Personal safety monitoring and response company, Sonder, has been named the 2019 Telstra New South Wales Business of the Year.

Sonder uses cutting-edge technology that mobilises spare capacity among ex and off-duty emergency services personnel to make safety and support services accessible to everyone.

If Sonder members feel their safety is at risk, they can use the Sonder mobile app to obtain geo-localised, multilingual, in-person assistance anytime, anywhere, from vetted and trained professionals.

“Our vision is to create a global responder network to address personal safety, putting help by a member’s side anywhere in the world within 20 minutes through our dedicated app,” said Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Craig Cowdrey.

Sonder also took home the 2019 Telstra New South Wales Emerging & Energised Award.

The Telstra Business Awards are a long standing, exclusive platform that recognise Australia’s best businesses, provide expert advice, open networking opportunities and help them gain the credibility to take their business to the next level.

Winners were chosen across four categories: Emerging & Energised, Small & Succeeding, Medium & Making Waves, and Social Change Maker.

Telstra Group Executive, Consumer & Small Business, Michael Ackland, said the winners of the 2019 Telstra New South Wales Business Awards demonstrated excellence across six key judging criteria, underpinned by a commitment to innovation and technology.

“The New South Wales winners are shining examples of businesses doing great things in new and effective ways for their customers,” Mr Ackland said.

“They have inspired us all with their resilience, courage and incredible commitment.

“Sonder is a visionary business with a focused, driven and extremely professional team. At the core of the business is its social impact, where military veterans have the opportunity to use their expertise to help people in the community feel safer. A disruptor with a conscience, Sonder is a game changer.”

The other category winners of the 2019 Telstra New South Wales Business Awards are:

• Healthy drinks maker, Shine Drink, won the 2019 Telstra New South Wales Small & Succeeding Award

• Feminine hygiene underwear business, Modibodi, won the 2019 Telstra New South Wales Medium & Making Waves Award

• Homeless support service, Dignity, won the 2019 Telstra New South Wales Social Change Maker Award

All 2019 New South Wales winners will join other state and territory category winners at the national 2019 Telstra Australian Business Awards in Melbourne on Thursday 21 November 2019.

Winners of the 2019 Telstra New South Wales Business Awards

Sonder – 2019 Telstra New South Wales Business of the Year
Sonder is a personal safety monitoring and response company, founded and led by proven performers from across the military, government and top-tier technology companies. The business uses cutting edge technology to mobilise spare capacity among ex and off-duty emergency services personnel to make safety and support services accessible to everyone. If Sonder members need assistance relating to their rights, welfare, safety or security, they can use a range of app-based features to obtain geolocalised, multilingual, in-person assistance anytime, anywhere, and in real-time from vetted and trained professionals. Members can contact Sonder if they feel unsafe at any time of the day or night so they can be monitored and assisted until they are safe and secure. During public safety incidents, Sonder alerts members and takes action to protect them from danger.

Shine Drink – 2019 Telstra New South Wales Small & Succeeding Award winner
Shine Drink offers a range of nootropic beverages – healthy, low-sugar drinks aimed at helping people think brighter, and feel more productive. Nootropics are ingredients to fuel the mind, in a similar way that probiotics (found in Kombucha) are good for the gut. After learning what natural realising that no-one was using them in drinks as a healthy alternative to energy drinks, Steve nootropics are and Chapman, Andrew Dewez and Dr Sam Prince began developing Shine+ in 2016 to sharpen the mind and create a delicious nootropic drink. Since launching in 2016, Shine+ can now be found in over 3,000 retail locations across Australia including Caltex, Zambrero, Harris Farm, IGA and most recently launching in selected Coles and Woolworths.

Modibodi – 2019 Telstra New South Wales Medium & Making Waves Award winner
Eliminating the need for costly and uncomfortable single-use hygiene products, Modibodi is a protective apparel brand for menstruation and incontinence leaks, sweat, odour and more. Modibodi’s patented fibre technology hopes to put an end to embarrassing mishaps and provide an eco-conscious alternative to disposable hygiene. Offering designer styles, ultra-comfort and superior high-tech protection, Modibodi is reinventing apparel and personal hygiene. In the five years since launching, the company has sold over 1 million garments, from leak-proof underwear and swimwear to maternity singlets in an all-inclusive range of sizes and styles. With a positive and long-lasting impact on the environment, Modibodi hopes to offer more convenient and worry-free ways to help customers look and feel their best, every single day.

Dignity – 2019 Telstra New South Wales Social Change Maker Award winner
Frustrated with the increasing rate of homelessness, Suzanne Hopman knew there must be a way to stop the problem from the outset. Her idea was Dignity, a charity focused on supporting people at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness by providing shelter, food, clothing, advocacy and education, to empower people to regain control of their lives. Beginning with one shelter for women and children in 2016, Dignity now has 25 shelters across New South Wales accommodating up to 240 people every night. Since its inception in 2015, Dignity has been able to assist more than 70,000 vulnerable people in metropolitan and regional areas throughout the state. With a vision to end homelessness by 2028, the charity is collaborating with the NSW Government to rehouse people within 28 days spent in crisis accommodation.