The Australian government is setting out to develop a “bargaining code” to address power imbalances between news media publishers and digital platforms such as Facebook and Google. The creation of this code was recommended last year in the final report of the Digital Platforms Inquiry held by the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC). The… Read more »
Australia’s universities are in desperate trouble, and their first move has been to cut the entrepreneurship and innovation arms they should be defending at all costs. Sometimes, there’s no satisfaction in being right with predictions; like the time back in early March, when I predicted that the tech startup accelerator programs and incubators being offered by… Read more »
Only 566 people have ever travelled to space. Sixty-five of them, or about 11.5%, were women. NASA recently proclaimed it will put the “first woman and next man” on the Moon by 2024. Despite nearly 60 years of human spaceflight, women are still in the territory of “firsts”. Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in… Read more »
As shoppers and retailers do away with cash transactions, we may be witnessing the end of a major source of social and historical information – the coin. In the modern age, coinage is increasingly seen as cumbersome, a vector for disease and costly to manufacture. Yet for more than 2,600 years, coins have faithfully preserved… Read more »
As working remotely/partially remote becomes the new normal, it’s imperative we consider how this arrangement affects the ‘person behind the employee’. Canva’s Head of People, Crystal Boysen, shares how Canva is looking after working parents and those who are caring for others, while we find our way through the post-COVID era. The world… Read more »
Should we look to China for hints as to what will happen with global VC? For our startup community to survive, we need to observe ground zero and monitor the shockwaves hitting regions ahead of us. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Chinese VC deals have taken a plunge and we’re left asking whether we’ll see… Read more »
Algorithmic decision-making has enormous potential to do good. From identifying priority areas for first response after an earthquake hits, to identifying those at risk of COVID-19 within minutes, their application has proven hugely beneficial. But things can go drastically wrong when decisions are trusted to algorithms without ensuring they adhere to established ethical norms.… Read more »
Yes, be honest! Be honest about what you think you’ve learned so far, and what you hope to learn about during the accelerator. No accelerator wants startup founders who pretend they don’t need any help, that believe they are a sure bet for success. Accelerators exist to coach you, and if you don’t need any… Read more »
US President Donald Trump, who tweeted more than 11,000 times in the first two years of his presidency, is very upset with Twitter. Last week Trump tweeted complaints about mail-in ballots, alleging voter fraud – a familiar Trump falsehood. Twitter attached a label to two of his tweets with links to sources that fact–checked the… Read more »
The impact COVID-19 has had on our daily lives is immeasurable, but nowhere is that more apparent than Australia’s small and medium business (SMB) sector. SMBs are bearing the financial brunt of the current epidemic. You only need to stroll down any street to see cafes restricted to takeaways, personal trainers shutting down their… Read more »
Earlier this week, Scott Morrison used his Press Club address to outline his plan for economic recovery from the COVID-19 period, in the coming months and years. At the forefront of this is reform of Australia’s Industrial Relations system. Industrial relations is a defining issue in politics and when it comes down to it, we’ve… Read more »
Our elected officials have put up the “open for business” sign and we’re heading back to the office! You’ve just heard the news and whilst there’s some relief, it is combined with a little voice in your head saying “here we go again”. The momentary feeling of regaining some control and that you’ve “made it”… Read more »
If we want the best bang for our economic stimulus buck, we need young workers in startups As we crawl towards our new definition of ‘normal’, one thing that’s become clear is that ‘recovery’ from COVID-19 isn’t a single goal; it’s a thousand small wins we will need to reach at different speeds. Despite the… Read more »
In late March, we posed a hypothetical scenario to a sample of Australians, asking if they would download a contact tracing app released by the federal government; 70% responded in favour. But a more recent survey, following the release of COVIDSafe, revealed only 44% of respondents had downloaded it. The Australian government’s COVIDSafe app aims… Read more »
Startup metrics can be complex and overwhelming for founders, and many have a single-minded focus on revenue. But while revenue can tell a story of sales and success, this in isolation is not the most insightful number that a business reports. Instead it is unit economics that has the power to simplify the way… Read more »
Canva buys two design startups after doubling its monthly users to 50 million in just 12 months
Westpac teams up with lending fintech SocietyOne for digital banking play
Afterpay is leading tech stocks over the cliff today after upping its raise to $1.5 billion
Facebook likes Australian media again after striking a deal with the Morrison government
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