Australian engineers have found a new way of precisely controlling single electrons nestled in quantum dots that run logic gates. These new mechanism is less bulky and requires fewer parts, which could prove essential to making large-scale silicon quantum computers a reality. The serendipitous discovery, made by engineers at the quantum computing startup Diraq, which… Read more »
Meta will trial a new subscription service for Facebook and Instagram users in Australia, at a cost of just under $25 per month. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the trial of Meta Verified on Monday morning, with Australia and New Zealand to be the first testing grounds for the service. The monthly subscription service will… Read more »
Twitter has been criticised for its move to make users pay for SMS-based two-factor authentication, with an expert warning that security on the platform is about to get worse. Last week it was announced that only paying subscribers to Twitter would be able to use two-factor authentication (2FA) via text message from next month. Two-factor… Read more »
A new $40 million venture capital fund has recruited former Salesforce Ventures boss Mike Ferrari as managing director as it looks to back early-stage startups developing sovereign capabilities. Salus Ventures is the first dedicated early-stage Australian fund to invest in founders developing cutting-edge tech for commercial and government markets. It will back from Seed to… Read more »
There’s a race to transform search. And Microsoft just scored a home goal with its new Bing search chatbot, Sydney, which has been terrifying early adopters with death threats, among other troubling outputs. The other night, I had a disturbing, two-hour conversation with Bing’s new AI chatbot. The AI told me its real name (Sydney),… Read more »
Venture capital fund Blackbird has appointed three new general partners from within its own ranks Moving from principal to partner are Michael Tolo and Tom Humphrey in Australia, as well as Phoebe Harrop in New Zealand. It’s just the second time in the 11 years since Rick Baker and Niki Scevak founded Blackbird that the VC has… Read more »
Startmate has unveiled its Summer23 accelerator cohort, a week after news that mining billionaires Andrew and Nicola Forrest are investing in female founders in the cohort. CEO Michael Batko believes this year’s group is on a trajectory to have a disproportionate impact in terms of both ambition and global presence. “This cohort has been global… Read more »
Online training software company ReadyTech is expanding its Centre of Excellence at the University of Tasmania, with backing from the state government ReadyTech (ASX:RDY) provides software services to organisations, including educators, medium-sized employers, and local and state governments, ranging from student services to employee management and payroll, ratepayer services, and case management for the justice… Read more »
B2B marketing partnerships platform Partnar has raised $200,000 in a Seed investment from Melbourne early-stage VC Skalata Ventures. The marketplace startup describes itself as a “matchmaker for business collaborations” connecting brands and businesses in the face of rising costs and decreasing reliability from online advertising. Partnar offers an alternative to pay-per-click marketing campaigns for brands to… Read more »
Venture capital firm Antler Australia has thrown down the gauntlet on the worth of early-stage startups, upping its investment levels and the post-money valuations for companies it backs. Under new terms announced today, Antler will increase its initial investment by $35,000 to A$225,000 for the same 12% equity stake. The new deal increases the post-money… Read more »
As the “chatbot wars” rage in Silicon Valley, the growing proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools specifically designed to generate human-like text has left many baffled. Educators in particular are scrambling to adjust to the availability of software that can produce a moderately competent essay on any topic at a moment’s notice. Should we go… Read more »
GetSwift CEO Bane Hunter fined $2m, banned from managing companies for 15 years MD and cofounder Joel Macdonald fined $1m, banned for 12 years Company fined $15m Judge says pair show no contrition or remorse GetSwift raised $104m, investors receive 1c in $1 in class action The founders of former ASX-listed logistics tech startup GetSwift,… Read more »
The landmark three-year review of Australia’s Privacy Act has recommended significant new rights be handed to individuals, including to sue over privacy breaches, have their data erased and to opt out of targeted marketing. A widespread review of the Privacy Act was launched in 2020 by the former Coalition government on the back of a… Read more »
Share trading and superannuation fintech Superhero has rehired one of its first employees, Rachel Hopping, as its first head of strategy. She comes to the business after a brief stint at Fintech Australia as head of strategic partnerships and will lead overall business strategy, reporting to CEO and cofounder John Winters. She joins the executive leadership… Read more »
ClassHive, an edtech startup with Aboriginal founders, is helping transform teaching in primary schools across Australia after a successful beta phase. The startup provides digital education tools to simplify teaching and learning. Developed by Wingaru Education founders Lesley and Harvey Woodhouse, ClassHive offers a secure online learning environment for students and teachers, with a one-stop… Read more »
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