Canberra-based AI innovators Rachel and Michael Gately have won the 2026 ACT Chief Minister’s Pearcey Entrepreneur Award for building sovereign technology solutions designed to rival global cloud giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. The husband-and-wife team established Trellis Data in 2016 to protect Australian government, defence, and enterprise data from foreign cloud dependencies.
Trellis Data Co-Founders Win the 2026 ACT Pearcey Award
The Pearcey Foundation recognized the Canberra entrepreneurs for their major contributions to the Australian ICT industry, specifically in developing sovereign artificial intelligence capabilities. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr presented the award to the co-founders following a decade of development in high-security machine learning architectures. Rachel Gately stated that failing to build a domestic capability would have meant missing a vital opportunity for the country.
The company built its proprietary neural network architectures completely from scratch rather than wrapping international models. This design choice allows public sector agencies to use artificial intelligence without exposing sensitive intelligence, defence, and health records to external cloud networks. Today, the firm operates with a compound annual revenue growth rate exceeding 100 per cent.
Sovereign AI Infrastructure Replaces Foreign Cloud Platforms
Trellis Data addresses critical market vulnerabilities by keeping all model inference, data storage, and processing inside secure domestic facilities. Earlier this year, the company launched Agentaus, a defence-grade platform. Dr Tim Turner, the ACT Pearcey Foundation Chair, noted that the founders invested their own capital to challenge major tech firms and prove that world-class software can scale out of Canberra.
The business now supplies federal departments, law enforcement agencies, and defence programs across Australia while expanding into international markets such as the United States. Recruiting top-tier machine learning talent in a competitive local market presented significant operational hurdles during the firm’s growth phase.
National Pearcey Awards Competition Scheduled for November
As recipients of the territorial honor, Rachel and Michael Gately will represent the Australian Capital Territory at the national Pearcey Awards in November. The national event celebrates ICT entrepreneurship and leadership across the country. Rachel Gately described the regional win as a clear affirmation that their work is making a tangible difference for the Australian technology sector.
| Metric / Milestone | Details |
|---|---|
| Founding Year | 2016 in Canberra |
| Key Launch | Agentaus defence-grade AI platform |
| Growth Rate | Over 100% compound annual revenue growth |
| Award Recognition | 2026 ACT Chief Minister’s Pearcey Entrepreneur Award |
Frequently Asked Questions About Trellis Data and the Pearcey Award
What specific security features does the Trellis Data platform offer?
The platform operates in air-gapped, high-security environments where all model inference, data storage, and processing occur inside secure Australian data centres to protect sensitive national security records.
How does Trellis Data differ from other AI providers?
The company develops proprietary neural network architectures from scratch rather than building software wrappers around international models, ensuring complete data sovereignty for government and defence clients.
What are the next steps for Rachel and Michael Gately following the territorial win?
The co-founders will represent the Australian Capital Territory at the national Pearcey Awards ceremony scheduled for November.
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