Bright Sparks: 3 things you need to see this week

Welcome to our weekly column on the important things the startup to see and do for the ANZ startup community, brought to you by the director of the Spark Festival, Maxine Sherrin.

She picks out 3 things worth putting in the dairy for the week ahead. If you’d like to know more, sign up to the Weekly Sparks, Maxine’s roundup of all that’s on in Australian tech and startups.

You can also catch Maxine on the Startup Daily show on ausbiz on Tuesdays at 2pm talking about the latest startup news.

Here’s what’s hot this week:

Founders’ Stories: Michael West, Investigative Journalist

Tue Mar 2, 12:00PM AEDT

ONLINE | FREE

It may come as a surprise, but did you know that truly independent journalism is very much alive?

Michael West Media investigates big business, particularly multinational tax-avoiders, financial markets and the banking and energy sectors. But the best part is, this news source is genuinely non-partisan, does not take advertising and is funded by its thousands of devoted readers.

Find out how Michael West has created a successful business model to back an independent media organisation, while big mainstream media companies continue to lay off staff and lose money.

How to Get Government Funding for Your Startup

Wed Mar 3, 5:00PM AEDT

ONLINE | FREE

There are a number of government grants that offer a great alternative to seed funding. As with any funding strategy though, this needs to be approached with open eyes and a clear understanding of what you are going to have to deliver in return.

Hear from government representatives, as well as founders who have successfully received the grants, and work out if this is the right path for you and your startup.

Getting Investor Ready

Fri Mar 5, 1:00PM AEDT

ONLINE | FREE

There is an overwhelming amount of (sometimes conflicting!) advice on what investors are looking for, what you need to do to get yourself investor-ready and how you should go about looking for investment.

Tune into this panel of expert investors, including Jackie Vullinghs of Airtree Ventures and Federica Nicolao of Foundry Group, who’ll be going through everything you need to know to get your startup investor-ready.