Lui, right, and Tim Fung.

Jonathan Lui, right, and Tim Fung. Source: AFR

Having a knack for matching people needing odd jobs done with workers willing to do them has helped propel Airtasker's founders Tim Fung and Jonathan Lui into the ranks of Australia's richest young business people.

Having seen their estimated wealth swell to $41 million in just five years, the pair have for the first time featured on the annual Young Rich List published by the Australian Financial Review.

Fung and Lui set up Airtasker in 2012 as a way of helping people find someone they could pay to do odd jobs ranging from assembling flat pack furniture to house cleaning, dog walking, car washing and even clearing up after a party.

More than 1.6 million Australians have used Airtasker, which is preparing to make its first offshore expansion to Britain.

Fung and Lui came in at number 66 and 67 on this year's list of the wealthiest self-made Australians aged 40 and under.

They were among 27 debutants to make the list, which was topped by Atlassian founders Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar for the sixth consecutive year after their combined fortune swelled to a record $6.08 billion.

Fellow debutants include fitness guru Emily Skye, who came it at number 83. She amassed a $32 million fortune thanks to her 10 million Instagram followers and the hundreds of thousands of people in Australia, the US, Britain and Canada paying for her online exercise and diet plans.

Nine women made it on to this year's list, one more than in 2016.

The two wealthiest women - Cyan Ta'eed and Melanie Perkins - both have successful graphic design businesses.

Ta'eed and her husband Collis rounded out the top 10 on the overall list with a combined wealth of $216 million from their Evato business, while Canva founder Melanie Perkins ($128 million) climbed to number 17.

Model Miranda Kerr was a bit further behind at number 62 with an estimated fortune of $44 million.

Overall, the past year has seen the overall wealth amassed by Australia's richest young people hit a record $13.2 billion thanks to the booming property sector, technology market and beauty industry.

Most of the rich listers work in the technology sector, followed by financial services and retail.

The full list will be published in the AFR on Friday.


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Source: AAP


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