AI/Machine Learning

The fresh chatbot people: Woolies is seasoning your grocery buy with AI, but do shoppers want it?

- January 16, 2026 4 MIN READ

Woolworths has announced a partnership with Google to incorporate agentic artificial intelligence into its “Olive” chatbot, starting in Australia later this year. Until now, Olive has largely answered questions, resolved problems and directed shoppers to information. Soon, Olive will be able to do more: planning meals, interpreting handwritten recipes, applying loyalty discounts and placing suggested… Read more »

Events

Four women, four visions, a $10,000 grant, one bold activation – and you’re invited

- October 2, 2025 3 MIN READ

On Thursday, 13 November, four trailblazing women-led brands will take centre stage at F5’s first-ever La Femme Activation – a bold new retail experience where commerce meets creativity and women-owned businesses are brought to life. These aren’t side hustles or “passion projects.” They’re commercial powerhouses built by women who are reshaping fashion, art, and identity.… Read more »

Beauty and fashion

From landing in Coles to redefining haircare for everyone: how this female founder rewrote the rulebrook for cracking a crowded market

- September 3, 2025 5 MIN READ

When Katherine Ruiz launched People Haircare, she didn’t tiptoe into the market. She went straight into over 800 Coles stores nationally. No soft launch. No boutique trial. Just premium, high-performing haircare on the shelves of one of Australia’s biggest retailers – right from day one. “From day one, Coles was part of the vision,” she… Read more »

Business

Why Australia’s consumer economy is the billion‑dollar opportunity you can’t ignore

- August 20, 2025 4 MIN READ

Australia’s consumer economy is booming but investors are still looking the other way. While capital chases SaaS and tech, a new generation of brand-led, margin-rich, culturally relevant businesses are scaling fast with billions flowing through beauty, wellness, fashion, food, and lifestyle. This is not speculation. It’s already happening. From blockbuster exits like Zimmermann and MCo… Read more »

Kogan.com
ASX

Kogan.com dumps $46.3 million in goodwill from its 2020 Mighty Ape acquisition

- August 20, 2025 < 1 MIN READ

ASX-listed Kogan.com has written off $46.3 million in goodwill from its $122 million acquisition of Kiwi online retailer Mighty Ape nearly five years ago. The announcement of the non-cash impairment comes ahead of next Monday’s FY25 results release. The value of goodwill associated with the acquisition was $46.3 million in June 2024. Mighty Ape’s focus… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Teenage serial entrepreneur’s AI startup pockets $2.15 million pre-Seed round

- July 23, 2025 3 MIN READ

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 »

Antler Australia

Antler Investor Memo Series: SeeStone is replacing guesswork with AI to reduce fashion waste and boost retail profits

- December 12, 2024 4 MIN READ

Early stage investment company Antler Australia recently backed a new cohort of startups as part of its ongoing program to build great local tech companies. Startup Daily is sharing the details of each venture in the “Antler Investor Memos” series, which is designed to give you a quick, sharp understanding of the startups and people… Read more »

artificial intelligence advertising
AI/Machine Learning

The real reason retailers are replacing staff with AI bots is not because they’re cheaper, but for customer data

- May 7, 2024 4 MIN READ

You might have seen viral videos of Wendy’s drive-thru customers in the United States ordering their fast food from the firm’s generative AI bot Wendy’s FreshAI. Most show a very human-like transaction punctuated with cries of amazement at how fast, accurate and polite the system is. While the system and others like it are in… Read more »

Retail shop window
Funding

Afterpay cofounder backs his brother’s retail data startup in $2 million Seed round

- September 12, 2023 2 MIN READ

Merchandise data startup Flagship has raised $2 million in a Seed round to help retailers to make better data-based decisions of maximising product appeal for in-store shoppers The round led by Sydney VC Tidal Ventures, with support from Afterpay’s billionaire cofounder Nick Molnar, backing his brother Simon’s startup play. Macdoch and Co Ventures, NRL player Luke… Read more »

Brosa cofounders Richard Li and Ivan Lim.
Business

Furniture startup Brosa to fold leaving customers $5 million out of pocket

- January 24, 2023 3 MIN READ

Venture capital investors aren’t the only ones burnt by the collapse of upmarket furniture retailer Brosa, with customers left around $5 million out of pocket on products they paid for but didn’t get, a report on the startup’s finances by administrators, KordaMentha, reveals. Brosa was placed in Voluntary Administration on December 14 with assets of… Read more »

Climate Tech

Clean tech startup Greener teams up with retail association to help small business cut carbon

- September 19, 2022 2 MIN READ

Peak retail group, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has formed a partnership with clean-tech startup Greener to help retail and hospitality small businesses move towards net-zero emissions. The deal will see them co-design a new digital solution, Greener Business, to help ARA members understand and prioritise the steps they can take to reduce their carbon… Read more »

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