Homeowners and businesses will be offered up to $2400 by the NSW government to install a battery to store solar under a new incentive program kicking off later this year The new incentive is part of the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme and includes: Between $1600 and $2400 off the up-front installation cost of a household… Read more »
Visual design platform Canva has revamped its business products, launching an enterprise solution, in the hope of luring in more customers ahead of plans to list publicly next year. The changes were announced at Canva Create, the company’s annual showcase, which moved from Sydney to the US for the first time as the software business… Read more »
Design giant Canva has partnered with US sustainability and carbon reduction platform Watershed to cut the impact of its energy use with renewables. The deal, announced at the annual Canva Create conference, being held in the US for the first time, will tackle what are known as scope 3 emissions. They can cause up to… Read more »
A UK judge has ruled Australian businessman Craig Wright forged documents and lied repeatedly to support his long-running claim of being Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin. Wright has notoriously professed the pseudonymous title under a years-long claim of having created leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin – fuelling tenuous conflicts among the crypto community as he launched lawsuit after… Read more »
Two more hospitality payments platforms have merged as the sector continues to consolidate with Melbourne’s HungryHungry joining forces with New Zealand white label mobile payments platform MOBI. The deal follows the merger of rival meal ordering apps Mr Yum and me&u in late 2023. HungryHungry, founded in 2019 Shannon Hautot and Mark Calabro, began life… Read more »
Applications for a $36 million federal government program enlisting quantum have opened as part of its flagship Future Made in Australia policy. The Critical Technologies Challenge Program (CTCP) offers funding for quantum tech companies to work with researchers and end-users to develop solutions to market-led challenges that accelerate the path to commercialisation for quantum. The funding… Read more »
A media-for-equity fund involving some of the industry’s biggest names, including News Corp, Nova and Foxtel, has backed a Sydney mircobrewery and funeral startup in an advertising deals worth around $1 million each. The Scaleup Mediafund has backed Hawke’s Brewing and Bare Funeral Group from its third fund, worth $15 million. The new fund expands… Read more »
Zip cofounder Larry Diamond will return to Australia with his family in the second half of 2024 after nearly two years based in the US as CEO of the buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) fintech there. ASX-listed Zip Co (ASX: ZIP) has named Joseph (Joe) Heck has been appointed as Zip’s new US CEO, stepping into the role in… Read more »
Up to 2,800 Telstra workers will be retrenched by year’s end, with Australia’s largest telecommunications carrier announcing plans to pare its workforce in an AI-driven “reset” of its enterprise arm including an overhaul of its Telstra Purple services business. The package of reforms is designed to contribute to $350 million in cost savings as the… Read more »
Melbourne VC firm Skalata has a new investor in LaunchVic, which has backed the seed fund with $900,000. Skalata, chaired by former Toll boss Paul Little, has been a highly active in early capital for nascent startups, making 70 investments across two funds since its l. LaunchVic will invest directly into the fund manager overseeing… Read more »
Following the massive success of its inaugural CDR (Consumer Data Right) Summit last year, FinTech Australia will run its second gathering in Sydney to start the new financial year. The CDR summit at The Hilton in Sydney on Wednesday, July 3, will showcase local and international experts, policy makers, founders and builders discussing the future of… Read more »
The Victorian government has teamed up with Swinburne University to figure out if using doctor-prescribed medicinal cannabis when driving is a problem. The $4.9 million trial to determine if medicinal cannabis users can drive safely will take place over 18-months on a closed-circuit track that mimics real-world driving conditions. Researchers will review the ability of… Read more »
Cleantech agri-food accelerator SparkLabs Cultiv8 has announced the nine startups taking part in its annual accelerator program. Founder Jonathon Quigley said the nine were chosen for their contributions towards creating a more sustainable and efficient global food production system. “The interest in this sector has grown enormously over the past eight years, as well as… Read more »
Last week OpenAI launched GPT-4o (“o” for “omni”), a new version of the artificial intelligence (AI) system powering the popular ChatGPT chatbot. GPT-4o is promoted as a step towards more natural engagement with AI. According to the demonstration video, it can have voice conversations with users in near real-time, exhibiting human-like personality and behaviour. This… Read more »
The annual Pause Awards, which honour innovation and breakthroughs in the Australian tech and innovation ecosystem, have returned for 2024 with a dozen new categories to bring the total to 36. Founder George Hedon said the focus for 2024 is on recognising breakthroughs—those pivotal moments when individuals and businesses discover better, more effective ways to operate.… Read more »
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