Future of work education startup HEX has acquired Sydney edtech, EntryLevel, to build out its skills training offering. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. EntryLevel, founded in 2020, has developed an AI-powered, cohort-based learning management systems offering online courses in areas such as data analytics, cybersecurity, UX design, Python and growth marketing. More… Read more »
Former Square Peg senior investment associate Casey Flint has made the switch to the tech side, joining AWS where she’ll focus on AI. Flint has spend the last few years exploring and unpacking artificial intelligence (AI), explaining her findings and thinking in the excellent series Artificially Intelligent. After four years at the VC, the decision… Read more »
You could call it slow TV. For the last 8 days, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney have been live streaming an Indonesian lily famed as the largest and stinkiest flower-spike in the world. They’ve been taking temperature checks – much like you’d do to check for ovulation – to see when it Amorphophallus titanum would… Read more »
Bunnings may be a goldmine for Wesfarmers, but ecommerce site Catch has been a millstone since the ASX-listed retail conglomerate bought the tech startup for $230 million in 2019. Today, Wesfarmers announced it will shut down Catch at the end of April, blaming increased competition in Australian ecommerce. They expect Catch to post a loss… Read more »
A startup that accredits and verifies workers and volunteers in care, sport and community roles has signed a five-year deal with Tennis Australia as part of the Australian Open. Oho is one of five Australian startups among 12 for the annual AO Startups program, which runs during the grand slam tournament, integrating into the event.… Read more »
Investors keen to climb about the success of ecommerce unicorn Rokt have shelled out US$335 million (A$510m) to acquire existing shares as the business gears up for an IPO in 2026. The sales values the privately owned New York-based Australian-founded scaleup at US$3.5 billion (A$5.6bn), up from $US2.4 billion (A$3.5bn) in late 2022 when $750… Read more »
A medtech startup developing the world’s first arthroscopic (joints) surgical robot has raised $5 million in a Series A to crack the US market. Convergence Medical was backed by US investor Avicella Capital, at a valuation above $30 million. The funds will support plans to commercialise the robot, expand into the US to grab a… Read more »
Telecommunications giant Telstra plans to spend $700 million – $100m annually – over the next seven years to ramp up its data and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in a joint venture with its long-time partner Accenture. The US consultancy firm is already pouring $3 billion into its own AI capabilities and will own 60% of… Read more »
Sydney cultivated meat startup Vow, creator of the “woolly mammoth meatball“, has been forced to slash staffing by nearly a third, with 25 jobs being made redundant as it seeks a new round of investment. Vow has been developing lab-grown cell-based animal products being served in high-end restaurants in Asia. It is still awaiting regulatory approval… Read more »
Last week billionaire Elon Musk got a bit upset when an Australian journalist wrote a 2025 predictions column saying the US-based immigrant will resign as Tesla boss. “After constant controversies and distractions, it will all come to a head in 2025, and Musk will be forced to hand over the reins at Tesla, a company… Read more »
A who’s who of Australian investors have backed a new sports VC fund by Tennis Australia’s AO Ventures, committing around $49 million to its first close. They include Mark Nelson from Caledonia, Tanarra’s John Wylie, Melbourne-based businessman Mark Healey, Ashok Jacob from Ellerston Capital and Robyn and Victoria Denholm’s family office, Wollemi Capital Group. International… Read more »
The federal government will make another $3 billion equity investment into the National Broadband Network (NBN) to national fibre-to-the node (FTTN) network as Labor and the Coalition begin campaigning ahead of an election due by May. NBN Co will contribute more than $800 million to the plan to upgrade around 622,000 homes and businesses nationally… Read more »
Small business HR and payroll platform Employment Hero has spent $112 million acquiring a Canadian rival as part of ambitions to expand into the North American market. The scaleup’s founder and chief economist, Ben Thompson said Canada has been in our expansion plans since their Series A, eight years ago “Humi is Canada’s leading employment… Read more »
Entrepreneur, mother and billionaire Melanie Perkins has been taking stock of her working life and goals for the year ahead, admitting that she got it wrong when she “used to work seven days a week, barely pausing to breathe, thinking it was the only way to succeed”. Perkins revealed the lessons she’d learned to maintain… Read more »
Troubled Victorian medical device startup Seer Medical has been placed in voluntary administration amid a product recall and legal battle with its ousted cofounder. Lindsay Bainbridge and Andrew Yeo from Pitcher Partners Melbourne were appointed administrators on January 6 following a pre-Christmas board meeting where the medtech’s directors voted to hand over the books. Pitcher… Read more »
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