Two leading Australian business publishers are joining forces to expand their coverage of startups and the SME sectors. Melbourne-based Private Media, publisher of SmartCompany, has acquired the assets of Sydney-based Pinstripe Media, which includes 4 media brands – Startup Daily, Business Builders, Flying Solo, and consumer finance focussed Your Money & Your Life – as… Read more »
Unicorn HR platform Employment Hero has gone to the Federal Court, accusing jobs‑board giant Seek of anti‑competitive behaviour after it revoked API access used by thousands of employers. The startup wants an injunction before the cutoff on 25 August, while Seek vows to fight the claims.
Queensland’s venture scene is back in growth mode. Cut Through Venture’s FY 2025 report shows $417 million across 109 deals—up 37 percent year‑on‑year—fuelled by enterprise software, climate and health tech. With bigger seed and Series A cheques and strong female‑founder uptake, investors say Brisbane is no longer a satellite market.
While Melbourne prepares for another glossy startup gala, let’s talk about what won’t be on the menu. Victoria’s startup agency has locked away $160m+ in public funding—yet no grassroots event support since 2019. VicGov spent $7 m+ on DIF (Digital Innovation Futures)—and it quietly shut down. Melbourne Convention Bureau backs only international events (e.g., C2, GEC)… Read more »
Ovum, a Melbourne‑based femtech start‑up, has begun six‑month clinical trials at Sydney’s Royal Hospital for Women and St George Hospital. Researchers will test whether the AI‑powered health journal can raise preventive‑care participation and give women more control over their health data. Early results are expected in 2026.
The future of the annual 3-day _SOUTHSTART gathering in Adelaide has been assured until 2028 with three more years of funding from the South Australian government. The new three-year $2 million commitment supporting the delivery of _SOUTHSTART, starting next year, will take the innovation festival to a decade under its current custodianship, with Craig Swann… Read more »
AI-augmented longevity startup Everlab has raised $15 million (US$10m) for its preventative care platform. The round was led by New York and London-based VC Left Lane Capital, with support from existing investor AfterWork Ventures. The cash will be used on international expansion, further development of the platform, and integrated products. Everlab previously raised $3 million… Read more »
Unruly Partners has tapped newly honoured plant scientist Dame Alison Stewart DNZM as scientific partner. She’ll help the Kiwi investment firm spot and scale biological crop-protection breakthroughs, including work with portfolio company Cellora.
Oz2US Ventures has opened applications for a 24‑week program that starts in Melbourne and ends with a Silicon Valley landing pad, giving Australian founders deep prep, on‑the‑ground US support and access to 40+ heavyweight mentors.
Last week’s announcement by the RBA that it will remove surcharges on debit and credit cards and undertake a review of interchange fees is not only welcome news for Australian consumers; it is also a great opportunity for Australian fintechs to mark their territory. Understandably, the impending change has local merchants sweating about further soaring… Read more »
A researcher has found Google’s Gemini for Workspace can be tooled to serve up phishing messages under the guise of AI-generated email summaries. Tech giant Google last year added the ability for its AI model Gemini to produce dot point summaries of email threads in Gmail, and later enabled the feature by default for Google Workspace users.… Read more »
Kish Modi had a rule with friends and family once he was out of intensive care and began his treatment for leukaemia: no crying when they came to visit. His mum , a 157cm (5′ 2″) powerhouse, laid down the law to everyone who came to visit Kish in hospital. “She’s like, no tears, zero… Read more »
The recent quarterly figures on the Australian startup scene finally put numbers to what everyone has been feeling in their bones for months: the vibes are off. Venture capital investment plunged to an 18-month low, with Q2 2025 clocking in as one of the weakest funding periods in recent memory. This is a major reversal… Read more »
Mable – think Airtasker for aged care and disability support workers – is hoping to become a unicorn 11 years after its founding if it find a buyer willing to pay $1 billion. The Australian’s DataRoom reports that the gig economy platform has put up the For Sale sign with a 10-figure price tag, even… Read more »
It’s been a few months now since WhyHive wrapped up. And I was talking to lead engineer, Simon Grant, recently about what his next mission might be. This got me reflecting on a core question I often got asked by other founders – what do you look for in your first dev hire? Whyhive may not… Read more »
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