AI/Machine Learning

‘Near tech’ workers are the solution to Australia’s cyber security & AI skills shortfall: ACS

- October 23, 2024 3 MIN READ

Australia is struggling to find technology workers with the right cyber security and artificial intelligence skills but could tap 1.1 million “near tech” workers with similar capabilities to reskill and support the workforce, the 10th annual ACS Australia’s Digital Pulse report has found. Demand for cyber security skills has increased by 80% in Australia since… Read more »

Antler Australia

Antler Investor Memo Series: Braiv makes multi-language videos simple, affordable & scalable

- October 14, 2024 4 MIN READ

Early stage investment company Antler Australia recently backed a new cohort of startups as part of its ongoing program to build great local tech companies. Startup Daily is sharing the details of each venture in the “Antler Investor Memos” series, which is designed to give you a quick, sharp understanding of the startups and people… Read more »

Annie Liao
Funding

AI edtech Build Club prompts $1.75m pre-Seed

- October 11, 2024 2 MIN READ

AI-focused e-learning platform Build Club has raised $1.75 million in a pre-Seed round led by Airtree and Blackbird. Also hitting the PayTo button for the round were Archangel Ventures, Co Ventures and Treble VC, and angel investors including Startmate’s Small Bets Fund, Curious Thing founder Sam Zheng, Superpower’s Max Marchione, Eric Chan from Aura Ventures… Read more »

Eric Gao
Business

Australian startup investor Boman Group grabs a $10 million slice of OpenAI

- October 7, 2024 2 MIN READ

OpenAI’s gobsmacking US$6.6 billion (A$9.5 billion) raise, announced last week at a US$157bn (A$230bn) valuation, has a small slice of Australia on the cap table, with Melbourne fund manager Boman Group chipping in A$10 million. The record raise for the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup was led by Josh KuschUS VC Thrive Capital with… Read more »

Jamie Hall and Steve Hind
Funding

Bird Seed: AI customer support platform Lorikeet flies high with $7.3 million raise

- October 4, 2024 2 MIN READ

An Australian-US startup that’s developed an AI-based customer support agent used by the likes of Chemist2U and Eucalyptus to solve complex problems has raised  US$5 million ($7.3m) in Seed funding. Lorikeet, named after the colourful and garrulous Australian parrot, was founded in mid-2023 (originally as Optech) by US-based former Stripe executive Steve Hind and former Google… Read more »

Sam Altman
AI/Machine Learning

OpenAI’s Sam Altman has a new manifesto of AI utopia – and it has some massive blind spots

- September 27, 2024 4 MIN READ

By now, many of us are probably familiar with artificial intelligence hype. AI will make artists redundant! AI can do lab experiments! AI will end grief Even by these standards, the latest proclamation from OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, published on his personal website this week, seems remarkably hyperbolic. We are on the verge of… Read more »

Dan Jovevski
Funding

WeMoney teams up with Google for credit score health check

- September 25, 2024 < 1 MIN READ

Fintech WeMoney has launched a collaboration with Google to help Australians get their financial health in good shape before they try to borrow money. The financial wellness platform approached Google Cloud earlier this year for help to develop an AI-powered credit health education assistant. Called “WeMo” it’s designed to help people better understand and improve their… Read more »

Niamh Mooney and Damian Png.
Funding

Visa application platform Matilda Migration moves in on $1 million pre-Seed round

- September 24, 2024 2 MIN READ

Migration process platform Matilda launches this week after raising $1 million in a pre-Seed round  The raise was led by AfterWork Ventures, with support from Victoria Denholm’s Wollemi Capital, Everywhere VC, Co-Ventures and Startmate. This funding is to accelerate the development of the Matilda platform. which aims to make migration more streamlined and stress-free. Cofounder… Read more »

robot
AI/Machine Learning

Your call is important to our chatbot: CBA looks to AI as customer service replacement

- September 17, 2024 3 MIN READ

The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) will test a generative AI-based chatbot that could replace its call centre staff as part of Australia’s largest financial institution’s expanded use of AI technology. On Tuesday, CBA announced it would become the first Australian company to use Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) P5s, which are based on Nvidia computer chips supporting… Read more »

tin foil hats
AI/Machine Learning

How AI can help drag people out of conspiracy theory rabbit holes

- September 16, 2024 4 MIN READ

New research published in Science shows that for some people who believe in conspiracy theories, a fact-based conversation with an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot can “pull them out of the rabbit hole”. Better yet, it seems to keep them out for at least two months. This research, carried out by Thomas Costello at the Massachusetts… Read more »

Accelerator

Antler Investor Memo Series: Yesterday is making hiring smarter, streamlined, and more equitable

- September 13, 2024 3 MIN READ

Early stage investment company Antler Australia recently backed a new cohort of startups as part of its ongoing program to build great local tech companies. Startup Daily is sharing the details of each venture in the “Antler Investor Memos” series, which is designed to give you a quick, sharp understanding of the startups and people… Read more »