Classic black and white, father reading to kids
Opinion

While everyone argues over adding YouTube to Australia’s u16 social media ban, the AI elephant in the room is set to trample on kids

- June 24, 2025 4 MIN READ

Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, today addressed the National Press Clubto outline how her office will be driving the Social Media Minimum Age Bill when it comes into effect in December this year. The bill, often referred to as a social media ban, prevents under-16s having social media accounts. But Inman Grant wants Australians… Read more »

Funding

Proptech FoundIt settles on $2 million pre-Seed to put power back in the hands of home buyers

- June 24, 2025 2 MIN READ

Real estate proptech FoundIt has raised $2 million in a pre-Seed to give buyers greater insights when buying property. The raise was backed by a strategic group of real estate experts, including Realbase cofounders Frank and Jacques Greeff, Realtair’s Peter Matthews, and Propps founder Daniel Bignold. FoundIt, the brainchild of former Domain executive Angus Ferguson… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Medical AI agents startup NexusMD prompts $6.3 million Seed round from Square Peg

- June 24, 2025 2 MIN READ

Healthcare startup NexusMD has raised in $6.3 million Seed funding from Square Peg to help hospital staff automate and save time on administrative tasks using AI. NexusMD develops customised artificial intelligence (AI) agents that integrate with existing hospital systems to help doctors, nurses, and medical staff save time and costs on admin to focus on… Read more »

Ag tech

Kiwi cattle collar scaleup turns unicorn with $155 million Series D

- June 24, 2025 2 MIN READ

A New Zealand agtech scaleup Halter has hit unicorn status with a A$1.55 billion (US$1bn) valuation following a $155 million in a Series D. The round was led by US investor Mary Meeker’s Bond, with support from NewView Capital, and existing investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, DCVC, Blackbird, NZ’s Icehouse Ventures, and Promus Ventures. Bond’s investment… Read more »

R&D, science, man looking in microscope
Funding

Life sciences investor MTPConnect injects $12 million into 14 drug and device startups

- June 23, 2025 3 MIN READ

Not-for-profit medical products investor and accelerator MTPConnect has backed 14 Australian science companies with a combined $12.07 million to develop new devices and drugs. The funding comes from MTPConnect’s Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) Drugs and Devices program, which is backed by the federal government’s $24 billion Medical Research Future Fund. The ideas span cardiovascular disease… Read more »

Funding

Contactile grabs $268,712 federal commercialisation grant for its ‘human touch’ robotic gripper

- June 23, 2025 2 MIN READ

Contactile, a deep tech startup giving robotics the subtlety of human-like touch, has scored $268,712 from the federal government under its Industry Growth Program The matched funding will go towards the the commercialisation of its tactile sensor-enabled smart robotic gripper. Contactile’s patented tactile sensor array has created a smart gripper measures 3D deflection, force, vibration, torque,… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

ChatGPT = brain rot? Here’s why the MIT research is a little yeah, but nah

- June 23, 2025 4 MIN READ

Since ChatGPT appeared almost three years ago, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies on learning has been widely debated. Are they handy tools for personalised education, or gateways to academic dishonesty? Most importantly, there has been concern that using AI will lead to a widespread “dumbing down”, or decline in the ability to think… Read more »

Funding

‘Everything is awesome’: NSW budget sprinkles nearly $80 million on the tech sector

- June 23, 2025 6 MIN READ

The NSW budget, announced tomorrow, includes nearly $80 million of new funding in response to the recently released Innovation Blueprint. The third Labor budget from treasurer Daniel Mookhey is the first time the Minns government has made a notable, yet modest, investment in the startup and tech sector. For comparison, the recent South Australian budget… Read more »

Politics

A trial of tech for the Australian government’s under-16 social media ban says it’s ‘robust’, despite contradictory evidence

- June 20, 2025 4 MIN READ

Technologies to enforce the Australian government’s social media ban for under 16s are “private, robust and effective”. That’s according to the preliminary findings of a federal government-commissioned trial that has nearly finished testing them. The findings, released today, may give the government greater confidence to forge ahead with the ban, despite a suite of expert… Read more »

Events

New Zealand’s Auckland uni is hosting an awesome conference on supporting women’s entrepreneurship

- June 20, 2025 2 MIN READ

A major international conference in Auckland next month is focusing on how to better support female founders and highlighting wāhine Māori perspectives on entrepreneurship. The Diana International Research Conference, July 1-4, brings together researchers and industry experts from around the world to tackle funding inequities, structural barriers and discuss the future of women-led enterprise, with… Read more »