5 things you should know about tech today

Rhinohide founder Marc Berryman, with investors Andrew Banks and Dr Glen Richards. Photo: supplied

Hello, and TGIF.

Welcome to your daily dose of tech and startup news, both local and global.

Keep an eye out for the bright blue Atlassian t-shirts at today’s climate strike protests. See you there.

1. Atlassian and Canva are among more than 2500 businesses backing today’s climate strike.

Ethical super fund Future Super launched the Not Business As Usual campaign earlier this month for companies to through their support behind employees who want to take part in today’s student-led global protest. Plenty of leading tech companies are among the thousands of businesses, small and large, throwing their support behind today’s movement. Sydney’s protests get underway in The Domain at noon. More details here.

2. The Australian Computer Society has been shopping, buying a data marketing association. 

The ACS has acquired ADMA (Association for Data-Driven Marketing and Advertising), which includes three other organisations as part of what’s known as the Australian Alliance for Data Leadership, including the IAPA (Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia), D+TC (Digital + Technology Collective) and DGA (Data Governance Australia).

ACS is the tech sector’s professional association with more than 45,000 members. More than 600 brands are members of the four data-driven industry associations joining it.

ADMA CEO Andrea Martens said the ACS “is like a turbo charger for our associations that support the capture, storage, access, analysis, insights and action of data”.

The organisations will move into the ACS HQ at Barangaroo, which is also home to Harbour City Labs.

3. Is a $3000 exercise bike worth $12 billion?

Alongside WeWork’s attempted US IPO, the “connected, technology-enabled fitness” startup Peloton, which sells US$2200 exercise bikes and $4000 treadmills is currently touting its credentials to potential American and European investors, hoping to list at US$26-29 per share, which would value the company at US$8 billion. It’s already had around US$1 billion in cash tipped into Peleton and is looking to raise another $1.3 billion in the float. Meanwhile, the company had revenue of US$915 million in FY19, up 110% on FY18, but lost US$195.6 million, also up nearly $150m on a year earlier. Barrons outlines what all the fuss is about here.

4. Rhinohide bites the cherry again. 

Late last month, Rhinohide, the 4×4 body armour startup from Perth that scored backing from two Shark Tank sharks in 2016, went looking for $500,000 in an Equitise equity campaign to fund its launch into the US. The campaign was so successful it hit the target and closed early, valuing the business at more than AU$4.3 million. Today, the startup announced it was holding an additional campaign to raise another $250,000. Within an hour, it already landed the first 10% of the target. It’s open for a week until next Friday, September 27. Details here.

5. The weirdest experiences interviewing at startups.

Medium’s The Bold Italic spoke to dozens San Francisco locals about what happened when they went for a job, from a dog farting to being handed a beer and playing Mario Kart, and the female interviewer who insisted the candidate had an autoimmune disease and scratched her arm to prove it. All the gory details are here.

Have a great day. See you Monday.