In a pointed speech, ASIC boss Joe Longo told bankers their AI ambitions will fly only if they tangibly help customers—and warned startups selling into finance that the regulator won’t hesitate to act if algorithms cause harm.
Prompting is overtaking coding as the essential digital literacy. CQUniversity’s Prof. Ken Purnell explains why learning to frame precise, creative prompts will let Australians steer AI—and their careers—rather than be steered by it.
An Irish-Australian teenager’s second startup in just 12 months has raised US$1.4 million (A$2.15m) in pre-Seed funding during a holiday Down Under to visit his grandparents. Liam Fuller, now 18, wasn’t old enough to drink beer when secured the raise for QuickFind AI, an agentic AI ordering system for retail procurement, after cold-calling local VCs.… Read more »
Ovum, a Melbourne‑based femtech start‑up, has begun six‑month clinical trials at Sydney’s Royal Hospital for Women and St George Hospital. Researchers will test whether the AI‑powered health journal can raise preventive‑care participation and give women more control over their health data. Early results are expected in 2026.
AI-augmented longevity startup Everlab has raised $15 million (US$10m) for its preventative care platform. The round was led by New York and London-based VC Left Lane Capital, with support from existing investor AfterWork Ventures. The cash will be used on international expansion, further development of the platform, and integrated products. Everlab previously raised $3 million… Read more »
A researcher has found Google’s Gemini for Workspace can be tooled to serve up phishing messages under the guise of AI-generated email summaries. Tech giant Google last year added the ability for its AI model Gemini to produce dot point summaries of email threads in Gmail, and later enabled the feature by default for Google Workspace users.… Read more »
I recently found myself in the company of some remarkable startup founders, each one brimming with bold ideas, big dreams, and the kind of relentless drive that keeps the entrepreneurial spirit alive. Listening to their stories, the highs and lows, the wins and roadblocks, was inspiring. Whether just starting out or deep into their journey,… Read more »
Matt Vitale, cofounder of equity crowdfunding platform Birchal, has returned to startup life after a six-month recharge with a new venture, using AI in regulated sectors. New Dialogue is an enterprise AI platform for organisations to deploy open-source large language models (LLMs) in secure environments. Vitale and founder Tod Pedler have spun out New Dialogue… Read more »
“And do you work well with AI?” As tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems become part of everyday workflows, more companies are looking for employees who can answer “yes” to this question. In other words, people who can prompt effectively, think with AI, and use it to boost productivity.… Read more »
Sydney startup Brainfish has banked another $9.8 million (US$6.4 million) in a pre-Series A to ramp up its US focus. The round was led by European VC Prosus Ventures, with support from existing backers, including Peak XV’s Surge and Macdoch Ventures. The AI software platform previously raised $3.85 million in May 2024, and has now… Read more »
Sydney artificial intelligence (AI) and data insights fintech MogoPlus has raised $1.5 million from existing UK investor New Model Venture Capital Group. The funding will be used to expand the scale-up’s existing AI-based credit insights portfolio and help it expand into other emerging open data markets and verticals globally. MogoPlus provides vertical agentic AI solutions… Read more »
Black Pearl Group founder Nick Lissette had an idea for a AI-driven sales agent for small business about five months ago. It took 90 days to develop and launch Bebop, the latest product from his New Zealand listed tech company, and within 45 days, it hit $1.2 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). Black Pearl’s… Read more »
If, like this writer, you’ve had time on your hands, felt mischievous and decided to take on scammers with a meandering conversation to slow them down, you’re going to love what a Sydney startup is doing with Australia’s biggest bank. Sydney cyber-intelligence startup Apate.ai has teamed up with the CommBank to create AI-powered “victim bots”… Read more »
Some say it’s em dashes, dodgy apostrophes, or too many emoji. Others suggest that maybe the word “delve” is a chatbot’s calling card. It’s no longer the sight of morphed bodies or too many fingers, but it might be something just a little off in the background. Or video content that feels a little too… Read more »
Advisory firm Meliora founded by former media executive Clive Dickens, has moved into venture capital, backing three AI startups in Australia in a partnership with student-focused fund. NextGen Ventures. Meliora Ventures, the company’s investment arm, has deployed around $1.5 million in total, including for two European generative AI startups with a business focus, Dublin’s Quickfind… Read more »
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