When we say number #1, we mean more than 4x the traffic of our nearest competitor, and twice as much searchable inventory.
In iseekplant’s early years, we were funded by founders, family members, friends and colleagues. Then in 2013, we met with forward-thinking technology business, Position Partners. They became our first major investor who gave us the legitimacy and scale to take our business national. From 2015 - 2024, Seven Group Holdings joined as investors and agreed that the construction procurement process in Australia was ready to be ‘shaken-up’. 2017 saw the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) also become shareholders supporting us as a Queensland-based technology business that was gaining national traction. Then in late 2019, Macquarie Group joined as our latest strategic investor. Macquarie’s investment continues to deliver growth capital to iseekplant and support our strategy and scaling plans.
Two civil engineers, Drew McPherson & Shaun Whitted were working together on a site in remote central Queensland when two elevating scrapers broke down in the same moment – and they remarked to each other how awesome it would be to be able to search an online database of plant and equipment to find replacements. And right then and there, the idea for iseekplant was born.
Drew & Shaun worked on the idea for months before calling in their mutual friend Matt Peters and Drew’s sister, Sally McPherson. With Matt’s IT background and Sally’s technology marketing experience, they worked together to build and launch the world’s first online marketplace of construction suppliers.
The founders launched iseekplant in October 2012 after working long nights and paying for it with their own credit cards. The marketplace launched with 14 categories of yellow machines but has now grown to over a hundred different categories of machines and services searchable across Australia.
In 2015, iseekplant began to grow quickly and attracted investments from two of the biggest brands in industrial services - Seven Group and Position Partners.
Macquarie’s investment helps us do more of what we do best - which is to drive job leads to our suppliers and ensure our seekers find what they’re looking for. By September 2019, we already had over 507,000 visitors to the iseekplant marketplace.
In 2021, iseekplant completely rebranded, with a new look and feel but still the same reliable service as ever. We know that the construction industry is all about digging in and just getting it done, which is where our motto of ‘making sh*t happen’ came from.
This attitude is what has allowed us to dominate local and international competition and become the highest ranked and more prolifically used construction hire marketplace in the world.
While our marketplace, products and services continue to evolve and innovate - and the amount of people using our marketplace keeps growing - our mission is as clear as it’s ever been: To be a place for the doers to join forces.
What matters to us
At iseekplant, we believe there are 3 states of being. You can watch sh*t happen, let sh*t happen or make sh*t happen. And we want to be the ones that make sh*t happen. We’re here to increase productivity, cut complexity and build trust within the construction industry. And that’s why hundreds of thousands of Australian construction workers have made iseekplant a part of their everyday lives. They’ve made us the go-to online destination to source plant, equipment and services and we’re here to back them through and through. So if you’re ready to make sh*t happen too, then iseekplant is the place for you.
As iseekplant has grown from what was once an idea into a reality, the day-to-day operations have been handled by Matt, Sally and Drew, under the guidance of our Board of Directors. They’re supported by our management team who work hard every day to make sh*t happen.
Meet them below:
Macquarie’s specialised and asset finance division has taken a shareholding of between 10-15 per cent in iseekplant.
Customers of equipment hire marketplace iseekplant, have gained access to machine sales and auction services through GraysOnline.
Seven Group Holdings backs iseekplant.com.au, Australia’s biggest online hire marketplace for machinery owners.
A parody video about a crane operator forced to get creative to make some extra money has got tradies talking.
Plant hire equipment, suppliers and services database company, iSeekplant, has promoted its app by launching a comedy video featuring Darryl, a crane driver who struggles to find work.
The hugely successful plant hire industry aggregator, iseekplant, has released Australia’s first Plant Hire phone app.
Check out the new game changing app in construction.
iseekplant is the hire calling paving ways in the construction industry.
Online plant hire equipment database iSeekplant has launched a new video marketing campaign.
iseekplant has been leading the market in online plant hire since it was established in 2011.
iseekplant takes the construction industry by storm.
Launched in Queensland, Australia in 2011, iSeekplant has gone from strength-to-strength, recording impressive year-on-year growth.
Got a question? Talk to the team that backs you. Here’s how to reach us:
Level 6A/51 Alfred Street Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
PO Box 2340, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006