Tech is stalling. Consumer is surging. And if you’re still waiting for the return of traditional VC exits – you’re already behind. Here’s the hard truth: liquidity has dried up in venture tech. IPOs are trickling. M&A deals have slowed to a crawl. According to PitchBook’s 2023 US VC Valuation Report, exits in the tech… Read more »
“Is my idea VC-backable?” You probably heard this and rolled your eyes thinking “What does that mean?” So let me break down exactly what it takes to be VC-backable and explain what VCs are looking for, portfolio construction and the steps to check if it’s a fit for your company. DISCLAIMER: Not every business is… Read more »
Earlier this year, New Zealand launched a revamped investor visa scheme, the Active Investor Plus visa, designed to attract high-net-worth individuals by slashing minimum investment thresholds, removing English language requirements, and reducing time-onshore commitments to just 21 days over three years. In return, investors gain a clear and rapid path to permanent residency. The response… Read more »
A Cloud Guru’s Sam Kroonenburg has teamed up with Go1’s Andrew Barnes and more than a dozen other founders of tech companies that achieved a $1 billion valuation to back a new $50 million venture capital fund to invest in the next wave of potential unicorns. Glitch Capital also involves two OGs of local tech,… Read more »
James Alexander from Galileo Ventures proposes a ‘Tall Poppy’ national strategy for an AI revolution in Australia. We are witnessing the dawn of a new computing revolution 66 years after the invention of the silicon chip. This time it’s an intelligence revolution that goes beyond hardware. For the first time, we can talk to computers… Read more »
Ongoing legal action over the assets of failed medications management startup StrongRoom AI have led the company’s voluntary administrators to extend their control to the absolute limit. A case management hearing due today has been moved to June 4, extending Federal Court-imposed asset freeze on four StrongRoom directors and the administrator, initiated by VC investor… Read more »
New Zealand’s deep technology incubator and venture firm, Outset Ventures, has secured NZ$41.5m (A$38.4m) close of Fund II. The final commitments from more than 150 investors are more than a third above the initial NZ$30m target. The Auckland-based firm’s alumni include Rocket Lab, LanzaTech and Mint Innovation. Outset’s Future House currently hosts more than 20 deep tech… Read more »
SQM Lithium Ventures, the VC arm of a major international lithium producer, has invested $3.6 million in Melbourne’s Kite Magnetics, a company that produces advanced components for electric motors. Kite Magnetics CEO Dr Richard Parsons said he was “excited” about the new partnership with SQM. “Their support will help us scale our technology to revolutionise… Read more »
Aussie restaurant table app EatClub has picked up an $18.2 million series A, led by Co:Act, as it expands into the UK. The app is way for restaurants to fill up empty tables by push time sensitive discounts for nearby diners to claim straight away. Venues pay for demand with a commission on bills generated,… Read more »
VC may be in a global funk, but Australia’s still stockpiling cash. New data show a 7 % jump in venture assets to A$17 b, strong AI deal growth, and younger founders dominating new‑business creation. There is hope this shows the local ecosystem has firepower and fresh blood even in a down market.
The administrators of medication management startup StrongRoom AI have recommended putting the business in liquidation ahead of a 2nd creditor’s meeting on Tuesday. The decision comes a fortnight before the Federal Court is due to hold another hearing in the legal action by VC firm EVP to recover $10.4 million it invested in the business… Read more »
The recent call for submissions into the Strategic Examination of Australia’s R&D system has revealed ideas and frustrations that have long been articulated on numerous discussion panels. However, through this recent consultation, it has felt like more practical solutions have surfaced across the ecosystem, and many of the ideas align. So if we could request… Read more »
Four years after it launched, New Zealand VC fund Phase One has fully deployed its NZ$2.1 million (A$1.94m) early stage fund into 14 tech startups, including five (36%) with female founders. The fund, launched in April 2021, following the establishment of its early stage incubator community in 2020, the attracted GD1 as its anchor investor… Read more »
As a founder who has successfully navigated the choppy waters of fundraising through the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the Covid-19 pandemic, I find myself facing yet another storm, this time, stirred by Trump’s recent trade policies. The current funding environment bears an uncanny resemblance to those past crises, and the implications for early-stage startups… Read more »
As I sat at the second ever Systemic Investing Summit in London in March, among 180 hand-picked global wealth holders and controllers, philanthropists, academics and industry practitioners, one disturbing image kept coming to mind. While we discussed innovative financing models and systemic approaches to capital deployment that could save humanity from collapse, I couldn’t shake… Read more »
SLIP, SLOP, SLAPDASH: Choice tested 20 SPF 50 sunscreens – and 80% failed 
Why the next wave of unicorns will be female-founded consumer brands rather than tech 
Leigh Jasper leads a new $50 million fund backed by Australian unicorn founders 
AI-powered healthcare transcription platform prescribed $12 million 
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