Startupbootcamp is expanding its Australian presence, launching a fintech accelerator program in Melbourne. To kick off from Melbourne coworking community YBF in June, the program’s theme is financial health and wellbeing, with a focus on the intersection between open banking, insurance, superannuation, wealth management, and the consumer data right. It will run with support from… Read more »
Sydney startup VAPAR, whose artificial intelligence technology is helping councils and utilities providers manage their stormwater and sewerage assets, has received a $25,000 MVP Grant from Jobs for NSW. Founded by Amanda Siqueira, a civil engineer, and Michelle Aguilar, a mechatronic engineer, the business was born out of Siqueira during an internship having to manually… Read more »
Sydney startup Baraja has closed out a US$32 million (almost $45 million) Series A funding round, raising funding from Sequoia China, Blackbird Ventures, and Main Sequence Ventures. Founded in 2015 by Federico Collarte, CEO, and Cibby Pulikkaseril, CTO, to solve the problems faced by existing LiDAR (light detection and ranging) systems used to give autonomous… Read more »
By Lizzie Rogers Researchers from the University of Adelaide have conducted a study further demonstrating the validity of an app that can detect depression. The THINC-integrated tool (THINC-it) is an app co-designed by researchers from the University of Adelaide’s Discipline of Psychiatry which measures cognitive deficits associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). A new study… Read more »
Sydney artificial intelligence startup Unleash Live has raised $4.75 million in funding from investors including Amaysim cofounders Peter O’Connell and Rolf Hansen, Smarter Capital, and New York firm Revel Partners. Unleash Live’s platform ingests live video and imagery from the likes of drones, internet protocol [IP] cameras, and other IoT devices, and applies AI analytics… Read more »
By Andrew Spence South Australian company ecoJet Engineering has developed a lightweight, portable 20kW micro gas turbine with funds from the Royal Australian Air Force and the South Australian Government. The project aims to replace diesel generators typically used to provide electricity to units in the field. The prototype unit is only about 10 per… Read more »
Melbourne online design marketplace 99designs will reach US$250 million ($340 million) in earnings paid out to designers at the end of the month, with US$50 million ($69 million) paid out in the last year alone. The platform launched in 2008 with the design contest at the core of its model, allowing clients to put a… Read more »
David Koch is searching for six bricks and mortar retailers to transform into global ecommerce powerhouses through Bricks and Clicks, an education program designed to close the digital knowledge gap. The progress of the businesses will be showcased in the Bricks and Clicks television documentary series, to air on Channel 7. According to Koch, whose… Read more »
Brisbane company RedEye has raised $10.4 million in a Series B round led by American fund Energy Innovation Capital (EIC), with participation from investors including the Queensland Government’s Business Development Fund. The funding will be put towards growing the business further internationally: RedEye has a team of 70 across Brisbane, Manila, and Las Vegas, where… Read more »
Money transfer service TransferWise has launched TransferWise for Business in Australia, allowing businesses to create a centralised account from which they can send and receive funds in 45 currencies. Originally launched in the UK in 2016, the new iteration of TransferWise for Business has seen the company open access to its API, free for businesses… Read more »
By Lizzie Rogers South Australian entrepreneurs Lewis Dunnigan and Benjamin Morton have invented a compost device that will turn organic waste into fertilizer within a matter of hours. Their prototype, called VitaChar, won first prize at the University of Adelaide’s 2018 Australian eChallenge awards last week for most outstanding entrepreneurial venture of the year. The… Read more »
Freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace Freelancer has acquired Channel 40, an online marketplace connecting freight owners with transport operators, and in turn launched Freightlancer.com. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, however were a combination of cash and stock in Freightlancer Holdings. Freightlancer.com is a global marketplace for freight, shipping, and transportation, powering everything from… Read more »
By Benito Carbone Designed by the Australian arm of global company Saab, Augmented Relief is a collaboration with the University of South Australia to explore sophisticated medical technologies in disaster zones. A global defence company’s latest collaboration is using the Microsoft HoloLens platform and augmented reality to help civilians understand the role of field hospitals… Read more »
Valeria Ignatieva is cofounder of WORK180, a company which looks to connect women with roles at organisations that have a focus on gender equality. The startup has created a jobs board that filters listings to accept only those that have policies or programs in place to support women, with WORK180 clients going through a screening… Read more »
The government is set to make changes to legislation covering employee share schemes, proposing to double the current limit to allow companies to offer employees up to $10,000 each year. As it currently stands, unlisted companies are able to offer employees $5,000 in eligible financial products in a 12 month period. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said… Read more »
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