Away from the VC mega-round headlines or the hard stories of founders who can’t raise capital at any price, is the solvable problem of how much money a new founder should raise. I’ve participated in hundreds of investments where founders have opted for different answers to this question, and watched the consequences unfold over the… Read more »
Over the past five years, accelerator and incubator programs in Australia have had their ups and downs. Some have opened, while others have closed, and through it all thousands of startups have applied for a chance to increase their odds of survival and growth. Having now completed three corporate run accelerator programs (with KPMG, PepsiCo,… Read more »
With overseas markets such as America, Europe and Asia providing substantial growth opportunities for Australian startups, overseas government tender opportunities are becoming a popular choice for founders to penetrate new markets and grow. There have been many stories of mixed success – from big contract wins to proposals being binned from the outset. In each… Read more »
(Note: the following are general observations only and do not constitute tax advice) News this week of Macquarie Bank writing off its $46 million investment into software company Plutora has once again brought to light the devastating impact that denied R&D tax incentive claims can have on a startup. Whilst the exact circumstances of Plutora’s… Read more »
In our journey through the business world, we often encounter hurdles that test our resolve, creativity, and strategic thinking. Transitioning from corporate burnout to building a six-figure business within a year, I learnt the indispensable role of essential systems in achieving scalability and profitability. I want to take some time to share with you the… Read more »
How I became a customer of, and then an ex-customer, of a password/security startup, PassCamp What happened (or didn’t happen) at PassCamp that lead to their demise What they could have done differently to (potentially) avoid their fate Lessons to takeaway in what they did well for sunsetting a product Most businesses fail. Of the… Read more »
Australia’s startup world glorifies venture capital as the holy grail—the insider’s ticket to fast scaling and billion-dollar valuations. FOMO sets in when headlines splash record-breaking funding rounds, fuelling a culture that views VC backing as the singular metric for success. As an ecosystem, we fixate on spinning the VC roulette wheel. Even founders who don’t… Read more »
Are you too trusting or too sceptical? Launching and running small businesses and startups have many moving parts to stay in the game and be successful. So many decisions are at play and risk minimisation is a key. Being too trusting or too sceptical will cause angst. Reaching a beneficial middle requires strong discernment muscles.… Read more »
2023 was a tough funding year across the market, so many founders are looking hopefully ahead to the promise of 2024. While I believe there is going to be some recovery this year for startups seeking funding, this will be gradual and geared towards the larger end of the market, as mergers and acquisitions and… Read more »
The Startup Playbook Podcast, hosted by Rohit Bhargava, is a weekly must-listen for anyone who wants to know more about how founders and investors think and execute. As the 2024 season gets underway, we’ve asked Bhargava to share the highlights from his conversations. To know more and dig deeper click on this link. He kicks off… Read more »
‘Reformed’ founder turned academic, Chris Edwards, analyses the most prevalent startup failure factor. In today’s competitive marketplace, it’s more important than ever to put customers first. But how do you find the time to do that when you’re running a startup or small business, where seemingly everyone and everything is vying for your time and… Read more »
What a journey it’s been – we’ve just celebrated our 100th episode! We kicked off this podcast at the end of 2020, right in the thick of the pandemic when there wasn’t much else to do. Originally, Give It A Nudge was an idea as a unique recruitment tool – a way to tell the… Read more »
It’s reasonable to imagine that if you’ve grown up in an industry, perhaps worked in one or two companies within it over two or three decades, and been regularly promoted into more senior roles, that you might self-identify as an industry expert. After all, you’ve probably seen it all right? asks Adam Bennett author of… Read more »
Mentorloop is no longer your typical startup. For starters, it’s been operating profitably for more than two years after pivoting the business away from a growth-at-all-costs strategy in response to 2020’s initial pandemic-led funding freeze. Now its cofounders argue that other founders should look to the “thriving middle” with their business and consider steering towards… Read more »
A recent question from Startup Daily’s editor caused Chello founder Lindsay Rogers to question what she knows about startup businesses as brands. So she asked a group of founders that question, and here looks at the when, what and why of building your business brand? I run a creative brand agency and for the last… Read more »
‘Have I gone too far?’ How founders can beat their startup demons 
Smart hotels get even smarter: 72 Byte to launch in Australia with AI expert backing 
Tassie carbon accounting startup banks $5.3 million Seed round 
Eucalyptus head of growth Matt Rossi departs to launch his own marketing startup, Oodle 
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