The leaders of some of Australia’s biggest tech companies, including Canva, Atlassian, Livetiles, Safety Culture and Deputy, have released a manifesto on how business should respond to novel coronavirus as the world faces a potentially massive health and economic crisis. Inspired by the “Leading Boldly” campaign, which launched in the US on the weekend and… Read more »
Hello and welcome to St Patrick’s Day. We’ll be buying a Guinness and drinking it at home today. Just to be sure, to be sure. As Australia and New Zealand grapple with the global coronavirus pandemic, we’re publishing this new daily update to keep the startup/tech community informed. We’ve split things into five sections: Advice,… Read more »
Drawboard, a tech startup reducing the physical paper used by the design and construction industries, has raised $US6 million (AU$9 million) for further expansion in the US. The round was led by US VC fund Blackhorn Ventures, which lands a board seat, and supported by Steve Baxter’s TEN13. Founded by a former engineer and investment… Read more »
Hello and welcome to March 16. As Australia grapples with the growing global coronavirus pandemic, we’re publishing this new daily update to keep the startup/tech community informed. Kochie’s Business Builders editor Cec Busby is also helping with the coverage. We’ve split things into five sections: Advice, Business, Cancellations, Global, Response to help you… Read more »
People arriving in Australia from overseas from midnight, March 15, must self-isolate for 14 days Prime Minister says if you go to work instead “you’re committing an offence” He promised to stop shaking hands, saying everyone should do the same The local cruise industry has been shut down for 30 days Schools will remain open… Read more »
NSW Health as produced an excellent guide to all you need to know about coronavirus in a frequently asked questions compilation you’ll find here. On Saturday, NSW Health authorities said another 20 people had been diagnosed with the virus, taking the total in the state to 112. There are now 233 nationally, most notably… Read more »
It’s Friday. And cancel culture is in full swing. 1. Microsoft moves Build online Microsoft has canned May’s Build developer conference in Seattle, which normally brings around 6000 people together. The software giant is planning to hold something online instead. It joins a long list of tech companies that have pulled the pin on… Read more »
US venture capital firm Sequoia Capital is one of the world’s biggest and most successful investors, with US$1.4 trillion portfolio built up over 48 years that reads like a who’s who of global tech, including Apple, Google, PayPal, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and WhatsApp. Late week the VC firm wrote to the founders and CEOs of… Read more »
Hi Thursday. Stay healthy and don’t touch anything. 1. Google and Twitter out Google has recommended all North American employees work from home for the next month as the region comes to grips with coronavirus. VP of global security Chris Rackow send an email to staff in the 11 offices in the US and Canada… Read more »
Up to 2.7 million Australian jobs could disappear due to automation over the next 15 years, a report into technology’s impact on the workplace has concluded. The changes will also hit the female workforce harder than their male counterparts. But the good news is that more than double that number of roles, 5.6 million, could… Read more »
It’s tech Tuesday. We hope you’re COVID-19 free. Here’s what’s happening. 1. He has a point, but… On the weekend, Elon Musk offered his thoughts on COVID-19. The coronavirus panic is dumb — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2020 The Tesla boss has a point. Re-staging the highlights from Choc Mundine’s boxing career in the… Read more »
Recruitment software startup Reejig has scored $2.2 million from VC firm Right Click Capital and Arun Krishnankutty from OMKA Group in its first capital raise. Founded last year, Reejig uses artificial intelligence to analyse talent data to help companies find, recruit and develop talent, connecting HR systems providing insights into the skills of their workforce.… Read more »
Mining giant Rio Tinto is investing $10 million in a new startup accelerator to tackle potential skills gaps in Australia’s future workforce. The four-year Future Minds Accelerator program, supported by startup accelerator BlueChilli and Amazon Web Services (AWS), will target school-age learners, with prominent businessman and University of NSW Chancellor David Gonski chairing an… Read more »
The Australian Information Commissioner has launched Federal Court legal action against Facebook, accusing the social media giant of “systemic failures to comply with Australian privacy laws” involving more than 311,000 Australian users as the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal continues. The case alleges that between March 2014 to May 2015, Facebook disclosed the personal… Read more »
The $200 million “Big Battery”, installed in South Australia in 2017 by Elon Musk’s Tesla company, has almost paid for itself, saving consumers around $116 million in higher power costs in 2019, a study by engineering and project management firm Aurecon has concluded. That figure is nearly treble the $40 million saving in 2018. The… Read more »
‘Have I gone too far?’ How founders can beat their startup demons 
Tassie carbon accounting startup banks $5.3 million Seed round 
Smart hotels get even smarter: 72 Byte to launch in Australia with AI expert backing 
Eucalyptus head of growth Matt Rossi departs to launch his own marketing startup, Oodle 
Daily startup news and insights, delivered to your inbox.
