The 2020 CRN Fast50 is open! Here’s why you should enter

CRN is thrilled to announce the launch of the 2020 Fast50 campaign with the opening of entries this week! 

The CRN Fast50 is Australia’s leading awards program to recognise the fastest-growing companies in the Australian IT channel, based on year-on-year revenue growth. 

Companies that enter the Fast50 have the chance to rank in the top 50 list of growth go-getting IT solution providers, which year-after-year enjoy benefits from this recognition. 

Last year’s winner, Melbourne-based Microsoft cloud partner LAB3, took home the number one spot on the CRN Fast50 with 393 percent growth on revenue of $12 million. A remarkable year for a company that was founded in 2017.

Alex Black, director at LAB3, told CRN why the company threw its hat into the Fast50, and what that recognition has meant for the business and its partner network since.     

“It was something we aspired to pretty early on, we thought it would be great recognition so we put a lot of hard work into it. We set out a strategy with all sorts of recognition streams, some were partner awards and some were like the CRN Fast50,” Black said.

While strong growth for LAB3 in 2019 was a strategic company goal for its own sake, the Fast50 win put into writing the extent of the achievement in view of the Australian IT industry. Black said gaining that recognition opened up serious opportunities.  

“It sparks people’s interest around, ‘Why are they doing things differently?’ and, ‘How are they different?’ and it really got Microsoft’s ear pricked,” he said.

“Early on we were kind of an unknown entity for some of our partners, so when you win that recognition in combination with building the great relationships it really starts to open doors.    

“As a small organisation you want to get a good deal on something, but partners might not take you so seriously if they don’t know what you’re really capable of. So being recognised opens up the eyes of our partner network, and some customers too, to look at us and ask, ‘what’s different about you?’”.   

“It creates a buzz that draws attention to us as being different to other organisations in our ability to create such hyper-growth, and opens the door to new conversations.”

So why else should Aussie IT solution providers sign up for the CRN Fast50? 

• Claim recognition for fast growth in 2020
• Boost your company's reputation
• Get hunted out for deals
• Celebrate your success with your team
• Raise your profile among top vendors
• Benchmark yourself against your peers

Furthermore, we’ve made it easier than ever to submit your application, with an initial form that should only take about five minutes to complete. Additional details will be collected later. 

So, if you’ve enjoyed a good year of growth, visit the 2020 CRN Fast50 hub to check out the conditions of entry, check your eligibility and lodge your application. Vendors and disties interested supporting the channel by sponsoring the event should also check that link out!

The 2020 CRN Fast50 will be a digital countdown style presentation to be launched on the 25th of November. Accompanying this year’s presentation will be two lunches to be held in Sydney and Melbourne in March, depending on the COVID-19 situation, which we continue to monitor.