A Melbourne startup described as the Canva of 3D presentations has raised another $13 million as it becomes part of $6000 Apple headset. The state government’s $2 billion venture fund, Breakthrough Victoria, led the round for Jigspace, tipping in $4.4 million, joined by existing investors including Rampersand, Investible, Vulpes and angel investor Hugh Bickerstaff. The… Read more »
Photos of Australian children have been used without consent to train artificial intelligence (AI) models that generate images. A new report from the non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch has found the personal information, including photos, of Australian children in a large data set called LAION-5B. This data set was created by accessing content from the… Read more »
Would-be startup founders seeking a helping hand to take their first steps to tackle important problems will have seven new ways to do it thanks to a series of pre-accelerator programs bankrolled in Victoria by LaunchVic. Seven new programs have received up to $400,000 as part of LaunchVic’s ‘Grants for Targeted Pre-accelerator’ program to offer… Read more »
The country’s largest e-waste processor, Sircel, has banked $5 million from impact investor Kilara Capital to tackle solar panel recycling amid national ambitions. The Sydney startup, founded in 2018, grew rapidly in May when it acquired venture-backed Victorian recycler Scipher Technologies, including its solar panel recycling plans, for $5 million, after it collapsed into administration… Read more »
Electric vehicles are an increasingly common sight on Australian roads. Each one cuts carbon emissions by half compared to fossil fuel vehicles, but increases household electricity use by 50%. This extra electricity demand could be a major strain on the grid unless the charging of vehicles is coordinated. But the large batteries in electric vehicles… Read more »
Sydney startup Fugu Carbon has raised $1.67 million in a Seed round to ramp up production of its low-cost CO2 capture technology. The round was led climate tech-focused Sydney VC Investible, with support from Andrea Gardiner’s Jelix Ventures, as well as Melbourne climate tech fund Electrifi, and Counteract, a London-based VC specialising in carbon removal.… Read more »
More than 30 startup founders and execs, including Zonely’s Alicia Nagle and Stephanie Bofinger from FemPro Armour, have been recognised among the 100 most powerful women in Australian sports innovation. The second edition of the ‘Women in Sports Innovation’ report, which recognises the outstanding contributions of emerging and established leaders in sports innovation, was released… Read more »
Digital asset funds management firm DigitalX has received Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) approval for the listing of its DigitalX Bitcoin ETF. The company (ASX:DCC) will now offer one of the first listed spot Bitcoin ETFs, providing direct exposure to digital assets on the exchange. CEO Lisa Wade said the DigitalX Bitcoin ETF (ASX:BTXX) will provide… Read more »
A single deal that saw Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund sling $300 million at 15-year-old exchange traded funds (ETFs) manager Betashares in mid-June has plumped up Australia’s venture capital turkey in the final quarter of the 2024 financial year, hiding an otherwise disappointing three months for local startups. Data compiler Cut Through Venture included government-backed Temasek’s… Read more »
A Melbourne startup developing carbon capture technology for hard-to-abate industries has raised $10 million. KC8 Capture Technologies, founded in 2021, was backed by local energy giant Woodside, and the VC arm of Mexican cement producer Cemex, among others. The funding is earmarked for team expansion and deploying the technology in sectors such as construction, steel,… Read more »
Brisbane startup EVOS has raised $4 million as the first tranche of plans to raise $10m in a Series B. The fresh capital once again came from existing investors, 12 months after the electric vehicle (EV) raised $5 million in a Series A. EVOS was founded in 2020, by Marcelo Salgado, Seshan Weeratunga and Chris… Read more »
Ridesharing giant Uber will cut the pay of its contract drivers next month as it discounts fares. Despite having the lion’s share of the market, Uber emailed drivers late last week flagging the cuts, arguing that it will lead to more demand. But the change will squeeze margins for drivers already struggling with rising fuel… Read more »
It’s a new financial year and that means a new round of the NSW government’s MVP Ventures Program for startup founders has opened, offering grants worth between $25,000 and $50,000. The NSW Government is offering up to $3 million a year in MVP (minimum viable product) grants until 2027. The popular early-stage grants program was… Read more »
A Brisbane biotech startup eliminating the need for animal testing in pharmaceutical drug development has raised $2.2 million in pre-Seed funding. The round for Gelomics was led by Andrea Gardiner’s Sydney VC Jelix Ventures, alongside the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) Enterprise Acceleration Fund and Angelloop. The cash injection is expected create more than 70 highly-skilled… Read more »
The fast-track business school founded by Professor Scott Galloway, the outspoken New York University professor, author, and tech entrepreneur, is coming to Australia to teach artificial intelligence (AI). Galloway’s Section School has partnered with BSI Digital Learning to launch the National School for Upskilling in Artificial Intelligence, offering an “AI Crash Course”. BSI Learning CEO… Read more »
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