This year, Squarespace held its first Australian Make It Awards in support of Australian entrepreneurs, creators, and small businesses. The Make It Awards come from Squarespace’s roots: In 2003, CEO Anthony Casalena founded the company with a $30,000 loan that he used to purchase Squarespace’s first servers.
With the Make It Awards, we’re giving back to the Australian business community by supporting three emerging businesses with a $30,000 grant to further their mission. The winners were selected from more than 2,500 entries, based on their business strategy, innovation, benefit to the community, and branding and design. Meet Reef Design Lab, Lousy Ink, and The Difference, three mission-driven businesses doing sustainable and community-focused work.
Reef Design Lab
Reef Design Lab is a multidisciplinary design company that develops marine habitat structures. Their structures support studies into how we can repair and maintain the ecological diversity of marine and coastal environments. Reef Design Lab works with architects, builders, governments, and research institutions, and collaborates with marine researchers in multiple areas including coastal protection, eco-engineering of marine infrastructure, and coral farming.
Reef Design Lab plans to use its grant to upgrade in-house technology and speed up product development processes.
Lousy Ink
Founded by two artists, Lousy Ink recycles printer cartridge ink into a range of sustainable art materials, including ink and recycled pens. The company works closely with Australian partners to collect, repurpose, and reuse or recycle old and used inkjet cartridges. Lousy Ink’s mission is to reimagine waste as a creative resource, and support both the planet and the art community by encouraging more sustainable creative practices.
Lousy Ink plans to use its grant to develop a range of color inks, including cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
The Difference
The Difference is the first mobile app in Australia that allows users to round up virtual spare change from their transactions and donate it to causes they’re passionate about. The Difference uses technology to allow any individual to contribute to sustainable global change through simple daily actions and microdonations.
The Difference plans to use its grant to expand its technical offerings and support its Make Change campaign.
This year’s Make It Awards winners were honored at an event held during Vivid Sydney. In addition to the $30,000 grant, each business will also receive a one-year Squarespace website subscription and a one-year Unfold Pro subscription to support its growth.
Congratulations to all our finalists and winners. Follow Squarespace on Instagram and Twitter for announcements about future Make It Awards.