The 10 most-read stories on Forbes Australia in 2025
From rich lists and tech entrepreneurs to the safest countries in the world – here are the 10 stories that Forbes readers loved in 2025.
Entrepreneurs
One sheet every 3 minutes: Inside this Aussie couple’s budding bedding empire
Founded in 2017 by Hayley and Andy Worley, Sheet Society has become one of Australia’s fastest-growing bedding brands. Now, the company is entering its next chapter with a national retail rollout – and giving ‘room service’ a new meaning.
Bruna Papandrea on the gap Big Little Lies uncovered in Hollywood
Bruna Papandrea says the television show she executive produced, Big Little Lies, revealed a long-overlooked gap in television: compelling, women-led stories.
Inside influencer-turned-entrepreneur Eleanor Pendleton’s six-figure beauty launch
Haléau, the debut brand from former Gritty Pretty founder and beauty influencer Eleanor Pendleton, reached six figures in under a month – the result of three years, $200,000 and a few ‘calculated risks’.
To infinity and beyond: The Mowbray siblings assembled a billion-dollar fortune from cheap toys. Can they create something grander?
Nick Mowbray is working from home, a 12-bedroom mansion in Coatesville, New Zealand. It’s the former abode of cyber-renegade Kim Dotcom, and it’s here that Dotcom was arrested by heavily armed police in 2012.
The $220 billion mind gap: Meet the startup founder tackling entrepreneurial burnout
Founder-turned-psychologist Byron McCaughey is reframing how Australia’s entrepreneurs think about success with Sublime Studio, a membership for mental fitness.
Why Bobbi Brown is still the original beauty influencer
Putting real women first, simplifying beauty, and telling it like it is has made Bobbi Brown a TikTok sensation and one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People.” Here is why she’s resonates with a new generation.
Venture Studio Nakatomi pulls in $3.5m to ‘back and build’ Aussie startups
The founders of Leonardo.AI and Active Hotels chipped in on the raise, which will help to launch up to 4 new ventures a year.
From centre court to Silicon Valley: The big names betting on Startmate startups
Almost 15 years ago, 20 Australian founders reached into their pockets and created a $200k community fund. Over the last year, Startmate portfolio companies have added a billion dollars in value, and secured another international celebrity investor.
Alloy Robotics emerges from stealth with $4.5m pre-seed from Blackbird, Airtree and Skip Capital
Robotics is projected to be worth $165 billion by 2029. Alloy Robotics founder and CEO Joe Harris has found a way to dig through the firehose of data that robots produce to find the 1% that matters.