Investing Archives

3 things Australian universities need from the Albanese government to commercialise research and help startups succeed

Gabriella Nunes - May 9, 2025 5 MIN READ

The recent call for submissions into the Strategic Examination of Australia’s R&D system has revealed ideas and frustrations that have long been articulated on numerous discussion panels. However, through this recent consultation, it has felt like more practical solutions have surfaced across the ecosystem, and many of the ideas align. So if we could request… Read more »

Business

What the StrongRoom AI saga reveals about venture investing, fraud, justice and due diligence

Nich Burch - April 16, 2025 4 MIN READ

In the high-stakes world of startup funding, where millions can be raised in a matter of weeks and valuations shift with a pitch deck, due diligence (DD) has long been the safety net that prevents bad bets. It’s a well-worn and trusted process, particularly in venture capital. So when an investor alleges fraud after a… Read more »

Advice

VC investing 101: After writing your first angel cheque, here’s what happens next

Alan Jones - April 11, 2025 3 MIN READ

So you’ve e-signed the docs, transferred the funds (nobody writes an actual cheque these days when they say “I’ve written a cheque”). You’ve joined the cap table. You’ve posted the obligatory celebratory LinkedIn update. Congratulations — you’re officially An Angel Investor™. But now what? If you’re a new angel investor, the post-investment phase can feel…… Read more »

Funding

Why Rampersand investor Abhi Maran wrote a blueprint for fundraising

Abhishek Maran - March 28, 2025 3 MIN READ

The Australian startup ecosystem has all the ingredients for success: hardworking founders, world-class talent, and abundant capital. We have enormous amounts of potential, so how do we make sure we realise it? Most people think we are held back by our inherent tall-poppy syndrome. I think this has historically been true, but this is certainly… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

How I bootstrapped my startup in just 2 years to 16 million users

Cristian Perry - March 18, 2025 4 MIN READ

Within six months, I bootstrapped my startup to 1.4 million users. Two years later, our software is used by 16 million people worldwide Venture capitalists scoffed when I said I was self-funding (bootstrapping) my new artificial intelligence startup. Other industry veterans I spoke with said competing without a fair whack of VC dollars was a… Read more »

Advice

A step-by-step guide for founders to raise capital

Warwick Donaldson - March 5, 2025 4 MIN READ

The truth is, a lot of the startups undertaking a capital raise don’t meet the minimum investor expectations for their chosen funding pathway. Rather than reflecting on their readiness or taking responsibility for this, many founders blame investors instead (I wrote an article on it here). But here’s the reality: raising capital is a process,… Read more »

Investing

What an ancient sex strike can teach us about funding for female startup founders

Moira Were - December 13, 2024 4 MIN READ

It’s 411 BCE, and Aristophanes is slaying his audience in the Theatre of Dionysius with a mix of laughter and tears. In his play Lysistrata, the title character leads the women of Sparta and Thebes in a bold and humorous campaign—a sex strike—to end the devastating war between their two cities. On the surface, it’s… Read more »

Investing

Why the health data gap for women is a big opportunity for femtech founders

Katarina Throssell - November 7, 2024 6 MIN READ

This is the second edition of Giant Leap’s deep dive series, where its investment team explores the technologies and approaches addressing global problems of climate, health and people with commercial solutions (the 1st edition on the future of sustainable aviation here). In this deep dive into femtech, senior investment associate Katarina Throssell share her insights… Read more »

Business

Why backing women founders is the smartest bet for investors

Frances Goh - October 24, 2024 3 MIN READ

LinkedIn News Australia recently interviewed me about the underrepresentation of women in the startup ecosystem. At first glance, the statistics paint a bleak picture; according to the Q3 Cut Through Venture report, only 4% of total capital raised in Australia went to female-only founded teams, and just 13% to female co-founded ventures. These dismal numbers… Read more »

Business strategy

Startups 101: Understanding secondary share sales – why not all fundraising is created equal

Leila Oliveira - October 15, 2024 3 MIN READ

In recent years, the media has increasingly blurred the lines between true capital raises and secondary sales, distorting the actual amount of new funding startups are receiving. This confusion often misleads founders and investors, making it harder to understand the real financial position of a company. For first-time founders, navigating the complexities of capital raising… Read more »

Investing

Funding high jump: the major challenge facing female-led sportstech startups

Maria Baker - October 2, 2024 3 MIN READ

As a small business founder that has been bootstrapping from day one (four years and counting!), I’ve been working hard to find a small business grant I’m eligible for to help me in my very important growth stage of business. But as a female business owner in sportstech, I have discovered that there is very… Read more »

Diversity

Why backing female founders is more than just a numbers game

Kylie Frazer - September 19, 2024 3 MIN READ

In the world of venture capital, numbers tell a story, but rarely the full story. When I recently shared thoughts on LinkedIn about gender equity in Australian VC, the flood of DMs revealed a stark truth: we’re grappling with a more complex issue than simple statistics can convey. It’s time to look beyond the numbers… Read more »

Business strategy

A VC explains how to tell if your startup a good match for investment from an angel syndicate

Alan Jones - August 15, 2024 8 MIN READ

Our main focus at M8 Ventures right now is growing our new angel syndicate on the Aussie Angels platform. Although I’ve been a member of a few angel syndicates for a while now, it’s a whole other thing to manage one, and I’ve learned a lot about how most syndicates work, how and when you… Read more »

Investing

Giant Leap’s Will Richardson says now that funding is returning for startups, it’s time to focus on the ’emotional runway’ both founders and investors need

Will Richardson - August 1, 2024 3 MIN READ

Spring has come early for Australia’s startup industry. Signs of life are now starting to return to the industry, with funding levels starting to show signs of normalising. According to the latest Cut Through Venture data, funding is up 30% from the previous year, albeit with fewer, larger deals. It has us, as well as… Read more »

Investing

If governments act like a VC, they need to be made responsible like one

Hon Weng Chong - June 4, 2024 3 MIN READ

There’s an old adage in the acting business that you can’t become a household name back home, without first cracking Hollywood. In the wake of PsiQuantum’s success, and another underwhelming Federal Budget, that could be extended to the startup sector too, with growing unease in the local ecosystem that the government doesn’t fully understand or… Read more »

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