40 Under 40: Building an offshore wind installation company from scratch
At this years 40 Under 40, CEO of Cosmic Group and Zendit, Matt Crossan earned the Industry Innovator Award.
When accepting his award, Crossan said he was inspired to put his name forward for the program after seeing others on his team be nominated.
“We knew the competition was going to be stiff, so there was no expectation of me winning here,” Crossan said.
In 2014, Matt Crossan arrived in Australia from Ireland with a one-way ticket and only $3000 to his name. The 22-year-old had no formal qualifications – only determination and a dream.
After completing his electrical apprenticeship back home, Crossan set off for Western Australia. There he worked in a remote civil construction company, learning everything from the ground up.
While he worked, Crossan had a plan to contribute to the clean energy movement and power affordable and sustainable energy to families and small businesses.
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In 2017, after working as a wind turbine technician across Europe and Africa, Crossan established Cosmic Group with a team of four technicians and a $5000 investment. The multiservice renewable energy company now delivers construction, maintenance and major component exchange services for wind farms across Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Cosmic is Australia’s first offshore wind installation company.
Along with Cosmic Group, Crossan also founded Zendit in 2021, a comprehensive project intelligence software platform. The AI-powered platform addresses industry challenges including fragmented tools, low project visibility and safety risks, and is now in use by major global OEMs.
Matt prioritises local employment and supply chains, along with community re-engagement initiatives, clean energy impact, and workplace safety innovation across both companies.
Matt focuses on scaling both Cosmic and Zendit globally while inspiring other young people—especially those outside traditional paths—to back themselves, believing that if he can do it, so can they.
The Industry Innovator Award recognises an individual contributing to or a company who is a leading innovator in their field and is contributing to the prosperous future of our state.
