rocket launch, space
Space

New Zealand’s space sector needs to address the elephant in the cosmos: sustainability

- August 28, 2023 4 MIN READ

Aotearoa New Zealand is the latest country to enter the expanding and competitive international space market. In the aerospace strategy and national space policy, the government lays out how it intends to grow the domestic space sector by launching rockets and satellites and promoting Earth observation research. The documents indicate the government’s general priorities in… Read more »

money plant grow
Business strategy

5 reasons why every founder needs to make ESG part of their startup’s DNA

- February 9, 2023 2 MIN READ

ESG plans and action are increasingly expected from earlier-stage startups and are a non-negotiable requirement for later-stage companies gearing up to IPO. I’m a big believer that implementing ESG early can have a powerful positive effect on your company build.As an investor at Main Sequence, we have seen countless times companies who have a purposeful… Read more »

Fintech

Sustainable investing platform Ethic Adviser looks to raise $1m Seed round

- November 22, 2022 2 MIN READ

Ethic Adviser, a sustainable investing solution for financial advisers, investment brokers and accountants, is looking to raise $1 million in Seed funding to expand the globally. The fintech was developed by Tom Culver last year, before launching in March, to give advisers a SAAS solution offering specialist sustainable investing tools and information. “With the acceleration… Read more »

Phoebe Gardner & Alex Arnold
Climate Tech

3 Australian impact startups named in real estate industry-backed global challenge to improve ESG

- July 28, 2022 2 MIN READ

Three Australian startups have been chosen among a dozen companies to be part of the RealTechX ESG Impact program.   Insect-based organic waste management startup Bardee; accessibility solution for people with a disability, BindiMaps; and construction site environmental monitoring venture SiteHive will be among the 12 startups in the Taronga Ventures-backed program. ESG Impact received more than… Read more »

Geoff Gourley
People

Impact entrepreneur Geoff Gourley signs up as Apricot’s ESG director

- July 12, 2022 2 MIN READ

Impact Investment Fund founder Geoff Gourley has signed on as the director of ESG at leadership and executive coaching firm Apricot Consulting. Gourley will lead all ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), social value & impact, NetZero and social and sustainable procurement management consultancy activities. Apricot founder Derek Linsell said the appointment recognised Gourley’s experience as… Read more »

Climate Tech

Startup hub Stone & Chalk goes carbon neutral

- April 12, 2022 2 MIN READ

National startup and scaleup hub Stone & Chalk Group has become carbon neutral and is now on a drive help other companies achieve the same goal with support from software venture Trellis. Stone & Chalk Group CEO Michael Bromley said climate change and net-zero commitments are reshaping Australia’s corporate landscape, with leading tech companies such… Read more »

Advice

Why VCs need to think harder about ESG if they want to build better companies

- November 4, 2021 3 MIN READ

With officials from nearly 200 countries having gathered for COP26, the well-known annual United Nations Climate Change Summit, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues are top of mind for business leaders. In a world that is rife with division as humanity grapples with changes and challenges caused by an ongoing global pandemic, ecosystem collapse, supply… Read more »

Michelle Deaker
Funding

VC OneVentures is ramping up its sustainability focus by benchmarking all its investments using ESG

- August 30, 2021 2 MIN READ

Venture capital investor OneVentures is sharpening its focus on ESG (environmental, social, governance) principles in the startups it invests in to drive change in the sector. Managing director Dr Michelle Deaker, said it’s time for Australian VC firms to align their investment strategies to responsible investment practices and recognise that where they put their moment… Read more »

Amy Lesnick, Pledge 1%
People

The world’s biggest VC firms are backing Pledge 1% to help startups donate $6.5 billion to charity

- June 9, 2021 3 MIN READ

Philanthropic movement Pledge 1% has partnered with the world’s leading venture capital firms with a goal of donating A$6.5 billion (US$5bn) in new charity funding over the next five years. The new program, Boardroom Allies, will see a group of leading US and global VCs, including Australia’s Blackbird Ventures, commit to helping portfolio companies set… Read more »