Southeast Asian climate tech venture firm Wavemaker Impact has named Monique Conheady as its new Venture Partner for Australia and New Zealand ahead of rolling out locally in 2023. The VC’s mission is to back build and back climate tech startups with the combined potential to reduce global carbon by 10% by 2035. Wavemaker Impact dubs them ‘100×100’… Read more »
Fred Schebesta, the cofounder of comparison website Finder, and one of the country’s leading cryptocurrency advocates, is stepping down from his role as co-CEO and will no longer be the company’s colourful public face. SmartCompany’s Tegan Jones reports that Schebesta will leave his cofounder Frank Restuccia to run the global business on his own, as… Read more »
FinTech Australia has appointed Rachel Hopping as its first head of strategic partnerships. The new role will primarily engage with FinTech Australia’s 400 corporate partners, which include Visa, Mastercard and AWS. Hopping joins FinTech Australia after a two-year tenure at Superhero, joining as Marketing Manager in 2020 before being promoted to Head of Strategic Partnerships. FinTech… Read more »
Goondiwindi-based businesswoman Julia Spicer has been appointed Queensland’s new Chief Entrepreneur. She will step into the year-long voluntary role, taking over from Wayne Gerard, next month. The appointment by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk comes as the state turns its attention to hosting the Olympic Games in 2032 and the opportunities it provides for innovation and business.… Read more »
The federal government has asked an independent review panel to find ways to improve diversity and increase the participation of women in Australia’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors. The Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review will be chaired by Cicada Innovations CEO Sally-Ann Williams. Industry and Science minister Ed Husic said the panel… Read more »
FinTech Australia and talent platform Upplft have launched a new tool to help fintechs find and retain talent. Called “The Big Match” it aims to connect fintech industry jobseekers with new roles, which the companies involved can use it to help fill roles faster with candidates who have prior experience working in an early stage… 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 »
Sydney doctor, founder and angel investor Dr Amandeep Hansra has joined the CSIRO’s deep tech investment fund Main Sequence as a principal. Dr Hansra, a Bondi GP, has been in general practice for nearly two decades and co-founded the investment syndicate Australian Medical Angels, as well as founing Creative Careers in Medicine, which provides consulting services… Read more »
Australians have embraced cyber security and artificial intelligence (AI) qualifications over the past five years, but the industry needs to turbo-charge recruitment to fill its skills gap, according to newly released 2021 Census figures that confirm the number of IT qualified workers in Australia has grown by 36% since 2016. The latest tranche of data… Read more »
Former Xero CEO, company director and tech investor Chris Ridd has returned to the startup coalface as the chief exec of Brisbane venture EventsAir. Ridd, who’s been chairing the company’s board since early 2022, announced via LinkedIn that he’s excited to be back on the C-suite. “As I reflect back on my 30 year career,… Read more »
Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has shaken up its executive leadership team with founder James Demetriou taking a back seat after more than a decade of championing local sportstech Demetriou, ASTN’s chair and a former Essendon Bombers player and board member, will move into the role of Executive Director of Commercialisation and Partnerships for the… Read more »
Talent retention is becoming increasingly challenging in the current startup landscape. Startup Daily asked an Aussie unicorn, a rising fintech star and a modern HR platform how they’re tackling it head on. One of the hottest topics in the Australian and New Zealand startup ecosystem today is talent. Employee priorities have changed with The Great Resignation (or… Read more »
Link-in-bio startup Linktree is cutting around 50 jobs from its global workforce, reducing staffing by 17%. Cofounder Alex Zaccaria told staff in an email that “the news I have to share with you all today harder than anything I have ever done”. “Our people have built Linktree into what it is today: trusted by millions… Read more »
Sydney NFT gaming startup Immutable, has cut 20 staff from its team, less than five months after raising $280 million. CNET’s Jackson Ryan reports that Immutable CEO and cofounder James Ferguson announced the cuts, which account for around 6% of total staffing, at an all-hands meeting held via Google Meet on Monday. Staff were offered… Read more »
Local fintech Cointree has found its new CEO internally, handing the role to Jess Renden at the crypto exchange heads towards 10 years in business. Renden signed on with Cointree five years ago after a career at software firm BGL. She takes over from founder Shane Stevenson after eight years heading up the company he… Read more »
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