The Australian economy would be $100 billion bigger and boosted by 42,000 new jobs if investment in research and development (R&D) was increased to 3% of GDP, according to Science & Technology Australia, the peak body for science and tech. STA president Professor Sharath Srira spoke at the National Press Club in Canberra this week, prosecuting… Read more »
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are in dire straits. With the market in a severe downturn, it’s safe to assume the NFT bubble has well and truly burst. It was never clear why these digital collectables traded for such large amounts of money. Now they mostly do not. What’s behind their turn of fate? And is there… Read more »
A new venture capital fund looking to back medtech and deep tech health ventures is on the hunt for investors as it looks to raise up to $100 million. Synthesis Capital has emerged out of the MedTech Actuator’s Origin program, which has helped develop more than 70 leading medtech startups the past five years, including… Read more »
A Sydney venture fund that co-led agtech startup Loam Bio’s huge $105 million round, has raised $220 million in a Series A. Sydney-based Wollemi Capital, founded in 2021, is the brainchild of former Macquarie Capital boss Tim Bishop and Boston Consulting Group’s Asian venture exec Paul Hunyor. The pair set out to raise $100 million,… Read more »
After an admittedly late start, crowdfunding is certainly coming of age in Australia. As was rightly pointed out recently by Birchal Co-Founder Matt Vitale, that Australian crowdsourced funding (CSF) platforms have raised $240 million for 320 start-up companies over the past five years is an unqualified success. Accessing otherwise unavailable investment opportunities in high growth… Read more »
ASX-listed jobs marketplace is looking to ramp up its UK business in a deal with leading TV station Channel Four. The broadcaster’s VC arm, 4 Ventures, Britain’s leading media-for-equity investor, is tipping in $6.5m million (£3.5m) in value for a 20% stake in Airtasker UK, the company’s UK subsidiary. Channel 4, which gave the world… Read more »
Venture capital funding at the start of 2023 may not have been as bad as many thought according to new analysis from Perth-based investment data company Techboard. Releasing its March quarter Funded report this week, Techboard identified $1.01 billion in capital deployed across 111 deals. That figure is 50% higher than the $661 million across… Read more »
New innovation and investment firm, Skafold signed on former Blockchain Australia CEO Steve Vallas as its new senior technology advisor. The role is responsible for exploring and advising all Skafold activities related to blockchain, digital currencies, digital regulation and technology more broadly. Skafold’s diverse innovation and investment ecosystem works closely with innovators and entrepreneurs to… Read more »
Corporate regulator the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has sin-binned Sydney firm Holon Global Investments from offering three of its cryptocurrency funds to retail investors for three weeks due to concerns that they’re not suitable for the retail market, with the product disclosure statements pointing out that the funds could end up worthless. The… Read more »
Exchange-traded funds provider ETF Securities is launching two funds in an Australian first, allowing people to invest in Bitcoin and Ethereum. The ETFS 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (Code: EBTC), and ETFS 21Shares Ethereum ETF (Code: EETH) will list on Cboe Australia (formerly Chi-X) next week. They will both track the price of the respective cryptocurrency in Australian… Read more »
Tesla chair and Blackbird operating partner Robyn Denholm is among three heavy hitters from the tech and VC scene on a new voluntary panel charged with advising the NSW government on local and international investment opportunities. Denholm, who’s also chair of the Tech Council of Australia, has been joined by AirTree Ventures founder Daniel Petre… Read more »
The age of fintech for investors is shifting to climate tech startups in 2022, a landmark report into Australia’s startup ecosystem reveals. The inaugural State of Australian Startup Funding report, from Folklore Ventures and Cut Through Venture, has analysed data from more than 800 Australian founders and startup investors for a comprehensive look into the… Read more »
Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes has backed renewables funding firm Infradebt with $200 million from his private family VC firm Grok Ventures. The funding announcement emerged less than 48 hours after Cannon-Brookes had a $5 billion takeover offer for energy supplier AGL rejected as undervaluing the business by the company’s board. Infradebt is a specialist infrastructure project finance… Read more »
A new Fund-of-Funds venture capital firm, formed by veterans of the super fund Hostplus VC team, has been chosen by the Victorian government to build LaunchVic’s $120 million Victorian Startup Capital Fund (VSCF). Neil Stanford and Brighid Pappin have created V-Ignite to turn $60 million from the state government into $120 million for the VSCF.… Read more »
FinTech Australia has released a new map for fintechs detailing investors in the sector. The map showcases investors from across the country, featuring a variety of funders including venture capitalists, angel funds, corporate investors, crowd-funding options and incubators. It’s available for free for people in the fintech and startup communities. The map is free to… Read more »
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