AirTree founding partner Craig Blair says the Sydney VC firm is investing in the fund’s next generation with the promotion principals Elicia McDonald and Jackie Vullinghs to partners. The duo will continue to lead early-stage investments, with the VC having a record six months, tipping $103 million into local startup in the first half of 2021.… Read more »
Consumer watchdog the ACCC is heading back to the courts, taking on Telstra, Optus and TPG for allegedly misleading consumers over NBN maximum speeds. Problems with consumers getting the NBN speeds they’ve paid for has been a constant legal battle for the regulator, with all the major telcos falling foul of the law in recent… Read more »
ASX-listed business accounting platform Xero is taking on Google and Apple at their own game, launching an app store selling Xero-connected apps. The Xero App Store lets small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers purchase apps to help run their companies, and went live last week. Xero app partners in Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand now… Read more »
The founders of Wisr, Sythetix and Zip are among the backers in a $2.3 million raise for investment technology startup Fresh Equities. The round was led by Archangel Ventures, and includes Flying Fox Ventures. Zip co-founders Larry Diamond and Adam Finger, Wisr CEO and founder Anthony Nantes, and Synthetix Coin founder Kain Warwick, are now… Read more »
CBA’s venture-scaling arm, x15ventures, has singled out 5 startups to present for investment at its upcoming Pitch Day. The VC accelerator had more than 60 entrepreneurs apply for its Xccelerate21 program, which this year is looking for ideas around how retail customers shop, pay and are rewarded. Ten companies were chosen for this week’s initial… Read more »
Software engineer Fraser Hemphill was watching a friend who’s a nurse trying to book her vaccination when he decided to do something about it. With Sydney entering its sixth week of lockdown, Hemphill, 28, who works at Canva as an engineer, decided to build a website that lets people looking for a booking know when… Read more »
Plant-based protein startup v2food has raised A$72 million in series B-plus with Europe’s largest impact investment fund, Astanor Ventures leading the round. The latest capital injection is to ramp up expansion into China and Europe and scaling its manufacturing. The plant protein joint venture between Hungry Jacks billionaire Jack Cowin and the CSIRO, previously raised… Read more »
The NSW government is offering to new funding schemes to help startups commercialise ideas to address impacts of Covid-19. The new $6 million R&D Fund targets innovative products developed by NSW businesses. Proposals to scale R&D products will be assessed by a panel of judges with expertise in commercialisation, venture capital, academia, government and industry.… Read more »
Performance monitoring and assurance platform Operata has raised $2.2 million in a seed round to help call centres in the shift to remote working operations. Sydney VC Tidal Ventures led the seed funding supported by Black Nova, Flying Fox Ventures and prominent angels. The Melbourne software startup, founded in 2018 and already profitable, has bootstrapped… Read more »
Victoria will go back into lockdown from 8pm tonight, August 5. It is the state’s sixth lockdown, just nine days after emerging from its fifth following the spread of the Delta variant from Sydney. Eight new Covid-19 cases were reported in Victoria today, including six from yesterday. Reported yesterday: 6 new local cases and no… Read more »
Foodbomb, a produce wholesale marketplace for the hospitality sector, has raised A$4.5 million in a series A The round was backed by EVP, Athletic Ventures, Aura Ventures, Tony Gandel’s family investment vehicle, Tahmedia, and Platform Advisory Partners. It’s EVP’s third investment in the business since 2019. The raise will enable the four-year-old startup to expand… Read more »
Not hustling your bank for a better home loan deal is costing Australians more than $3.6 billion annually, despite low interest rates, according to a former Commonwealth Bank executive who’s launched his own fintech startup to solve the problem. Pete Steel was the chief digital officer at Australia’s biggest bank and this week launched mortgage… Read more »
The NSW government has opened expressions of interest for founding tenants of the new Quantum Terminal at Sydney’s Tech Central startup and scale-up hub at Central Station. Jobs and investment minister Stuart Ayres said a residency in The Quantum Terminal was a chance for startups to help grow the innovation ecosystem. “The Quantum Terminal will… Read more »
FinTech Australia CEO Rebecca Schot-Guppy is stepping down after three years in the role for a new career in venture capital. Schot-Guppy, who’s overseen a massive rise in the prominence, number and market cap of fintechs – most notably Afterpay and Judo Bank amid the implementation of open banking – will step down at the… Read more »
Hospitality jobs and training platform Barcats has raised $2.4 million amid the ongoing disruption to the sector caused by pandemic lockdowns. Existing investors, including business journalist Ross Greenwood and Computershare founder Chris Morris once again backed the latest, round, with the Colonial Leisure Group owner raising his stake in the four-year-old startup from 7.25% to… Read more »
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