Brisbane early and growth-stage venture capital fund Sprint Ventures is among four new VCs to be backed by the state government’s Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) as part of an ambitious plan to invest in more local startups. The QIC-managed Queensland Venture Capital Development Fund (QVCDF) is the cornerstone investor for Sprint Fund 3. It follows an initial… Read more »
Sydney logistics software startup Ofload has finally confirmed an additional $31 million capital injection, six months after it was first reported. The new funds are to support to product roll out and wider business growth in digital freight technology The AFR first reported Ofload had banked $27 million in December 2023, led by David Acton’s… Read more »
Business software subscriptions management platform Subble has raised $1 million in a pre-Seed round as it goes to market. The raise was backed by entrepreneurs Jordan Walsh and Leon Hayes from Haystack Capital to support product refinement and customer expansion. The Melbourne startup gives business execs improved visibility over their SaaS subscriptions for greater control… Read more »
George Lucas, founder of ASX-listed fintech Raiz Invest, is back in startup land with a new idea, an AI Copilot for the financial adviser market, securing $2.5 million in a pre-Seed round to take it global. And after a bruising battle over his previous fintech, he’s off to the US to do it. YBL.AI uses… Read more »
Melbourne startup Phonely has been backed by Y Combinator, which tipped US$500,000(A$750,000) into artificial intelligence-based call receptionist. The legendary US accelerator has gone all-in on bringing Phonely to the world’s attention with posts that make it an instant rising star, generating a spectacular customer response that sets the nascent Aussie startup on the path to… Read more »
Australian consumers may have had their personal data compromised in an alleged data breach impacting ticketing and events giant Ticketmaster. Hacking group ShinyHunters claims to have stolen 1.3 terabytes of data on 560 million Ticketmaster customers globally, including names, addresses, credit card details and phone numbers. The group is reportedly seeking $756,000 ($US500,000) for a… Read more »
Nearly four months after the landmark Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review, handed its final recommendations to industry and science minister Ed Husic and his department, the sector is still waiting for a formal response from the government. But this week, Husic implemented the first change in the wake of the report, calling time on the… Read more »
An algorithm developed in a partnership between the Queensland and Victorian governments and Hort Innovation Australia has the ability predict the shelf life of mangoes and stone fruit. Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) has now offered the technology up for expressions of interest to develop it commercially. DAF and Agriculture Victoria in the… Read more »
The end of the alternative proteins gold rush has claimed another victim with one of the pioneers in the space, ProForm, the makers of “Meet” being placed in voluntary administration, despite the backing of billionaire Andrew Forrest. KPMG Australia’s Gayle Dickerson and James Dampney were appointed voluntary administrators of Proform Food Group Pty Ltd and… Read more »
Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) is liable for hate speech posted on its platform and is subject to local Australian law despite being based in the US, a Queensland Tribunal has found, in a judgement that potentially sets a significant precedent. The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) ruled last week that X is subject… Read more »
If you’ve ever had a crack at trout fishing, you know it’s all about the flies. Well now food waste climate tech startup Goterra will be feeding the real thing to fish for real as part of a new partnership with Tasmania-based aquaculture feed supplier Skretting Australia. Founded in 2016 in Canberra Goterra recycles food… Read more »
The Victorian government has put another $1 million on the table as part of a grants program for agtech startups. Agriculture minister Ros Spence said the AgTech Grants program, delivered by the government-backed startup agency LaunchVic, offers $50,000 to startups. The grant provides founders with dedicated mentoring from startup experts to build their businesses and seize… Read more »
ASX-listed venture capital firm Bailador Technology Investments has backed telehealth startup Updoc with a $20 million investment. Founded in 2021 by co-CEOs Dylan Coyne and Clifton Hodgkinson, Updoc (think the old Bugs Bunny line) offers online GP consultations to deal with a range of healthcare issues including advice, online prescriptions, specialist referrals, pathology referrals and… Read more »
Marketing veteran and angel investor Bilyana Smith is the new chair of startup community Fishburners Smith takes over the leadership from Clive Mayhew, who retired from the board after a three year term as chair. She became a Fishburners director seven years ago, having spent more than two decades in leadership roles across media, marketing and… Read more »
Games sector employees are paid around half of staff at Atlassian Women are paid up to 14% less than men, and are twice as likely to be bullied or harassed Public sector IT workers received a 2% pay rise compared to a median increase of 5.8% for all tech workers The Tech Council of Australia,… Read more »
Daily startup news and insights, delivered to your inbox.
