Advice Archives

Expat Australian founder Ned Dwyer on how to raise in Silicon Valley – having just bagged a $20 million Series A

David Adams - November 13, 2025 3 MIN READ

Australian entrepreneur Ned Dwyer has reason to celebrate, after Great Question, the San Francisco-based startup he co-founded in 2020, raised $20 million (US$13 million) in venture capital investment. And the Series A round has also prompted Dwyer to reflect on his experiences as an expat in Silicon Valley, and what has changed since for fellow… Read more »

Events

Why Cicada Innovations is the $8 billion deep tech pioneer of Australian innovation

Simon Thomsen - November 12, 2025 2 MIN READ

As ROI goes for investing in deep tech, Sydney deep tech innovator Cicada Innovations has delivered in spades over the past 25 years. The organisation celebrated its 25th anniversary this week, estimating that its role in Australia’s economic growth tops $8 billion, including $6.5 billion in capital raised, high-skill jobs creation, and broader innovation innovation… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Two new books argue AI is an existential threat to human control

MIchael Noetel - November 12, 2025 9 MIN READ

For 16 hours last July, Elon Musk’s company lost control of its multi-million-dollar chatbot, Grok. “Maximally truth seeking” Grok was praising Hitler, denying the Holocaust and posting sexually explicit content. An xAI engineer had left Grok with an old set of instructions, never meant for public use. They were prompts telling Grok to “not shy… Read more »

Diversity

The federal government finally responds to Pathway to Diversity in STEM review

Simon Thomsen - November 11, 2025 2 MIN READ

The Albanese government has finally responded officially to the Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review handed to them 19 months ago, although the review’s chair, still sees major gaps, despite a pledge to adopt all 11 recommendations. It also comes 8 months after the former minister Ed Husic said in March, ahead of the election,… Read more »

Business

Forget the best coffee: tech is the real rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne

Megan Luttrell - November 11, 2025 3 MIN READ

“Has Melbourne lost its spark”? In the tech world, the debate between Sydney and Melbourne often mirrors the more light-hearted rivalry about which city serves the best coffee. But when it comes to tech ecosystems, the stakes are much higher. The perception that a startup scene is “dead” can be deflating for early-stage founders. Of… Read more »

Business strategy

‘There’s no such thing as the right investor’: Goterra’s Olympia Yarger on why she turned to crowdfunding for her new raise

Olympia Yarger - November 11, 2025 3 MIN READ

The hardest lesson I’ve learned about raising capital is that there’s no such thing as the right investor — only the right capital stack. Every time we started raising for Goterra’s next phase, the advice was the same: find your lead investor, fill the round, move fast. That playbook hasn’t changed much, even as the… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

How AI is reducing risk for early-stage investors

Casey Midgley - November 10, 2025 3 MIN READ

Startups are raising capital later. Often with more traction. All of which is lowering the risk to investors, thanks to AI-enabled product development. Welcome to the shifting Australian startup ecosystem. Investments in AI have dominated the headlines of late. Globally record sums are being poured into the space, with forecasts suggesting AI could add $600 billion to… Read more »

Business

Tech roles in Australia are falling, putting the Tech Council’s 1.2 million jobs plan in doubt

Tom Williams - November 9, 2025 3 MIN READ

Australia is “not on track” to meet the federal government’s goal of 1.2 million technology‑related jobs by 2030, according to new economic data from its Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR). The target, which was set by industry lobby group Tech Council of Australia and adopted by the federal government in 2022, would no longer… Read more »

Leadership

Startup 360: The joy of giving: lessons in philanthropy from Pledge 1%’s Antonia Ruffell

Simon Thomsen - November 7, 2025 2 MIN READ

Startup 360 cohost Simon Thomsen is flying solo this week, taking a deep dive into philanthropy with Antonia Ruffell, CEO of StartGiving, and the Australian MD of global tech charity initiative Pledge 1%. Technology is transforming the art of giving – with companies such as Atlassian, Canva and now Airtree cofounder Daniel Petre, founder of… Read more »

After Hours

If your manager’s grumpy in the mornings, here’s a possible reason why

Stefan Volk - November 7, 2025 3 MIN READ

You arrive at work, coffee in hand, ready to tackle the day. But your manager seems off, curt in meetings, impatient with questions, and unusually sharp in tone. Before chalking it up to personality, consider this: they might just be sleep-deprived. Research in organisational behaviour and sleep science suggests that a leader’s sleep quality can… Read more »

Business strategy

Beyond Silicon Valley: Why US founders are looking Down Under for investment

Georgina Turner - November 4, 2025 3 MIN READ

For decades, Silicon Valley has been the default destination for ambitious founders. It is still the centre of gravity for venture capital – but that monopoly is quietly eroding. A growing number of global founders, particularly from the US, are now looking beyond the Valley for their next funding partner. And increasingly, that includes Australia.… Read more »

Marketing, snake oil, sales, PR, classic, pitch, spruik

Business strategy

Everything you need to know – and do – to make your startup pitch a winner

Benjamin Chong - November 3, 2025 11 MIN READ

The Founder Institute and Ben Chong, partner at Right Click Capital, take you through how to nail your startup pitch. tl;dr Pitch Deck Templates Don’t have time to read the guide? You can access our Pitch Templates quickly below. One‑Sentence Pitch Template | Elevator Pitch Template | One‑Minute Pitch Template | Long Angel/VC Template Introduction… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Paperform launches an AI-native workflow builder to automate small business

Startup Daily - November 3, 2025 2 MIN READ

Form-building startup Paperform has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) platform, called Stepper, to help small businesspeople automate workflows. Paperform, which founders Dean and Diony McPherson bootstrapped for the past decade, now has more than 23,000 subscription users globally. Stepper is the next logical step: automation for business people to scale without adding complexity or cost, Dean,… Read more »

ASX

ASX-listed Scalare Partners launches AI-powered services solution platform, The Founders Union

Simon Thomsen - November 3, 2025 2 MIN READ

ASX-listed tech investment & advisory firm Scalare Partners has launched an AI-powered startup services platform, called The Founders Union. The AI-enabled matching engine offers founders with curated access to organisations providing education, community, services, perks, and investment options, based on a startup’s growth stage and needs, taking into account issues such as budget and availability,… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Generative AI is freaking out Australian tech execs, who say they’re not ready to deal with its risks

David Braue - November 2, 2025 3 MIN READ

Australian technology leaders are losing sleep over increasing regulatory complexity, growing damage from ransomware, and the challenges of near-ubiquitous artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes, a new survey by cybersecurity body ISACA has found. Generative AI (genAI) and large language models will drive the agenda in 2026, with 64% of Oceania respondents to ISACA’s 2026 Tech… Read more »