Accelerator

AO StartUps is looking for sportstech for its winter intake ahead of the Australian Open

- May 16, 2025 2 MIN READ

Applications for the mid-year intake of AO StartUps, the pioneering sports and entertainment tech program powered by Tennis Australia and the Australian Open, are open until the end of May AO StartUps launched in 2022, and has now supported more than 30 startups across verticals including participation, fan engagement, high performance and event operations. The… Read more »

Business

StrongRoom AI’s administrators recommend liquidation

- May 12, 2025 5 MIN READ

The administrators of medication management startup StrongRoom AI have recommended putting the business in liquidation ahead of a 2nd creditor’s meeting on Tuesday. The decision comes a fortnight before the Federal Court is due to hold another hearing in the legal action by VC firm EVP to recover $10.4 million it invested in the business… 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 »

Mahesh Muralidhar
Funding

GD1-backed Kiwi VC Phase One Ventures closes early-stage fund with NZ$2.1 million backing 14 startups

- May 8, 2025 2 MIN READ

Four years after it launched, New Zealand VC fund Phase One has fully deployed its NZ$2.1 million (A$1.94m) early stage fund into 14 tech startups, including five (36%) with female founders. The fund, launched in April 2021, following the establishment of its early stage incubator community in 2020, the attracted GD1 as its anchor investor… Read more »

Business

Finder is getting out of crypto, shutting down its Wallet

- May 8, 2025 2 MIN READ

Comparison site Finder is closing down its crypto trading platform, Wallet Ventures, after four years, signing a deal with Swyftx to transfer users to the digital assets exchange. Wallet Ventures (formerly Finder Wallet) offered customers access to 18 cryptocurrencies through the Finder App. It launched in 2021 Finder notified customers on Wednesday, saying it will… Read more »

Business

Atlassian cofounder Scott Farquhar takes on chair role at charity group Pledge 1% as the movement he cofounded turns 10

- May 7, 2025 2 MIN READ

Tech Council of Australia chair Scott Farquhar has another board to run since stepping down as Atlassian co-CEO, taking on a role close to his heart as chair of the global social impact movement Pledge 1%. Farquhar was one of the founding members of Pledge 1% started in 2015 via the Atlassian Foundation. Pledge 1%… Read more »

Funding

Queensland R&D finance fintech raises $2.3 million

- May 7, 2025 2 MIN READ

An R&D finance fintech based on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has raised $2.3 million towards a $25 million fund to lend as non-dilutive capital to Australian startups. Founder Alex Knight moved home to Coolum three years ago to raise a family, having previously worked at crowdfunding platform VentureCrowd and debt financier Tractor Ventures, having also invested… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Workplace culture platform Hoogly takes the world by storm, winning UK and US awards as it closes $1 million raise

- May 6, 2025 2 MIN READ

Mohit Midha, cofounder and CEO of Hoogly was at Blackbird’s Sunrise last week, tired but unable to stop smiling after global recognition for his employee engagement startup in California and London. The fact that he set out to also raise $500,000 and now has $1 million with 10 days left before he closes his latest… Read more »

Business

Atlassian shares tank after another quarterly loss

- May 5, 2025 2 MIN READ

Share in US-listed Atlassian (Nasdaq: TEAM) are down around 10% over the past week, at one stage dipping below US$190 following a 17% plunge when the Australian workplace software company released its March quarter earnings with another loss alongside longer-than-expected fourth-quarter guidance. Q3 revenue was up 14% on 12 months ago to US$1.4 billion, with… Read more »

Global tech

Tesla chair Robyn Denholm denies the car manufacturer is hunting for a new CEO – just after selling $50m in stock

- May 1, 2025 4 MIN READ

Robyn Denholm was on stage Blackbird’s Sunrise when the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published news that Tesla, the company she’s chaired since 2018, was on the hunt for a new CEO. The basketball-loving-and-owning Australian, a Blackbird director, was talking to Sydney Kings and Boomers coach Brian Goorjian about the lessons from sport for leadership and… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

A nuts idea: why this female founder is talking to rugby league’s top brass about sperm and fertility

- May 1, 2025 2 MIN READ

Probably the last time the NRL talked about testicles was 12 years ago when former Souths forward Sam Burgess copped a two-match ban for a “squirrel grip” tackle on a Melbourne Storm player. But this weekend, as the rugby league fans gather for Magic Round in Brisbane, medical researcher and entrepreneur Saara Jamieson from Cool… Read more »