LinkedIn’s 2026 Startup List Crowns Heidi: Why Health Tech and AI Now Rule Australia’s Startup Scene

LinkedIn has published its 2026 Top Startups Australia list, and the message could hardly be clearer. Health technology and artificial intelligence now dominate the country’s most watched startup ranking. Fourteen of the 20 companies are first-time entrants, a sign that Australia’s startup scene is being reshaped in real time rather than resting on familiar names.

The list is worth paying attention to because of how LinkedIn builds it. It is not a popularity vote. The ranking is based on employment growth, engagement, job interest and the ability to attract top talent, measured across LinkedIn’s own platform. In other words, it shows where ambitious people actually want to work right now. And right now, they want to work in health tech and AI.

A health tech sweep at the top

Five of the top eight places went to health technology businesses, led by Melbourne-based Heidi in first place. Heidi makes software that automates clinical documentation, one of the most draining parts of a doctor’s day. The company is also developing an AI agent to handle more of clinicians’ administrative work. In September it raised USD $475 million, giving it a valuation of USD $1.26 billion. That single round made it the undisputed heavyweight of this year’s list.

Second place went to Everlab, also based in Melbourne. Everlab focuses on preventative health, combining assessments, diagnostics and AI-driven care plans. It raised USD $65 million in June at a valuation of USD $500 million, a number for a company still young enough to qualify for the list.

Third place went to Andromeda, arguably the most unusual entrant. The company builds Abi, a humanoid companion robot designed for aged care residents. Abi is meant to hold personalised conversations and run group entertainment, addressing one of the quieter crises in aged care: loneliness. Andromeda is valued at USD $100 million after a USD $23 million funding round completed last year.

Lyrebird Health and Kismet took fourth and fifth, completing the health tech grip on the top five. Health is where Australia’s AI talent is going, and where the money is following it.

AI everywhere else on the list

The AI story does not stop at healthcare. Sydney-based Lorikeet ranked seventh with its customer support agents for voice, chat and email. Firmable took sixth with AI-powered sales intelligence. CORTO, in 17th place, develops software for legal research, drafting and automation.

The deeper technology names also made a strong showing. Semiconductor business Syenta placed 11th, quantum computing company Diraq ranked 14th and defence drone developer Praetorian Aeronautics came 15th. LinkedIn’s report noted that the inclusion of Diraq and Syenta suggests investors and recruits are paying closer attention to hardware and deep-technology startups in Australia, an area often overshadowed by software-led ventures. Praetorian Aeronautics stands out as well, with defence technology attracting growing interest across several markets.

The rest of the list covers a broad spread of consumer and business problems: Fetch in pet care, Howatson+Company in advertising, Bridgit and Skip Loans in property finance, BuildPass in construction management, Updoc in digital healthcare, InvestorHub in investor communications, Your Reformer in Pilates equipment and Constantinople in banking software.

A very Melbourne story

One striking detail is geography. Melbourne-based companies took nine of the 20 places, while Sydney-based businesses accounted for most of the rest, with Adelaide and Mornington also represented.

How LinkedIn builds the list

It is worth understanding what this ranking actually measures, because it is stricter than most. To qualify, a business must be fully independent, privately held, headquartered in Australia and no older than five years, with at least 30 full-time employees. Staffing firms, think tanks, venture capital firms, law firms, consulting companies, nonprofits, accelerators and government-owned entities are excluded.

Employment growth must be at least 10 percent over the measurement period, and companies are excluded if they cut 10 percent or more of their workforce between the start of July 2025 and the launch of the list. That last rule means companies on the list are genuinely expanding, not just restructuring.

Brendan Wong, LinkedIn’s career expert for Australia, said the list shows how quickly the country’s startup scene is evolving, with AI turning up across health, aged care, customer support and legal services as companies cut admin work and find new ways to serve customers.

The AI undertow

LinkedIn tied the make-up of the list to wider AI adoption by smaller companies, and the numbers it cited are striking. Separate research found that 57 percent of small and medium-sized business owners said starting and running a business is easier today because of AI, while 79 percent of Australian small business marketers said AI helps smaller brands compete more effectively.

Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index added to the picture: 63 percent of Australian AI users say they are producing work they could not have produced a year earlier. That helps explain why AI-focused businesses now spread across healthcare, customer service, legal work and sales instead of clustering in one niche. Health tech and AI are not just trendy categories on the list. They are where hiring, engagement and talent attraction are strongest.

What it means for jobseekers

For jobseekers, the list is effectively a map of where demand is hottest. Engineering appears repeatedly across health technology, AI, semiconductors, quantum computing and defence, while sales, marketing and information technology roles are also common at firms including Firmable, BuildPass and Howatson+Company.

Wong’s advice was to look beyond the obvious roles and understand the problem a company is trying to solve, which makes a stronger case for why a candidate belongs there. That advice carries extra weight when fourteen of twenty names on the list are new. The companies hiring fastest are often the ones you have not heard of yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who tops LinkedIn’s Top Startups Australia 2026 list?

Melbourne-based Heidi ranks first. It automates clinical documentation and is building an AI agent for clinicians’ admin work, having raised USD $475 million in September 2026 at a USD $1.26 billion valuation.

What qualifies a company for the LinkedIn Top Startups list?

Companies must be independent, privately held, headquartered in Australia, no older than five years and have at least 30 full-time employees. Employment growth must be at least 10 percent, and companies that cut 10 percent or more of staff since July 2025 are excluded.

Which sectors dominate this year’s list?

Health technology and artificial intelligence dominate. Five of the top eight went to health tech firms, and AI appears across customer support, sales, legal services and deep technology like semiconductors, quantum computing and defence drones.