FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cleo, AI Marketing Operating System, Named AI Startup of the Year at QLD AI Festival 2026
Brisbane, May 29, 2026 — Cleo, an autonomous AI marketing operating system, has been named AI Startup of the Year at the QLD AI Festival 2026, held in Brisbane. The award recognises Cleo's innovative approach to marketing automation and its position as a full-stack alternative to fragmented tool stacks.
Co-founders Eugene D'Hagé-Craig and Leon Hayes accepted the crystal trophy at the awards ceremony, marking a significant milestone for the Brisbane-based startup.
The QLD AI Festival brings together Australia's leading AI innovators, researchers, and entrepreneurs. The AI Startup of the Year award recognises companies demonstrating exceptional innovation, market potential, and real-world impact in the artificial intelligence space.
Cleo is built on a single thesis: that solo founders, small teams, and agencies deserve a marketing director — not another tool to manage. The platform operates autonomously across strategy, content, email, SEO, and paid advertising, executing marketing work without requiring constant human orchestration.
"This recognition means a great deal to us. We set out to build something genuinely new — not another chatbot, not another point solution, but a marketing operating system that acts on your behalf. Winning AI Startup of the Year at QLD AI Festival validates that the market is ready for autonomous marketing, and that we're building it the right way." — Eugene D'Hagé-Craig, co-founder
"We're not chasing scale yet. We're building proof of concept with the right people — those who understand the difference between AI tools and an AI marketing director. This award tells us we're on the right track." — Leon Hayes, co-founder
Cleo is currently available at cleoos.io, serving solo founders, small teams, and marketing agencies globally.
About Cleo
Cleo is an AI marketing operating system that replaces the need for 10+ disconnected marketing tools. It researches markets, writes content, schedules campaigns, manages ad budgets, and surfaces insights — autonomously. Built for solo founders, small teams, and agencies who need a senior marketing director without the overhead. Learn more at cleoos.io.
Media Contact
Eugene D'Hagé-Craig
co-founder, Cleo
ugenedc@gmail.com
