A Sydney ecommerce startup that uses machine learning and AI to help online retailers suggest sell to customers has raised $10 million Series A. Particular Audience combines real-time shopping data sets to predict demand and allow retailers to personalise selling suggestions to their online customers, creating an online version of the bricks and mortar impulse… Read more »
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has resigned as chief executive of the microblogging site after 16 years. The resignation was effective immediately. He was replaced by the company’s chief technology officer Parag Agrawal, who has been with the company for a decade and CTO since 2017. Dorsey will also leave the board when his term expires… Read more »
Fintech entrepreneur Colin Porter is looking to tackle the growing problem of invoice payment fraud with a new B2B SaaS platform PayOK. Porter, founder credit information bureau CreditorWatch and more recently Avenue Bank, which received its Restricted ADI bank licence, last month, has raised $3 million in a Series A for PayOk at a $10… Read more »
Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites could be legally liable for defamatory posts made by users unless the tech companies out the person responsible under new laws proposed by the Australian government. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the proposed changes to defamation law for social media platforms on Sunday. The changes will redefine the… Read more »
Sydney-based asynchronous video messaging scale-up Vloggi, has opened its $3 million seed capital raise to international investors to align with its rapidly growing global customer base. Founder and CEO, Justin Wastnage said the A$3 million raise is in two tranches. The first A$1 million is targeting angel investors with a larger discount and lower valuation… Read more »
Startups impact network organisation Stone & Chalk has won the tender to run the NSW government’s new Scaleup Hub at Tech Central. The announcement came as NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, and trade and industry minister Stuart Ayres opened the Tech Central Quantum Terminal today. The rest of the project, around Sydney’s historic Central Station building, is due… Read more »
Non-alcoholic beer brand Heaps Normal has raised $8.5 million in a Series A. The company’s CEO Andy Miller, led the round supported by Athletic VC’s Matt de Boer, Adore Beauty founder Kate Morris, Who Gives A Crap founder Simon Griffiths, and Tripple’s Bec Milgrom. Miller said the raise took just a week and he’s now focused… Read more »
HelpPay, a fintech for people seeking help to pay bills, has raised $2.4 million in series A ahead of its public launch this Monday, November 29. The first-of-its-kind platform lets people securely share bills with family and friends via a smartphone app, allowing others to chip in and help pay them off. Unlike crowdfunding options… Read more »
New Zealand software venture Segna, a self-described “data wrangler”, has landed a US$125,000 seed investment from Y Combinator ahead of the startup taking part in the legendary US accelerator program. Segna will be just the fourth New Zealand startups to be part of Y Combinator, which counts Airbnb, Dropbox, Twitch, Stripe, Reddit, and CoinBase among… Read more »
Ruslan Kogan, founder and CEO of the ASX-listed online retailer bearing his name, is paid more than the chief executives of retail giants Woolworths, Coles and Wesfarmers, taking home a whopping $9 million pay packet last year. But it seems many of the company’s shareholders question that cost, with the company’s remuneration report copping a… Read more »
Former Xero executive and serial tech investor, Chris Ridd has joined the BoardPro board. The New Zealand software startup, founded in 2015 by Brett Herkt, helps companies improve their boardroom productivity and create better functioning boards with improved processes, workflows and guidance. Herkt, the startups’ CEO, developed BoardPro in partnership with leading independent directors and… Read more »
RiverPitch Live, the investment showcase for startups run by ACS Labs, the operator of Brisbane’s River City Labs, returns to the stage this Thursday, November 25, after a two-year hiatus. As well as a live event at Lightspace, Brisbane, from 6pm – it’s already sold out – you can also join in online. Book free… Read more »
Casual jobs marketplace Airtasker this week held its first AGM since listing six months ago and despite the disruption of 2021’s pandemic lockdowns, pent-up demand to get things done has seen use of the platform soar. Airtasker’s (ASX:ART) gross marketplace volume (GMV) – a measure of activity on the platform – crossed $200 million as… Read more »
Digital health startup Midnight Health has partnered health insurer nib, in a $4 million deal for a 50% equity stake in the business. The healthtech venture launched its first platform, Youly, in February this year, offering delivery of the Morning After Pill along with additional women’s healthcare needs, such as the contraceptive pill, thrush, sleep… Read more »
Nominations for the 2021 Australian Impact Investment Awards are open but you only have until next Wednesday, December 1, to enter. The awards are an opportunity for organisations and individuals to be recognised for their expertise, commitment and outstanding activity in the Australia’s impact investing ecosystem. Entries are in the following categories: Impact Asset… Read more »
Atlassian cofounder Scott Farquhar steps down as co-CEO 
The lessons from Uber, Ola and rideshare’s disruption is that in the end, the consumer still pays 
Kiwi tech skills startup NextWork pockets $2.3 million pre-Seed raise 
Logistics software startup Veyor Digital shifts $2.75 million pre-Series A for US plans 
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