The Victorian government is investing $75 million across five specialist venture capital firms. The funding, via Breakthrough Victoria, will go to VCs backing climate-tech, life sciences, and female founders, as well as a cornerstone investment in an unnamed US specialist healthcare fund manager as they launch their first Australian fund. All five have committed to… Read more »
After a decade of work, the federal government has committed to finalising formal road rules, regulations, and technical and cybersecurity standards for self-driving cars by 2027, even as autonomous vehicles are already on Australian roads. The new National Road Transport Technology Strategy (NRTTS), including the 2024-27 National Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) Action Plan nationwide framework, replaces National Land… Read more »
It has been relatively quiet on the startup funding front this week: we’ve counted only two local startups with fresh capital raises. But Australian talents are still shining abroad, with one founder raising tens of millions of dollars for a new tool empowering sales teams. Keep reading to learn more about 2cloudnine and SeaStock, which… Read more »
“You treat us like a pack of galahs. [That’s a kind of parrot.] Just because I don’t wear a tie or spend all day buried in a manual doesn’t mean I’m a drongo. [That’s a hopeless …]” What’s your favourite line from the movie ‘The Dish’? Created and written by Rob Sitch, Jane Kennedy, Tom… Read more »
You wake up after a night out. Your head’s pounding and a wave of unease hits before you’ve even looked at your phone. Restlessness, self-doubt and flashes of regret creep in as last night’s conversations start to replay. “Hangxiety” is not a clinical term but the anxious, uneasy feeling that follows drinking is widely recognised.… Read more »
Supermarket groceries bought on delivery apps such DoorDash, UberEats and MilkRun will cost you around 12% more than if you’d bought them in-store, analysis by consumer group Choice has found. Add the delivery fee and the premium on a basket of 13 everyday items , from Woolworths, Aldi, and Coles, worth around $45 is between… Read more »
When growth slows, every founder feels it. The pressure for bigger. The instinct that says, “We need new products.” So you react quickly, and it feels like progress. Yet often those fresh new products are good, but not great. And there’s a good chance that you might not be able to be the best at… Read more »
OpenAI is steadily embedding itself in the Australian government, with the US tech giant winning its second contract without any competition as the public sector is encouraged to embrace public generative AI tools. The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) last week issued new guidance recommending agencies and departments be encouraged to use public generative AI tools… Read more »
If you ever needed a sign that indie games are becoming the focus Australia’s largest gaming expo, PAX Australia, look no further than Melbourne’s Cult of the Lamb. In years past, Massive Monster’s unique rogue-like occupied a small stall as part of the PAX Rising indie game section of the exhibition. Last year, the game… Read more »
After facing a major health scare, Sydney grandparents Ken and Adelle Alexander could have focussed on their own physical and mental wellbeing through retirement. Instead, that difficult experience inspired the couple to give back to their community — in the form of a new smartphone app. “We couldn’t really do it financially, because we’re both… Read more »
The world’s largest cloud computing platform, Amazon Web Services (AWS), experienced a major outage that has impacted thousands of organisations, including banks, financial software platforms such as Xero, and social media platforms such as Snapchat. The outage began at roughly 6pm AEDT on Monday. It was caused by a malfunction at one of AWS’ data… Read more »
The CEO of industry lobby group the Tech Council of Australia, Damian Kassabgi, is tossing in his job after less than two years in the role to focus on his young family, based in Northern NSW. Kassagbi, a former Afterpay, Google and Uber executive who took over from inaugural CEO Kate Pounder, now at OpenAI,… Read more »
ANZ has shut down another startup backed by 1835i, the bank’s former VC fund, which it also terminated earlier this month, DataCo Technologies, developed inside the 1835i Creation Lab, helped businesses collaborate safely on customer data sharing. Its closure follows the shutdown of fintech Cashrewards last month, despite a $100 million investment and the sale of… Read more »
As I scan the headlines, I’m struck by a familiar refrain: large employers demanding a mass return to the office, cutting back hybrid flexibility, and reasserting FaceTime as a key indicator of productivity. Yet, as someone leading a fully-remote, globally-distributed team, I believe many are overlooking what remote work can truly unlock when done right.… Read more »
Melbourne data security engineering platform Redactive AI has been acquired by pan-Pacific data management firm RecordPoint. The startup, cofounded by ex-Atlassians Andrew Pankevicius and Alexander Valente, plus AI Engineer Lucas Sargent, exits after just two years in business. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Their goal was to tackle the missing AI engineering… Read more »
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