A startup turning looking good into a membership has raised A$1.25 million in a push to rethink how we use beauty treatment services. The round for aglow was led by Kiwi VC Icehouse Ventures via Brand Fund, a joint venture with NZ brand development firm Previously Unavailable, with support from Ryan Baker, founder of beauty-tech… Read more »
The minister for government services, Bill Shorten, will unveil a new initiative that would allow people to have more control over the personal information they share. The scheme, called the Trust Exchange (TEx), would allow people to verify their identities and credentials based on official information already held by the federal government. The plan is… Read more »
Funding from the federal government’s new $392 million Industry Growth Program (IGP) has begun to flow, with $7.4 million in grants awarded to give startups spanning biotech, robotics, renewable energy, cybersecurity and medtech. IGP was announced in the 2023 federal budget, replacing the former Entrepreneurs Program, which had the same level of funding, but was… Read more »
A Sydney software platform managing memberships for the world’s leader fitness brands has raised $17.3 million in a Series A from OIF Ventures and Bailador. Hapana’s platform, a white label CRM solution for membership payments, retention and loyalty, is used by fitness brands such as BFT, KX Pilates, UFC Gym and F45 across 17 countries.… Read more »
Brisbane-based electric vehicle charger manufacture Tritium will live, but under new Indian owners. New Delhi-based EV charger manufacturer Exicom has scored a bargain, snapping up the rival business, at one stage worth $2 billion before it was handed to administrators in April, for $45 million (US$30m). The acquisition will save around 300 Australian jobs, but will… Read more »
Ten startups tackling emissions challenges ranging from industrial heat to passive cooling solutions, energy storage and electric aviation, having been selected for EnergyLab’s 2024 climate solutions accelerator. EnergyLab is ANZ’s largest climate tech startup accelerator and innovation network dedicated to reaching net zero emissions and has supported more than 180 startups and 125 aspiring founders… Read more »
The federal government says it will “reset” the Consumer Data Right (CDR) after three years to improve its uptake and make it cheaper to access. Assistant treasurer Stephen Jones is going back to the drawing board, opening a month-long consultation process, with Treasury releasing a paper on proposed changes to the consent and operational rules… Read more »
Victorian startups will have eight new early-stage venture capital (VC) funds to hit up for cash, seeded with $300,000 each from LaunchVic. All up, $2.4 million in grants will go to the VCs, including some from Sydney, to open shop in Victoria. They are: Australian Medical Angels, Ecotone Partners, Era VC, Flying Fox Ventures, Mandalay… Read more »
Crowdfunding platform Birchal has launched an angel network platform, with backing from LaunchVic. Birchal First is designed to connect angel investors with early-stage Victorian startups in the hardware technology space, investing from pre-seed to Series A. The roll out has been underpinned by a $300,000 grant from LaunchVic and is the 10th angel network the… Read more »
Breakthrough Victoria CEO Grant Dooley has pulled the pin, less than three years into the role, as the $2 billion tech innovation and commercialisation fund sustains continued political pressure and community criticism. In a statement announcing his departure, the fund said Dooley “intends to spend more time with his family before looking for a new… Read more »
Cauldron, the path-finding fermentation biomanufacturer from regional NSW, has appointed David Weiner as Chief Technology Officer as the startup looks to ramp up production globally. Weiner will run the technology R&D pipeline for Cauldron at it looks towards international expansion. He was previously VP and head of R&D at Solugen, where he helped develop the… Read more »
Automated facial recognition is becoming widespread in Australia. The technology has already been used by retail outlets, sport stadiums and casinos around the country. And in November, the Australian government’s digital identification system will be expanded, after new laws passed parliament earlier in the year. As the technology becomes less expensive and more powerful, it… Read more »
A startup developing cheaper, copper-based solar panels, and backed by Australian tech royalty, has shed jobs and changed its executive leadership as part of a major restructure of the business SunDrive’s investors include Atlassian founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, VCs Blackbird and Main Sequence, the federal government-backed Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Clean Energy Finance Corporation,… Read more »
Google has created an illegal monopoly in the search engine industry by violating US antitrust law and spending billions on contracts to be the default search provider on most devices in the US, a judge has ruled. The case, which could have major implications for Google’s parent company Alphabet and other tech giants, also marks… Read more »
Buoyed by the sale of its stake in Employment Hero late last year and with more exits on the horizon, pioneering Sydney VC fund OneVentures says it will return around $100 million more to investors over the next eight months as it looks to raise a new $200 million fund. OneVentures founding partner Dr Michelle… Read more »
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