I often hear founders say “Australian VCs are so conservative, they all want traction before they’ll invest! You have to go to the US!”. While the idea that you must go to the US for funding merits a longer write-up, let’s talk about VCs asking for traction. VCs, like most people, can be bad communicators.… Read more »
A $20 million business investment fund has launched in the Northern Territory in a partnership between the government and Darwin investment firm Paspalis Corporation. The Territory government is tipping in $10 million through the Local Jobs Fund, matched by Paspalis, with funding of up to $5 million available for domestic and international businesses looking to… Read more »
In our journey through the business world, we often encounter hurdles that test our resolve, creativity, and strategic thinking. Transitioning from corporate burnout to building a six-figure business within a year, I learnt the indispensable role of essential systems in achieving scalability and profitability. I want to take some time to share with you the… Read more »
The QBE Foundation has given Indigenous-led investor First Australians Capital (FAC) a $500,000 to provide Seed funding for Indigenous startups. The grant will form part of a seed capital pool established by FAC to fund startups and early-stage businesses run by Indigenous Australians. FAC is an Indigenous-led organisation focused on business advisory services coupled with… Read more »
For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or –273.15°C). That’s because the quantum phenomena that grant quantum computers their unique computational abilities can only be harnessed by isolating them from the warmth of the familiar classical… Read more »
Banking-in-box fintech Constantinople has raised $50 million in a Series A. The round was led by Dutch internet investment firm Prosus Ventures, with support from existing Australian backers Square Peg and AirTree. The Sydney startup, founded in 2022 by former Westpac managers Macgregor Duncan and Dianne Challenor, previously raised US$23 million (A$32m) in a Seed… Read more »
The tech sector was one of the only industries in Australia which saw the number of job ads increase over the last month but was also the only sector that saw wages go backwards, according to reports. New data from Seek showed the number of jobs ads posted in the information and communications technology sector… Read more »
Rayn Ong is the Taylor Swift of Australian venture capital. The Archangel Ventures partner has made more than 100 investments. A Startmate mentor, Blackbird limited partner and poker shark, Ong works with angel investors and venture fund mangers to co-invest in 1st and 2nd rounds for early stage tech startups. His fans, known as Ongies,… Read more »
More than three-quarters of work meetings in Australia are ineffective and are stopping people getting their actual work done, according to new research. The Workplace Woes: Meeting Edition report, released by Atlassian, involves a survey of 5,000 knowledge workers across four continents, including 1,000 employees in Australia, in partnership with Wakefield Research. The research found… Read more »
ChatGPT has repeatedly made headlines since its release late last year, with various scholars and professionals exploring its potential applications in both work and education settings. However, one area receiving less attention is the tool’s usefulness as a conversationalist and – dare we say – as a potential friend. Some chatbots have left an unsettling… Read more »
Here’s an astonishing figure. While a third of Australian households have solar power, making us the world leader on adoption, just 1% of those panels are locally made, even thought we invented the technology. So the federal government is hoping to transform the coal mining Hunter Valley region, north of Sydney, into a solar manufacturing… Read more »
Semiconductors are the basic building blocks of microchips. These technological marvels are in everything from lightbulbs and toothbrushes to cars, trains and planes, not to mention the vast array of electronics that have become integral to many people’s daily lives. The 21st century chip manufacturing industry has been described as “at least as significant geopolitically… Read more »
Investor Rayn Ong pointed out recently that “VCs (and angels) say no to 95% of the founders they meet with”. That’s ignoring the many more no responses over emails and even DMs (from some brave founders). As anyone in startup land will attest, the no comes in many forms. There is of course the quick,… Read more »
Sydney startup Diraq appears to have cracked one of the many challenges facing the future success of quantum computing – an absolute zero operating temperature Diraq has demonstrated its spin-based quantum processors operating at temperatures 20 times warmer than previously demonstrated while maintaining stability and high accuracy, with the results published in a peer-reviewed study in… Read more »
Venture capital firm Blackbird’s annual Coachella for startups, Sunrise Australia, will feature more than 50 speakers across three stages, with the full lineup for the two-day event in May revealed today. New speakers include Bluey creator Joe Brumm, ethicist and philosopher Peter Singer, MONA curator Kirsha Kaechele, Gilmour Space cofounder Adam Gilmour, Wedgetail VC CEO… Read more »
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