Climate Tech

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

- 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 »

Ed Husic
Opinion

Science and industry minister Ed Husic’s been dumped from cabinet as Labor’s factions assert their power

- May 9, 2025 3 MIN READ

Industry and science minister Ed Husic has been dropped from the new federal government’s cabinet as Labor’s factions jostle for position amid a swathe of new MPs heading to Canberra. Husic was widely admired in the startup and tech sector, implementing a series of reviews into the sector during his three years in the role,… Read more »

Funding

Trumponomics and startup raising: how to navigate turbulent waters

- May 7, 2025 2 MIN READ

As a founder who has successfully navigated the choppy waters of fundraising through the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the Covid-19 pandemic, I find myself facing yet another storm, this time, stirred by Trump’s recent trade policies. The current funding environment bears an uncanny resemblance to those past crises, and the implications for early-stage startups… Read more »

Climate Tech

Used EV batteries have huge potential as an energy source, but their manufacturers are holding us back

- April 29, 2025 4 MIN READ

Around the world, more and more electric vehicles are hitting the road. Last year, more than 17 million battery-electric and hybrid vehicles were sold. Early forecasts suggest this year’s figure might reach 20 million. Nearly 20% of all cars sold today are electric. But as more motorists go electric, it creates a new challenge –… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

“What I noticed raised my concerns” – why using AI in scientific peer review is fraught with danger

- April 28, 2025 3 MIN READ

Earlier this year I received comments on an academic manuscript of mine as part of the usual peer review process, and noticed something strange. My research focuses on ensuring trustworthy evidence is used to inform policy, practice and decision making. I often collaborate with groups like the World Health Organisation to conduct systematic reviews to… Read more »

Alt.Leather founder Tina Funder and chief scientific officer Dr Tuan Nguyen
Events

The new face of innovation is here – and Australia needs to catch up

- April 22, 2025 3 MIN READ

An advertising executive. An aerospace engineer. A doctor. Not a punchline – but the profile of Australia’s new generation of innovators. They’re not spinning out of Silicon Valley with SaaS platforms or apps. They’re solving real-world problems: clean flight, robotic surgery, sustainable materials. They’re building deep tech. And they’re doing it in labs, in surgeries,… Read more »

Business

How ‘smart’ investors are killing your future – and theirs too

- April 15, 2025 19 MIN READ

As I sat at the second ever Systemic Investing Summit in London in March, among 180 hand-picked global wealth holders and controllers, philanthropists, academics and industry practitioners, one disturbing image kept coming to mind. While we discussed innovative financing models and systemic approaches to capital deployment that could save humanity from collapse, I couldn’t shake… Read more »

classic B&W
Business

‘Meritocracy’ began as satire, but now it’s taken seriously, we’ve lost sight of actual performance

- April 15, 2025 3 MIN READ

In the online discourse, there’s a debate raging that pits “MEI” (that is, merit, excellence, and intelligence) against “DEI” (diversity, equity, and inclusion). If you’re doom-scrolling, you may have gotten the impression that DEI prioritises providing benefits or special treatment to people who have not earned opportunities, rather than giving opportunities to the most deserving,… Read more »

Mardi Gras
Diversity

Why Queer-led startups and allyship matter now more than ever

- April 15, 2025 3 MIN READ

The startup world thrives on innovation – new ideas, fresh perspectives, and bold solutions to problems others overlook. Queer-led businesses have been driving that kind of innovation for decades, yet we remain one of the most underfunded, undervalued, and underestimated forces in the ecosystem. Right now, we’re experiencing a critical moment where the progress we’ve… Read more »

Business

The tech sector wants the next federal government to think about how it can end Australia’s R&D ‘risk aversion’

- April 11, 2025 3 MIN READ

Australia needs to reduce its “risk aversion” in order to improve its lagging research and development (R&D) sector and fragmented innovation ecosystem, according to industry experts. The nation has struggled to capitalise on innovations developed by universities and startups, and has seen their intellectual property taken overseas in search of greater funding, a panel of… Read more »

Xero Rod Drury, Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, David Thodey
Fintech

Xero’s boss needs 60,000 subscribers like me just to cover the cost of her latest pay deal *wish I could put a mind blown emoji in this headline*

- April 10, 2025 3 MIN READ

Just before Christmas, as staff put on Hawaiian shirts and went to Christmas lunches HR hoped didn’t create more work for them, New Zealand ASX-listed accounting platform Xero (ASX: XRO) dropped details on a new pay plan for CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy. The December 18 release, titled “Xero CEO pay revised, aligns to performance and… Read more »