The National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) has invested $20 million in neuroscience startup Omniscient Neurotechnology as part of an ongoing $36 million Series D. NRF is co-leading the round with OIF Ventures, taking a preferred equity stake. Omniscient, founded in 2019, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to decode the complexity of the human brain by mapping an… Read more »
We may only be a couple of weeks into January, but the Australian startup funding tap is already starting to trickle. This week saw $39.8 million raised across startups in deceased estate management and fitness spaces, as well as neuroscience. EstateXchange: $12.5 million EstateXchange co-founders Marielle Yeoh and Sarah Poole. Source: Supplied. A startup addressing… Read more »
Touch Ventures (ASX: TVL), which invested more than $36 million into Sendle over several years, wrote down the value of its stake to nil in the weeks before the logistics startup’s abrupt closure. The downgrade, revealed publicly on Wednesday, sheds light on how one of Sendle’s major financial backers responded to worrying claims about its… Read more »
Woolworths has announced a partnership with Google to incorporate agentic artificial intelligence into its “Olive” chatbot, starting in Australia later this year. Until now, Olive has largely answered questions, resolved problems and directed shoppers to information. Soon, Olive will be able to do more: planning meals, interpreting handwritten recipes, applying loyalty discounts and placing suggested… Read more »
SXSW Sydney will not return in 2026, bringing an end to the Australian edition of the global South by Southwest festival after a three-year run. In a statement released on Wednesday, organisers said the decision reflected a “changing global environment” impacting major events and cultural programs worldwide. SXSW Sydney said it worked closely with the… Read more »
From smart Lego bricks to robots big and small. Annual technology showcase CES (formerly Consumer Electronics Show) returned to Las Vegas this week, highlighting some of the most interesting new consumer products coming in 2026, and beyond. While the event showed yet again that generative AI continues to be integrated into everything from fridges to… Read more »
AI is reshaping Australia’s job market, with tech roles dominating LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise list for 2026. “AI Engineer” tops the chart, cementing AI not just as a workplace tool but as a core field of expertise – driving business growth and innovation. Entrepreneurship is also on the rise: “Founder” jumps to seventh place… Read more »
Long-term Sendle investor Federation Asset Management has confirmed that one of the two US partners in last August’s 3-way merger into Fast Group failed to disclose its true financial position at the time, leading to the sudden demise of the Australian scaleup and its parent company. Sendle announced suddenly over the weekend that it was… Read more »
The founder of ASX-listed accounting platform Xero is now Sir Rod Drury after being appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Sir Rod was knighted for his services to business, the technology industry and philanthropy in New Zealand’s New Year honours Drury founded Xero in 2006, taking it public in just a… Read more »
A software platform used by gyms and fitness studios globally to manage memberships has raised $7.25 million. The round for Hapana, founded in 2014, was led by veteran Sydney asset manager Microequities, with follow-on investment from OIF Ventures. OIF backed 2024’s $17 million raise alongside ASX-listed Bailador Technologies. Bailador (ASX: BTI) told shareholders in its investor update… Read more »
You arrive at the airport in plenty of time to check in. You reach the departure gate early. You board, walking down to your seat – and that’s when you discover the overhead lockers are already full. Too much carry-on baggage can significantly delay departures, as cabin crew try to squeeze everything in – or… Read more »
When the Victorian government announced plans to disband LaunchVic, and distribute some of its roles to other agencies, like Breakthrough Victoria, there’s a temptation to treat it as an administrative change: a reshuffle of functions, a rebadging of programs, a matter for insiders. That temptation is comforting – and profoundly wrong. I don’t want to… Read more »
A startup addressing the challenges of deceased estate management, cofounded by childhood friends, has banked $12.5 million in its first raise. Backing estateXchange are Macquarie Capital, OIF Ventures, and billionaire Paul Little’s family office, with busines execs Carol Schwartz and Pier 12 Capital chair Christine Christian, also on board as angel investors. The online platform digitises… Read more »
Alternative parcel delivery scaleup Sendle has halted operations just five months after it merged with two US delivery firms amid claims of financial irregularities. In a terse statement from the firm’s PR agency, the company said “Sendle has informed its customers that it is no longer taking any future bookings. We are not able to provide… Read more »
Australia’s eSafety commission has issued a please explain to Elon Musk’s social media site, X, and his generative AI chatbot Grok following complaints about it making sexual images of women and children. The federal government body said there had been a small number of complaints about Grok being used to generate sexualised or exploitative imagery.… Read more »
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