Investing Archives

Why Australia’s consumer economy is the billion‑dollar opportunity you can’t ignore

Tracey Warren & Bree Kirkham - August 20, 2025 4 MIN READ

Australia’s consumer economy is booming but investors are still looking the other way. While capital chases SaaS and tech, a new generation of brand-led, margin-rich, culturally relevant businesses are scaling fast with billions flowing through beauty, wellness, fashion, food, and lifestyle. This is not speculation. It’s already happening. From blockbuster exits like Zimmermann and MCo… Read more »

Funding

Longer holds, fewer exits: is Australian VC becoming more like private equity?

Bhavik Vashi - August 14, 2025 4 MIN READ

Australian venture capital has long rested on a familiar promise – that backing a portfolio of young startups today will deliver returns to investors within roughly a decade. But the regularity of that rhythm is changing, stretching out by up to 1.5x longer as macro shifts and dynamics reshape the path to liquidity. The IPO… Read more »

Investing

Melbourne’s innovation scene is very much alive and kicking – here’s why

Dickie Currer - August 6, 2025 4 MIN READ

A fortnight ago a staggering 870 industry leaders packed into Centrepiece at Melbourne Park for an annual gala hosted by LaunchVic, the State Government’s startup agency. With stakeholders from across industry, investment, university and ecosystem the room was a buzz with the sound of deals being done and of problems being solved. And it couldn’t… Read more »

Business

Brighter Super is tipping $50 million into startups via the state government’s Queensland Investment Commission

Simon Thomsen - July 30, 2025 2 MIN READ

Queensland-based superannuation fund Brighter Super will invest $50 million into local startups in a partnership with state government-backed investment manager QIC. The Brighter Super mandate will invest in startups expected to deliver strong investment returns, create jobs and have a positive impact on Queensland’s innovation landscape and economy. The project has already seen QIC back… Read more »

Advice

Why more founders need a personal wealth strategy

Rebecca Klodinsky - July 29, 2025 3 MIN READ

When I launched my first business in my twenties, I thought success meant sales, scale, and building a brand with cut-through. And to some extent, it did. But it took me a little longer to realise that real success – the kind that sustains you beyond your startup – also means financial independence. Not just… Read more »

Business strategy

Winning without a safety net: How I bootstrapped and grew without VC

Michael Ripia - July 24, 2025 3 MIN READ

Most people think if you’re not backed by venture capital, you’re not playing in the big leagues. That you’re hustling in the shadows, scraping by until some investor finally gives you permission to scale. But for people like me, who started with no handouts, no blueprints, and no pitch deck, the game has always looked… Read more »

Beauty and fashion

The VC market-fit problem no one is talking about

Tracey Warren & Bree Kirkham - July 23, 2025 4 MIN READ

The majority of women entrepreneurs aren’t building software – they’re quietly launching and scaling the breakout consumer brands that will define the next decade, without a cent of venture capital (VC). According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2022/23 Report: Less than 3% of women globally are building in ICT/tech sectors. Nearly 50% of women… Read more »

Advice

If you think the way the NSW government is treating Sydney startups badly, wait until you get to Melbourne

Garry Williams - July 15, 2025 2 MIN READ

While Sydney as a tech ecosystem bemoans the looming ‘relocation’ of their Sydney Startup Hub, we here in Melbourne, even as a ‘4th Most Liveable City in the world’ aren’t even currently a good place to build a tech company, period. We don’t have a ‘home’ for startups. We don’t have a thriving scene. We… Read more »

Funding

Why crowdfunding is an important part of Australia’s capital mix

Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano - July 7, 2025 4 MIN READ

It’s often those most entrenched in existing systems (and have benefitted from them) that disparage and deny the usefulness of novel forms of doing, well, anything. While business financing isn’t the only area where this happens, it might be the sector in which this attitude is most harmful, in terms of holding back innovation in… Read more »

Fintech

6 red flags that say a ‘finfluencer’ is more flash than cash

Dimitrios Salampasis - July 4, 2025 3 MIN READ

Images of flashy sports cars. Lavish lifestyle shots. These are just some of the red flags consumers should watch out for when they turn to social media for financial advice. Consumers should not believe everything they see on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube from the growing numbers of “finfluencers” – content creators who build their audience… Read more »

Accelerator

Applications for WA’s Nature Tech Accelerator for biodiversity startups are open

Lana Hallowes - July 1, 2025 2 MIN READ

Founders Factory, the global startup accelerator and early-stage investor, has opened applications for their next WA Nature Tech Accelerator. The WA accelerator is a unique opportunity for founders in the nature tech space. It offers both capital support along with a four-month program. It’s been designed for founders developing and advancing new biodiversity and the… Read more »

Business

Investing in Australian startups gives investors the best bang for their bucks

Simon Thomsen - June 30, 2025 3 MIN READ

Australia has one of the world’s most capital-efficient startup ecosystems analysis of the local venture investment market reveals, creating bigger and better tech companies for fewer dollars. The Australia Venture & Startup Report 2025, from Sydney VC Side Stage Ventures in collaboration with Dealroom and AWS, set out to benchmark the performance of local venture… Read more »

Cryptocurrency

If you’re thinking of trading in Bitcoin, here’s what you need to know about crypto tax liabilities

Christina Allen & Richard Krever - June 30, 2025 4 MIN READ

Bitcoin is ubiquitous. It is impossible to open a social media stream or news source without encountering yet another mention of the topic. Many Australians have invested, hoping for a good return. But they may not have considered the tax consequences of their investments. So some might be in for an unexpected surprise. The tax… Read more »

Business

Why the next wave of unicorns will be female-founded consumer brands rather than tech

Tracey Warren & Bree Kirkham - June 12, 2025 3 MIN READ

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 »

Advice

How to tell if your startup idea is attractive to VC investors

Leila Oliveira - June 11, 2025 5 MIN READ

“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 »