Hello Clever, the fintech scaleup that combines card-free payments, loyalty programs, and customer intelligence, has earned top billing at the 2026 Smart50 Awards.
The Sydney-founded company secured the number one place on the Smart50 list by growing its revenue to $17 million in 2025-26 – a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 307% over three years.
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The startup, and other leading lights in Australia’s small business and startup sector, was honoured at Smart50 Awards gala dinner in Melbourne on Thursday night.
Disrupting payments
Founded in 2021 by Caroline Tran and Gavin Nguyen, Hello Clever sought to disrupt traditional payment methods and Australia’s reliance on card transactions.
Instead of building a payments company on card payment rails, Hello Clever delivered Australia’s first customer-to-business transaction through the cardless PayTo service.
Its next move: combining real-time payment systems with loyalty programs, encouraging both customers and businesses to rethink their next transaction.
Hello Clever introduced a ‘buy-to-earn’ offering, turning what merchants save on card processing fees into instant cashback for customers.
The startup grew quickly, and has now processed $3.5 billion in transactions for clients.
Beyond Australia, where Hello Clever has secured its own financial services license, the business counts offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City and New York.
Looking further than loyalty schemes, Hello Clever now boasts a payment gateway that allows businesses to accept transactions across the globe with a single integration.
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It has also introduced Clever Connect, a system for increasingly sophisticated businesses to better track how, when, and where their transactions are moving.
And Hello Clever is tapping into the artificial intelligence arms race, promising both AI-driven analytics for users, and plugins allowing merchants to present their products in ChatGPT and Claude.
The company, which now counts 110 staff, is eyeing the US as its next major growth market. It is targeting $100 million in annual recurring revenue.
Kismet, Bridgit round out Smart50 top three
Hello Clever now joins previous Smart50 winners including Pay.com.au, InstantScripts, and Prospa, among others.
Hello Clever also won the 2026 Smart50 Innovator Award, with judges recognising its pioneering approach to alternative payment systems.
Care management startup Kismet earned the number two sport on the overall 2026 Smart50 list, by recording revenue of $44 million last financial year and a three-year CAGR of 224%
Bridging loan specialist Bridgit rounded out the podium, with the fast-growing proptech company notching revenue of $84 million in 2025-26, and three-year growth of 218%.
You can read more about all the 2026 Smart50 winners here.
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