Google AI
The Times Australia

Times Media Advertising

Appetiser Apps recognised as Australia’s fastest growing app development company on 2020 Fast Starters

  • Written by: Leanne Baker


Web and mobile app development company Appetiser Apps has been named one of Australia’s fastest growing start-ups at The Australian Financial Review’s Fast Starters List.

Appetiser Apps was placed 67th on the list overall following achievement of $1.83m in revenue in the last year. 2020 marks the 30th year of the AFR’s list of fastest growing companies. Fast Starters are ranked on their absolute level of revenue in 2018-19.

Jamie Shostak, co-founder of Appetiser Apps said, “We’re absolutely thrilled to make the AFR’s Fast Starters list. Our momentum has been underpinned by our consistent focus on three key pillars when delivering any product - technology, marketing and design.”

We have found that most app development companies don’t excel in the three criteria of strong apps – they might be strong in one area, but weak in the others. Successful app development companies should bring excellence in development and technology, user experience and design, and marketing and execution,” explained Jamie.

According to Jamie, Appetiser Apps’ diverse client base of mature businesses and start-ups encouraged agility and innovation while ensuring stability for the business.

We think and act like a start-up, while offering our clients the flexibility to get to market quicker, shift resources rapidly and learn from other agency projects. Our quality is always consistent, which has resulted in our uniquely strong client retention and satisfaction,” he added.

Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with offices across three continents, Appetiser creates industry-leading apps with a strong focus on beautiful design, backed up by cutting edge technology, and over 8 million users. The Appetiser Apps team has 100+ years of combined development experience and is made up of some of the globe’s best tech talent.

Clients include Youfoodz, Pointsbet, Salvation Army and Sushi Train. The company has developed apps for a broad range of uses including ecommerce, mobile safety, renting, building cost estimating and even dating.

Founded in 2016, they have been awarded Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 2019’s Rising Star, Young Entrepreneur of the Year and SmartCompany 30 Under 30.

Co-founders Jamie Shostak and Michael MacRae launched Appetiser Apps after a chance meeting at the coffee machine in their shared co-working space.

Originally hailing from Germany, Michael found early success with one of his first apps, First Time Pregnancy, which gained over half a million users in short space of time. Jamie was 19 when he launched his first growth marketing agency, Webhype, which he grew to over half a million dollars in annual revenue over the space of a few short years.

With Jamie’s marketing and sales expertise and Michael’s app development know-how, the pair were able to successfully launch what is now Australia’s fastest-growing app development agency, Appetiser Apps.


Appetiser Apps is Australia’s fastest-growing mobile and web app development company. The agency creates industry-leading apps with a strong focus on beautiful design, backed up by cutting edge technology.

Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with offices across three continents, Appetiser creates apps with award-winning designs and over 8 million users. Founded in 2016, they have been awarded Deloitte 2019 Fast Starter, Young Entrepreneur of the Year and SmartCompany 30 Under 30. https://appetiser.com.au/

Property Times

Most Australians think the Budget Just Changed the Rules on Property. They Have No Idea How Far it Actually Goes.

A generation of Australians may be entering the biggest rethink of wealth creation since the rise of the property boom, with the Federal Budget shaking confidence in the investment strategies many households spent decades relying on. The CEO of Ph...

Property Paralysis: Buyers Hesitate As Australia’s Housing Market Sends Mixed Signals

Australia’s property market may still be active, but beneath the auctions, listings and glossy real estate campaigns, a growing sense of uncertainty is spreading through the market. Buyers are hesitating.Sellers are confused.Banks are cautious but...

The Noise Around the 2026 Federal Budget Does Not Match the Reality for Most Property Investors

Every time the government changes the rules around property investment, the same thing happens. Phones ring, inboxes fill, and investors who have been quietly building wealth for years suddenly wonder if the ground has shifted beneath them. After t...

Budget Shockwaves: What the Federal Budget Means for Australia’s Property Market

Australia’s property market does not operate in isolation. Every federal budget sends signals to buyers, sellers, investors, developers, banks and renters about the direction of the economy, taxation, confidence and household spending. This year’s ...

Food & Dining

Remember All-You-Can-Eat Restaurants? Australia Still Misses Them

For many Australians, few dining experiences created more excitement than the words: “All you can eat.” The concept felt almost magical. One fixed price. Unlimited access. Go back as many times as you liked. For families, teenagers, shift work...

Smart Supermarket Shopping: The Money-Saving Hacks Australians Are Rediscovering

Australians are becoming smarter supermarket shoppers. Rising grocery prices, higher mortgage repayments, expensive electricity bills and cost-of-living pressure have changed the way many households approach the weekly food shop. But contrary to p...

People Are Going Out Less — And Businesses Know It

Restaurants are full on some nights. Concerts still sell tickets. Sporting events attract crowds. Yet beneath the surface, many Australian businesses are quietly noticing a major social shift: people are going out less often. The reasons are obvi...

Lasagne Takes Centre Stage at Chiswick Woollahra This Winter

  This winter, Chiswick is launching a Lasagne Series, bringing together chefs from across the Solotel group, alongside acclaimed chef and restaurateur Matt Moran, for a nostalgic celebration of the much-loved baked pasta. Running every Sunday eveni...

Business Times

“People Are Spending Less”: Small Businesses Feel Australia’s Eco…

Sometimes the real state of the economy is not found in Treasury papers, Reserve Bank statements or political speeches. So...

Small Business Owners Say Confidence Is Falling Across Australia

Australia’s small business sector has long been described as the backbone of the national economy. From cafes and retailers...

Why Same-Day Flower Delivery in Melbourne Is Changing the Way Peo…

People are busier than ever today compared to three decades ago. Many children once remembered birthdays of their parents, ...

The Times Features

Most Australians think the Budget Just Changed the Rule…

A generation of Australians may be entering the biggest rethink of wealth creation since the rise ...

Remember All-You-Can-Eat Restaurants? Australia Still M…

For many Australians, few dining experiences created more excitement than the words: “All you can ...

Australia’s Changing Family Dynamic: When Adult Childre…

Australia’s housing affordability crisis is no longer simply an economic issue. It is reshaping t...

ASX Movements Since Labor’s Budget: What Investors Are …

Australia’s share market has spent recent weeks digesting the implications of Labor’s federal budg...

QLD Day

On Saturday 6 June, parkrun events across the state will be a sea of maroon, with communities  str...

NAGNATA: ‘FUTURE = FIBRE’ — Movement 21 at AFW 2026 …

Photography by Cesar OcampoOn Day 3 of Australian Fashion Week 2026, the energy at the runway shifte...

Flu Season in Australia: Why Health Authorities Are Tak…

As winter settles across Australia, so too does the annual flu season — a recurring health challen...

Smart Supermarket Shopping: The Money-Saving Hacks Aust…

Australians are becoming smarter supermarket shoppers. Rising grocery prices, higher mortgage rep...

Kmart’s Homewares Revolution: How a Discount Retailer B…

There was a time when many Australians viewed Kmart as the place to buy low-cost basics, school su...