The time taken to pay small businesses has blown out in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, leading to the SME sector to call for federal legislation to ensure they can manage their cash flow effectively. Research commissioned by financial services firm Scottish Pacific found businesses with an annual revenue of $1-10 million have been… Read more »
Startmate’s highly anticipated Demo Day won’t be stopped by coronavirus and social distancing, and will go ahead this Wednesday, April 22, as an online stream, with 11 startups pitching for investment before a digital audience. The Startmate Demo Day Reimagined will be live and interactive with viewers able to ask questions and gain background information… Read more »
Applications for Startmate’s May Office Hours program are now open, offering more than 1,000 free mentor sessions with some of the biggest and best names in startup land. The Office Hours program connects budding founders and entrepreneurs with successful leaders from companies including Canva, CultureAmp, Xero, Adore Beauty and Atlassian. Each successful applicant will… Read more »
Airwallex has raised US$160 million (AU$254m) in Series D to fund its expansion in Europe and the US. New investors, including ANZi Ventures and Salesforce Ventures, joined previous backers, including DST Global, Tencent, Sequoia Capital China, Hillhouse Capital and Horizons Ventures, in the raise. The funding will also be used to expand its product… Read more »
Medtech Atomo Diagnostics had an unusual start to life as a listed company today, holding a virtual bell-ringing as it became the first company to list on the ASX since January. But coronavirus concerns proved to be boon for the rapid blood test startup, which in the past month has turned its attention producing… Read more »
Dads who disappear into the office early and get home late have discovered a whole new world of parenting in recent weeks as they moved into work from home mode. From kids around full-time, at first schooled online at home, followed by the school holidays amid the stay-at-home orders, many kids have seen their… Read more »
Working from home was once an office perk. Now, after a month of everyone being forced to do it in a bid to flatten the curve on coronavirus, plenty of people are realising how much they miss the routine of getting up and heading to work. And while Australia has tracking better… Read more »
FinTech Australia has launched a talent marketplace for Australian fintechs on LinkedIn, in a project backed by Tier One People. The marketplace, run through LinkedIn Groups, aims to connect candidates with prospective employers and help any talent displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic find new opportunities. Even before the project went live this week, leading Australian… Read more »
Startup accelerator and VC investor Antler is on the hunt for startups looking to tackle problems created by Covid-19, pledging to invest up to US$500,000 (AU$780,000) in up to five teams globally. Antler, which has a Sydney program that launched last year, is looking for coronavirus-focused startups in the following areas: Mitigation (e.g. masks, contact… Read more »
Commercial tenants hit hard by COVID-19 will have more protection from eviction the NSW government says under a range of new measures in a $440 million land tax relief package announced on Sunday. The measures apply to commercial leases where coronavirus has caused a tenant is in financial distress, including shops, cafes, gyms, hairdressers, restaurants,… Read more »
Workplace OHS app SafetyCulture has raised AU$60.5 million (US$35.5m) in series C funding, pushing the business into the unicorn club with a $1.3 billion valuation. The surprising aspect to the raise is that around half the funds will go to around 10% of the employees who’ve been with SafetyCulture for than three years, giving them… Read more »
While the Morrison government’s $130 billion JobKeeper package and a range of other measures to help businesses survive the coronavirus crisis have been widely welcomed, Australia’s nascent boutique brewery industry fears it’s been completely overlooked in the stimulus efforts. Parliament passed the massive wage subsidy plan on Wednesday, but the government resisted attempts to expand… Read more »
Tech association ACS is hosting a major online hackathon over the Easter weekend with one goal in mind – to find ways to help ‘Flatten the Curve’ – reduce the infection rate – in the battle against coronavirus. The #flattenthecurvehack runs for 48 hours from 6pm today, April 9, with more than 2000 competitors tackling 62… Read more »
Multinational professional services company Datacom will hire more than 2000 people as part of the ramp up for government support in response to coronavirus. The IT firm is looking to fill thousands of roles to work in purpose-built contact centres across Australiam for federal Government agencies providing frontline services as part of the economic support… Read more »
Accountancy software company MYOB has released a Business Preparedness Guide to help small businesses find their way through all the information and tips on how to successfully face the COVID-19 crisis. MYOB CEO, Greg Ellis, says the rapidly changing situation made it challenging for businesses to keep on top of the latest advice and available… Read more »
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