popcorn
Business

A US Stripe investor launched an extraordinary ‘Reds under the beds’ spray against Airwallex – and the fintech’s cofounders joined in on X to deny Chinese access to data

- December 3, 2025 4 MIN READ

Unless you’ve stayed on Elon Musk’s social media platform,  X – previously known as Twitter – you probably missed an extraordinary rant from US investor Keith Rabois claiming that “Airwallex has become a Chinese backdoor into sensitive American data like from AI labs and defense contractors”. The former PayPal exec – yes he’s part of… Read more »

Accelerator

Specialist venture studio Paperbacked is helping edtech founders get top marks for building

- December 3, 2025 2 MIN READ

Paperbacked, a specialist venture studio for education founders, has launched to tackle a persistent gap in the Australian education sector: businesses that fall between under-resourced small operators and VC-backed scale-ups. Lindsey Dang, who built a seven-figure English iterature specialist tutoring business while completing dual law and arts degrees at Monash University (and is now on… Read more »

Bodd cofounders Dave McLaughlin and Rob Fisher.
Business

Body shape scanner Bodd fits up another $15 million

- December 3, 2025 2 MIN READ

3D body scanning platform Bodd has raised $15 million as it looks to expand globally. The round was led by US strategic investor Blue Sky Capital, supported by Ellerston Capital. Existing investors, including chairman Tim Allison, director Peter Leonard, Swans director John Gerahty and his family office Liangrove Group, commodities trader Ken Loughnan and fashion… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Here’s who benefits from the Australian government’s National AI Plan

- December 3, 2025 4 MIN READ

On Tuesday, the Albanese Labor government released the long-awaited National AI Plan, “a whole-of-government framework that ensures technology works for people, not the other way around”. With this plan, the government promises an inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) economy that protects workers, fills service gaps, and supports local AI development. In a major reversal, it also… Read more »

Accelerator

Team Techstars Sydney: Meet Sedso AI, which is optimising brand perception for business using AI

- December 2, 2025 4 MIN READ

Ahead of the TechStars Sydney ‘Demo the Future’ evening on December 8, Startup Daily is profiling the 12 startups and their founders in the 2025 cohort. Our next profile is Sedso AI – helping brands to shape their own story with AI. Sedso AI Founders: David Sta.Maria & Silven Epistola One-liner: Sedso is an AI visibility platform… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

The Australian government releases DIY National AI Plan, telling industry to figure it out for themselves on disclosure

- December 2, 2025 3 MIN READ

The Albanese government has unveiled Australia’s first National AI Plan, opting for voluntary transparency measures rather than mandatory rules on how businesses disclose their use of artificial intelligence. The 37-page plan sets out a broad roadmap for building what the government calls “an AI-enabled economy” while maintaining a “careful balance between innovation and protection from… Read more »

Business

Google cops $55 million fine for anti-competitive revenue deal with Optus and Telstra on search for Android phones

- December 2, 2025 2 MIN READ

Google Asia Pacific will pay $55 million in penalties for engaging in anti-competitive conduct over a deal it struck with Telstra and Optus to only pre-install Google Search on Android phones the telcos sold. The fine was ratified by the Federal Court today, following legal action from the competition watchdog the ACCC. The search giant… Read more »

leigh jasper
Business

Victorian startup legend Leigh Jasper headlines the 2026 Growth Summit Melbourne

- December 2, 2025 2 MIN READ

Leigh Jasper, the serial founder who built construction software platform Aconex into one of Australia’s first tech unicorns, will deliver the keynote opening address at the Growth Summit in Melbourne in February 2026. Presented by SmartCompany and Startup Daily, in partnership with Xero, the Growth Summit is Australia’s premier event for ambitious startup and SME founders and leaders.… Read more »

ASX

Cochlear-backed Epiminder hits the ASX – and plunges

- December 2, 2025 2 MIN READ

As omens go, epilepsy medtech Epiminder’s ASX debut on Monday, perhaps the stock exchange’s outage to start December wasn’t the best of signs. A technical glitch meant price-sensitive announcements couldn’t be published for several hours and 50 ASX-listed companies were forced into trading halts. Epiminder’s (ASX: EPI) initial public offering (IPO) at $1.50 per share… Read more »

Accelerator

Startmate CEO Michael Batko calls time after 8 years, Phoebe Pincus takes the helm

- December 2, 2025 3 MIN READ

Startmate CEO Michael Batko has stepped as CEO after eight years of leading the startup accelerator and investor, effective immediately. Taking over is chief operating officer Phoebe Pincus, who’s been with the Blackbird-backed organisation for four years. Batko, who was also a startup founder on the side, most recently exiting his side hustle, Startup Striders, last month,… Read more »

Business

Just days after Blackbird slashed its valuation by nearly a quarter, Culture Amp reveals it lost another $37 million last financial year

- December 1, 2025 2 MIN READ

Melbourne workplace software unicorn Culture Amp posted losses totalling A$91.5 million (US$60m) in the last two financial years, including a $37 million (US$24.4m) loss in FY 2025. That loss and the current financial position of the 16-year-old tech scaleup were revealed in filings to the corporate regulator, ASIC, on Friday. On the upside, that’s a… Read more »

Climate Tech

WA livestock methane startup Freemantle Seaweed raises $2.2 million in crowdfunded Seed round

- December 1, 2025 2 MIN READ

Another startup looking to deal with cattle methane emissions using seaweed has raised $2.176 million in Seed funding. The round for Fremantle Seaweed, at an $11 million pre-money valuation, comes a week after seven-year-old Sea Forest (ASX:SEA) listed on the ASX. The Tasmanian startup raised $20.5 million at $2 per share for a $112m market… Read more »

ALIAVIA Ventures founder Marisa Warren (centre) with Neighbourlytics cofounders Jessica Christiansen-Franks and Lucinda Hartley
ASX

Women-founded lifestyle data platform Neighbourlytics finds a home with REA

- November 28, 2025 2 MIN READ

Neighbourlytics, which unpacks behavioural insights on how people use their ‘hood, has been acquired by ASX-listed REA Group. The Melbourne analytics platform, founded in 2017 by Jessica Christiansen-Franks and Lucinda Hartley, it offers real-time lifestyle and mobility data, including foot traffic, visitor trends, lifestyle personas, top destinations and accessibility to paint an informed picture of… Read more »