The Australian government has banned TikTok from all public service devices, claiming the app poses “significant protective security risk” to the Commonwealth. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announced on Tuesday he had authorised a mandatory direction to ban the TikTok social media app from any device issued by a Commonwealth department or agency. State and territory governments… Read more »
The country’s first sodium-sulfur (NAS) battery is up and running at a mine in Western Australia as the industry explores new ways to transition to renewable energy. The Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (FBICRC) is behind the installation of the 250 kW/1.45 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) demonstration unit, which is designed for… Read more »
A Melbourne startup hoping to be the Canva of 3D presentations has raised another $5.2 million from exisiting investors. It’s the third time Rampersand and Investible have backed JigSpace, co-leading the round with Vulpes Investment Management, which previously backed the 3D and augmented reality (AR) product tool in its 2021 $6 million Series A. The… Read more »
The hunt is on to find the best Australian startups to work for, with submissions now open for My Startup Gig’s guide: Top Startup Employers 2023. The initiative is being backed by Tank Stream Labs and Startup Daily to build a comprehensive guide to the best startups to work for across Australia, as voted by… Read more »
Is it time to put the brakes on the development of artificial intelligence (AI)? If you’ve quietly asked yourself that question, you’re not alone. In the past week, a host of AI luminaries signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on the development of more powerful models than GPT-4; European researchers called for… Read more »
The federal government has issued a discussion paper on the development of a new National Robotics Strategy to better understand the opportunities and challenges for Australian industries adopting robotics and automation. Industry and science minister Ed Husic said the discussion paper will help guide a conversation on growing the production and responsible use of robotics… Read more »
If you’re after some gourmet food at a discount over Easter, CoLab’s new administrators, EY, are offering 30% off the marketplace’s best sellers until 11 April – 5 days after creditors will meet in Sydney to hear more about the financial status of the business this Thursday. The meal home delivery marketplace, which raised $3… Read more »
When it comes to the size of the problem deep tech startup MRead is solving, detecting and dealing with the global humanitarian crisis caused by landmines is both larger and more horrifying than any market you’d want to address. Today, April 4, is the United Nations International Day for Mine Awareness and MRead is the… Read more »
Perth venture capital firm Purpose Ventures has demonstrated there’s plenty of cash in the west to back local startups, raising $37 million towards a $40 million target in just six weeks. The VC opened its fund to investors on February 8 – the midst of the Silicon Valley Bank collapse and attracted $37 million in… Read more »
Applications for SparkLabs Cultiv8’s cleantech accelerator are open for another fortnight, with space for 10 startups ready to transform the future of agri-food tech. The global Sparklabs Group invests in early-stage companies and each startup will receive up to A$100,000 in seed funding. Apply here – but get cracking because they close on April 17. … Read more »
Environmental restoration startup AirSeed Technologies is partnering with impact investment manager Conscious Investment Management (CIM) as it sets up a $200 million carbon sequestration fund. Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere or industrial emissions. AirSeed’s way of tackling the issue is through reforestation. AirSeed was cofounded… Read more »
Australia’s federal parliament has approved a A$15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, intended to reverse the nation’s dwindling manufacturing sector. It is the “first step” in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s election promise “to revive our ability to make world-class products.” The fund will focus on investing in high-tech manufacturing. There are seven priority areas: clean energy… Read more »
A virtual reality firefighter training startup spun out of Deakin University has raised $6.7 million Series A, with the Victorian government’s investment fund Breakthrough Victoria, taking a minority stake in the business for $5 million. FLAIM Systems has developed what’s believed to be the world’s first fully immersive virtual firefighting training system, offering a safe… Read more »
Melbourne environmental consultancy, Lifecycles has launched a program to help organisations and startups carve clear pathways to building sustainable products. The consultancy does life-cycle assessments (LCA) and shares methods for analysing the impacts of products and services. Assessment results help companies maximise environmental innovation, minimise negative consequences, and determine the best way to prove and… Read more »
Australian lawyers are seeking app developers to join a class action against Google and Apple over what they claim is an abuse of market power by charging 30% commissions on in-app spending while preventing competitive payment alternatives. The class action reflects similar legal action launched in 2020 by Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, against the… Read more »
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