Funding

Colossal, the US biotech that wants to use DNA to bring the dodo and Tassie tiger back from extinction, donated $2.3 million to the University of Melbourne

- November 25, 2024 2 MIN READ

US genetic engineering and biosciences startup Colossal has donated US$1.5 million (A$2.3m) to the University of Melbourne to support Australian avian conservation genomics. The funding has come from the Colossal Foundation. Colossal was founded software entrepreneur Ben Lamm and geneticist George Church in 2021 and went on to raise more than US$225m in venture funding.… Read more »

Daniel-Petre StartGiving
Business

Daniel Petre’s StartGiving wants to know what you think about philanthropy in the Australian Tech Giving Survey

- September 17, 2024 2 MIN READ

StartGiving, the not-for-profit organisation founded by tech investor Daniel Petre in 2022, is embarking on a new project in its mission to inspire a culture of giving in the tech community. Following last year’s podcast series featuring Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Canva cofounder Cliff Obrecht, StartGiving is partnering with academics from the Centre for… Read more »

Michael Batko
Accelerator

‘So much talking, so little doing’: Startmate boss calls out inaction on backing women in tech

- September 9, 2024 2 MIN READ

Talk is cheap when it comes to backing women in tech. But the surprising thing is that investing in them isn’t that expensive. Accelerator and investor Startmate, winner of Startup Daily’s Best in Tech Investor of the Year, has supported more than 800 women through its Women Fellowship programs over the last four years and… Read more »

Humanitix cofounder Adam McCurdie presents The Life You Can Save director of philanthropy Louise Pfeiffer and co-CEO Andrea La Mesa with a $4 million donation, alongside his cofounder Josh Ross and ethicist and philosopher Peter Singer.
People

Why Humanitix is one of Australia’s very best startups

- May 13, 2024 2 MIN READ

Making a profit is atypical of most startups. Making substantial profits then giving them all away is next level. Which is what ticketing startup Humanitix does, donating 100% of its profits to charity. The Sydney-based online ticketing platform is backed by tech giants Google and Atlassian, and in just six years, the social impact startup… Read more »

Scalapay cofounder Johnny Mitrevski with Abbl cofounders Lucy Timpano and Phil O’Shea
Other

Wollongong fintech Scalapay launches $10,000 scholarship, with brewery software startup Abbl as the first recipient

- September 6, 2023 2 MIN READ

Pioneering brewery management software start-up Abbl is recipient of unicorn status Scalapay’s inaugural $10,000 Scale Up Scholarship Quiet Australian fintech Scalapay has launched a new $10,000 scholarship program to support founders as they take their startup to the next level. The Wollongong-headquartered buy now pay later (BNPL) became a $1 billion+ valuation “unicorn” in 2021 after… Read more »

Bill Gates
People

Bill Gates explains why philanthropy matters when you’re successful in tech in a new podcast with Daniel Petre

- August 24, 2023 < 1 MIN READ

StartGiving, the not-for-profit organisation inspiring a new culture of giving in the Australian innovation community, has launched a podcast and vodcast series for tech founders looking to start or scale their giving. Hosted by StartGiving founder and chair Daniel Petre and CEO Antonia Ruffell, the series features leaders in the tech and philanthropy spaces generously… Read more »

Richard White
Business

WiseTech Global donates $2.5 million to kids tech learning platform Grok Academy alongside 1% of profits pledge

- October 5, 2022 3 MIN READ

ASX-listed logistics company WiseTech Global has pledged 1% of its annual pre-tax profit to tech education through Grok Academy as part of a five-year deal. The deal, which kicks off with an FY22 contribution of more than $2.5 million, will see K-12 students enhance their digital skill in the hope the experience will encourage more of… Read more »

People

Thankyou co-founder Daniel Flynn on why it’s time to rethink the way we give

- May 2, 2022 5 MIN READ

The biggest obstacles charity organisations encounter can come from the donors, the ones funding the projects. Wait, what? Astoundingly, research has shown that funder created obstacles account for 46% of the challenges faced by charitable organisations. This figure sits considerably above other more apparent issues, with fraud and theft and violence and conflict accounting for… Read more »

People

Envato pledges $25,000 to Smiling Mind campaign

- January 4, 2022 < 1 MIN READ

The Envato Foundation has pledged to match donations up to a total of $25,000 as part of Smiling Mind’s annual giving campaign.  Smiling Mind is a non-for-profit app-based meditation program developed by psychologists and educators to help make mindfulness and mental health support more accessible for Australians of all ages.  The Envato Foundation had previously… Read more »

Funding

Kiwi pay-it-forward startup GoGenerosity plants NZ$1.3 million seed round

- October 14, 2021 3 MIN READ

Software startup GoGenerosity, which helps New Zealand businesses and charities make generosity easier, has raised NZ$1.3 million in a seed round. The raise was led by local private investors, with support from Icehouse Ventures. The funds are to expand the team and additional develop of the GoGenerosity software for new features such as EFTPOS integration. Recent… Read more »

Canva Melanie Perkins.
People

Canva’s billionaire co-founders are not yet 40, and already they’re planning to give their fortune away

- September 15, 2021 3 MIN READ

Canva’s billionaire co-founders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht have acted on their oft-stated goal to give their fortune away after the privately-owned design startup’s valuation nearly trebled to $55 billion today. The duo, who married in back in their home state of WA earlier this year (he’d proposed with a $30 engagement ring two years… Read more »