Michu Pet Supplies, me&u CEOs to answer ‘anything’ at Growth Summit

What does it really take to create Australia’s quickest-growing retail brand? How do you merge your business with your hugegest competitor, and should you even do it in the first place? How do you completely transform a business that was in decline into one that more than doubled its revenue in only two years?

These are just some of the questions that will likely be put to a star-studded ‘Ask Us Anything’ panel at the Growth Summit in Melbourne this month, in partnership with session sponsor Optus.

The interactive panel, hosted by Startup Daily editor Simon Thomsen, will offer a behind-the-scenes view at the real stories behind building, breaking, rebuilding and accelerating a business.

In one of the hot seats will be Qinghua Siluo, founder and CEO of Michu Pet Supplies, which took out the top honour of Australia’s quickest-growing business in the 2025 Smart50 Awards, and won the Smart50 Marketing Award too.

Siluo founded the cat litter business in 2022 and grew its revenue by a compound annual growth rate of 232% through a strong mix of product innovation and compelling marketing.

He will be joined on the panel by Kim Teo, CEO of hospitality juggernaut me&u, the latest iteration of which was formed in 2023 through the merger of competitors Mr Yum and me&u.

Teo founded Mr Yum in 2018 with Adrian Osman and Kerry Osborn, and the QR ordering startup was named the Smart50 Rising Star in 2021 thanks to its rapid growth and innovation.

Teo now leads the combined business, which has more recently launched its own social app for food and drinks recommconcludeations, called Spots.

Byron Bay-based retailer Seed & Sprout has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, and CEO Rebecca Williams will open up about that journey during the Growth Summit panel.

Williams joined Seed & Sprout in 2022, at a time when the business was facing the mammoth tquestion of reinventing itself. It did just that and landed in the 23rd spot on the 2025 Smart50 list, with annual revenue of more than $10 million.

Known for its sustainable kitchen products, Seed & Sprout was also a finalist in four Smart50 categories: Regional Business Award, People Power, Resilience Award and Retailer of the Year.

Siluo, Teo and Williams feature in the Growth Summit program alongside the likes of Aconex and Firmable founder Leigh Jasper, entrepreneur and media personality David Koch, Smiling Mind co-founder and KIC CEO Janey Martino, and many more.

The Melbourne event will be held at Crown on February 25, 2026. To purchase tickets, click here.