Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday announced the most significant easing of Melbourne’s coronavirus restrictions since the state went into “stage 3” lockdown on July 9. From 11.59pm on Tuesday night, retail, restaurants, cafes and bars will finally be able to open up in Melbourne. Gatherings of up to ten people outdoors are now allowed from… Read more »
Melbourne-based social media venture Linktree has ended four years of bootstrapping, taking on $15 million (US$10.7m) in a series A round to expand globally. Linktree is a free tool to optimise internet presence for a celebrity, company or blogger, curating content across social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitch, sending viewers to other… Read more »
Private equity-owned accountancy software firm MYOB is ramping up the practice management solutions side of its business with plans to acquire cloud-based software provider, GreatSoft. The move comes after MYOB recent took a majority stake in workforce management software Roubler. The acquisition, now under review by competition regulator the ACCC, will integrate GreatSoft’s cloud-based practice… Read more »
US-based buy-now-pay-later Zebit bucked the trend for soaring BNPL shares when it made its debut on the ASX today, losing around 34% of its listing price of $1.58 to close at $1.04. The online retailer (ASX: ZBT) with a BNPL offering, which targets “credit challenged” US consumers, raised $35 million in its IPO, but… Read more »
A $9 million project to make cheaper rooftop solar panels by replacing the silver in production with copper has attracted $8 million in funding. The cash for NSW startup SunDrive includes $5m Series A investment led by Blackbird Ventures and Grok Ventures, the family investment fund of Atlassian co-founder and renewable energy campaigner Mike Cannon-Brookes and… Read more »
Australian biotech venture Microbio announced this week that it has developed a new type of COVID-19 test with the potential to both determine if someone has the virus and also indicate whether they are infectious. The Brisbane-based startup says its InfectID-COVID-19-R test has been independently validated to identify the presence of the virus when still… Read more »
Expectations that Victoria would begin to ease lockdown restrictions in Melbourne earlier than the planned have been put on hold by Premier Daniel Andrews as the state deals with a minor Covid-19 outbreak in the city’s Northern metro area. Andrews labelled it a “cautious pause”, but offered some hope that an announcement on easing could be… Read more »
This week the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) filed a lawsuit accusing Google of using “anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies in the markets” for search and advertising. It is the most significant antitrust case since the US government took on Microsoft in 1998 for using its dominant position as the provider… Read more »
This year has been a thunderclap to so much of what we assumed to be normal. While some parts of the economy, by virtue of the pandemic restrictions, were frozen in place, others had to accelerate at warp speed. But all of us have had to adapt and to find a place of resilience and… Read more »
39% of local fintechs have more than 500 paying customers, up from just 27% in 2019 72% of fintechs say the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on their capital raising ability Payments, wallets and supply chain (30%) and lending (20%) are now the top two types of fintech services The Australian fintech sector… Read more »
Westpac Group has offloaded its 10.7% stake in fintech Zip Co Limited (ASX: Z1P) in a deal that should net the bank around $300 million in profit. The sale comes 24 hours after the bank announced a collaboration with Afterpay that will see the rival BNPL service offer a savings account and other cashflow management… Read more »
Antler Sydney is on a hot streak. In just 16 months, the Australian arm of the global early-stage VC has raised a $46 million fund, invested in 41 companies, and grown its local operations team to a headcount of 24. Now, it has announced the 16 startups recently built with and invested in by Antler.… Read more »
In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has shifted from being something in a science fiction novel to reality. Every day, AI-powered tools are playing an increasing role in our lives and undertaking tasks once the exclusive domain of humans. The pace of AI development is also increasing. Led by large technology firms such as Google,… Read more »
Victoria recorded one new case of COVID-19 on Monday, another fantastic result that suggests the coronavirus outbreak there is now being well controlled. Premier Daniel Andrews said on Tuesday the state was “well placed this weekend to be able to make very significant announcements about a further step to opening”. Yesterday there were 3 new… Read more »
Digital travel industry veteran Hichame Assi has been chosen to replace Envato founder Collis Ta’eed as CEO of the Melbourne-based tech marketplace. The choice of the former HotelsCombined.com boss, who has a Masters in eCommerce from the University of London, follows a year-long global search. Ta’eed announced in August that he would step down… Read more »
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