Open banking facilitation startup Adatree has been acquired by Sydney small business payments provider Fat Zebra for an undisclosed sum. The Sydney regtech platform was the first early-stage startup approved to take part in Australia’s open banking system as Accredited Data Recipient (ADR) for the Consumer Data Right (CDR). Adatree helps fintechs gain access to… Read more »
Last year Blackbird Ventures made a massive bet on a New Zealand rental accommodation app, just six months after it had turned down a $200,000 pitch for cash. In August 2023, Blackbird instead tipped $7 million into a A$9.5 million Seed round for Kiki. The startup’s cofounder Toby Thomas-Smith, said Blackbird’s New Zealand partner, Samantha… Read more »
Staff at Canva, along with early-stage investors such as Australia’s leading VCs, are close to hitting the jackpot for their initial belief in the global design platform, with around US$1 billion (A$1.49bn) in privately owned shares set to change in the coming weeks as a secondary market sale. US tech site The Information published news… Read more »
The biggest impediment to Australia shifting from a services-based industry to one based on science and engineering is a longstanding deep tech “scaleup problem” according to a new report from incubator Cicada Innovations. The inaugural “Cicada x Tech23 2023 Insights” report is based on data from 128 deep tech applicants to Cicada x Tech23 2023,… Read more »
Bootstrapped brand collaborations startup Collabosaurus has been acquired by marketing guru Lauren Swidenbank. The terms of the M&A deal were not disclosed. Swidenbank is CEO and founder of Cali Social, a performance marketing agency specialising in female-first brands. She said the acquisition as a strategic move to expand into tech and leverage Collabosaurus’s unique position… Read more »
WiseTech Global founder and CEO Richard White has returned to his rock n roll roots investing $11 million in ASX-listed music company, Vinyl Group (ASX: VNL) as part of a deal to acquire Australia’s largest youth publisher The Brag Media, publishers of local editions of Rolling Stone and Variety. The billionaire, who made his fortune… Read more »
Australia link-in-bio platform Linktree has acquired two-year-old competitor Koji from its parent company GoMeta for an undisclosed figure. In the tortured syntax beloved of tech titans. Linktree said in a blog post that Koji’s link-in-bio product “will be sunset” on January 31. We take that to mean shut down rather than a glowing golden light… Read more »
Founder Edwina Sharrock says the decision to exit from her 8-year-old edtech startup Birth Beat is like selling a child. The childbirth education platform has been acquired by Device Technologies for an undisclosed sum. Birth Beat offers comprehensive, interactive digital childbirth education, as well as baby and child first aid courses, that have helped more… Read more »
Women-founded and focused superannuation fintech Verve Super has been acquired by the parent company of Simon Sheikh’s Future Super, just five months after raising $3 million in a pre-Series A. Verve cofounder and CEO Christina Hobbs announced news of the deal on Wednesday saying it gives the five-year-old startup the ability to leverage Future Group’s… Read more »
Melbourne fintech TaxLeopard, an accounting and tax app for sole traders, has acquired rival BAS and income tax return lodgement startup Airtax in a six-figure deal. TaxLeopard, founded in 2022 by accountants Selda Kaplan and Michael Kambouridis, was a recent finalist in the Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards. The platform helps sole traders, freelancers… Read more »
Invoice payment buy now pay later (BNPL) fintech BizPay was placed in voluntary administration last week Jonathon Keenan and Peter Krejci from BRI Ferrier were handed the books as administrators on November 23. The company’s website says no new loans are being issued while a restructure is being explored. Ironically for a fintech offering a… Read more »
Global fitness influencer Kayla Itsines, and her business partner Tobi Pearce have re-acquired Sweat, the exercise app and brand they sold in 2021. The buyback was reportedly for a fraction of the rumoured $190 million paid for it during the height of Covid lockdowns. In a deal reminiscent of the time Kerry Packer regained control… Read more »
Optus customers woke up on Wednesday morning to find they were unable to get their social media fix, and they weren’t happy. Around 4am AEDT, customers started to report an inability to access both mobile and home internet services. Optus advised it was investigating the issue, with reports emerging around midday of some services coming… Read more »
More than 10 million Optus business and personal customers across Australia have lost communications on Wednesday morning across Australia, leaving them without internet access or the ability to make or receive calls, with several telcos using the Optus network also offline The problems, which are believed to have started around 4am, have effected everything from… Read more »
ASX-lister online retailer Kogan.com has put another feather in its cap, winning a “Shonky” award from consumer group CHOICE. The annual Shonky Awards recognise products and companies that deliver a poor experience for shoppers. Kogan was called out for “tricking customers” according to CHOICE, into signing up for its $99 ‘Kogan First trial. Tech featured… Read more »
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