Veteran impact scaleup Who Gives A Crap has teamed up with education nonprofit Young Change Agents to launch a program that equips teenagers with the skills to become social entrepreneurs. Impact Boss will launch in Australia and the US in 2026 and hopes to reach 20,000 teens in its first two years. The program aims… Read more »
Hi, for those that don’t know me, I’m Tim, the cofounder of Vively, and I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic 3 years ago. When I was diagnosed, it was an absolute maze to try to improve my health. Hours of research, expensive tests, 6-month waits to see a specialist doctor that understands prevention – the list… Read more »
Melbourne air-conditioning startup Conry Tech has raised $3 million in Seed funding as it looks to transform workplace cooling. The round was led by specialist climate tech investor, Audacy. The cash will help complete development of the startup’s revolutionary “BullAnt” air-conditioner, which has the potential to halve energy bills in commercial buildings, as well as… Read more »
Startup funding topped $1 billion in the third quarter of 2025, with investors eager to back data centres and AI with enthusiasm that recalls the mid-pandemic valuation bubble of 2021-2022 Investors threw money at AI startups like fans tossing underwear on stage at a Tom Jones concert in Q3, according to the latest Cut Through… Read more »
Federal treasurer Jim Chalmers has abandoned plans to tax the unrealised gains of large superannuation balances, a controversial move that raised alarm bells for investors in early-stage startups. The change ends fears that angel investors, who often back startups from self-managed super funds (SMSFs) would vanish had the government implemented the new rule as part… Read more »
Over the last couple of years, Canva has pushed hard into generative AI. It has become one of Australia’s best startup success stories. Yet, it’s another younger local AI player that is getting more spend from customers globally in the space.< Last week, Andreessen Horowitz’s new ‘AI Apps 50: Where Startups Spend on AI‘ list… Read more »
An AI-based “cloud waste” startup has raised $3 million in pre-Seed funding to help companies save billions on their cloud costs. The round for Optimaze was led by Arconic and The Innovation Club. The Sydney startup is currently in private beta, with a waitlist for preview access to the software. The funding is to expand… Read more »
A proposed constellation of satellites has astronomers very worried. Unlike satellites that reflect sunlight and Reflect Orbital would produce light pollution by design. The company promises to produce “sunlight on demand” with mirrors that beam sunlight down to Earth so solar farms can operate after sunset. It plans to start with an 18-metre test satellite… Read more »
An Australian scientist and a group of international quantum researchers have been awarded Nobel Prizes for their work at the cutting edge of chemistry and physics, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday. Richard Robson, an English-born professor who has worked at the University of Melbourne since 1966, will share the $1.77 million… Read more »
Two Australian startups moved closer to unicorn status this week, after revealing new funding rounds that gave their valuations a healthy boost. This week’s funding round-up is led by Heidi Health’s $98 million Series B round and Octopus Deploy’s $45.6 million investment, although the latter was secured in 2024. They are joined by four other Australian and New… Read more »
You’re neck-deep in IKEA assembly instructions. Furniture parts lie strewn across the floor. Your new purchase sits half-complete in front of you, mocking your fruitless hours. As an uninterested partner walks in, you let the frustration out: “I’ve done everything correctly! Look: connect A with B using M1 screws connect B with C with the… Read more »
Lucent, founded by 22-year-old Alisa Wu, has raised A$2 million in a quickly oversubscribed pre-seed to build behavioural datasets for browser agents, and will base itself in San Francisco over the next year.
Carbar has bought HelloCars Subscription from Loopit, retaining the brand as its value arm while Loopit refocuses on software. The move builds on Carbar’s earlier Carly acquisition as it positions itself across tiers in the car subscription market.
Melbourne’s Affinda Group has acquired AI training firm Pathfindr for A$15 million, enabling it to pair automation tech with adoption services and scale AI transformation in organisations.
Eric Wilson, the founder and former CEO of dead neobank Xinja, and his fellow director Craig Swanger, won’t be able to help run a bank ’til the 2030s after APRA made first use of its new financial accountability powers. Xinja handed back its banking license in December 2020 after just three years of trying to “break… Read more »
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