Elite athlete, investor and speaker, Christie Jenkins, has taken the reigns at Techstars as Managing Director. The appointment coincides with the accelerator welcoming applications for its 2025 program. Jenkins is no stranger to high performance. She’s been ranked number one in Australia and top ten in the world in three sports – trampolining, CrossFit and… Read more »
Workplace mental health platform Foremind has raised $1.5 million in a round led by Giant Leap as it prepares for expansion into the UK and New Zealand. The Canberra-based company is trying to modernise the employee assistance program (EAP) experience that has become so commonplace in 21st century corporate life. Its latest funding, raised with… Read more »
Battery materials startup Sicona Battery Technologies has raised AU$15 million from an existing investor, India’s Himadri Speciality Chemical, as part of a deal to commercialise its technology. The Wollongong startup previously raised $22 million in a Series A led by Himadri two years ago, adding to a $3.7 million in a pre-Series A in August… Read more »
“Managing care will no longer be a daunting task, but rather an experience that fosters connection,” writes Gabsy Slonim. Here’s what led her to create Knowing Me – an app that doesn’t just change lives — it enhances them. Growing up, I felt a deep passion for connecting with people. I was always drawn to… Read more »
SQM Lithium Ventures, the VC arm of a major international lithium producer, has invested $3.6 million in Melbourne’s Kite Magnetics, a company that produces advanced components for electric motors. Kite Magnetics CEO Dr Richard Parsons said he was “excited” about the new partnership with SQM. “Their support will help us scale our technology to revolutionise… Read more »
Co-founder of Australian tech darling Canva Cameron Adams and his wife Lisa Miller have pledged to donate at least half of their estimated $7 billion wealth to environmental causes. The pair have signed the Giving Pledge, a public commitment started by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet that sees billionaires promise give a majority… Read more »
Artificial intelligence (AI) might not have been created to enable new forms of sexual violence such as deepfake pornography. But that has been an unfortunate byproduct of the rapidly advancing technology. This is just one example of AI’s many unintended uses. AI’s intended uses are not without their own problems, including serious copyright concerns. But… Read more »
Veteran venture fund Uniseed has raised another $25 million from its exclusive institutional investment partner UniSuper to try and draw more startups from Aussie universities. Uniseed has been around 2000 and provides seed funding for early-stage research and technology startups to help commercialise technologies developed in Australia’s world-class research institutions. “We’re proud to have UniSuper’s… Read more »
Aussie restaurant table app EatClub has picked up an $18.2 million series A, led by Co:Act, as it expands into the UK. The app is way for restaurants to fill up empty tables by push time sensitive discounts for nearby diners to claim straight away. Venues pay for demand with a commission on bills generated,… Read more »
A pair of law tech founders have joined forces to launch the I Care About Conflict campaign to give victims of family violence free access to an AI-powered separation support platform this Family and Domestic Violence Prevention Month. Angela Harbinson (the Separation Guide) and Jenny Rudd (Dispute Buddy) are urging corporate Australia to put their… Read more »
In the 21st century, digital technology has changed many aspects of our lives. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest newcomer, with chatbots and other AI tools changing how we learn and creating considerable philosophical and legal challenges regarding what it means to “outsource thinking”. But the emergence of technology that changes the way we… Read more »
Curious about what happens when innovation meets taboo? Melbourne will host Unconventional Startups: What Sextech Entrepreneurs Can Teach Us About Launching a Startup, an event aiming to highlight the innovative potential within the often-overlooked sextech industry. Held on 22 May at Collingwood Yards, the one-night-event will feature discussions on privacy, branding, global scaling, and investment… Read more »
Welcome to Startup 360, this week with guest hosts AJ Koch and Claire Bull who put the microscope on medtech. While the action this week was in Melbourne for Digital Health Fest, we went under the hood of the medtech rollercoaster with two guests right at the coal face. From a funding point of view, you… Read more »
After a week of excited build up, Queensland’s Gilmour Space Technologies was forced to postpone its mission to send an Australian-made rocket into orbit this week – a feat that would have made history. Gilmour Space’s first launch window opened on Thursday but the rocket stayed silent at the Bowen Orbital Spaceport – about 200km… Read more »
Applications for the mid-year intake of AO StartUps, the pioneering sports and entertainment tech program powered by Tennis Australia and the Australian Open, are open until the end of May AO StartUps launched in 2022, and has now supported more than 30 startups across verticals including participation, fan engagement, high performance and event operations. The… Read more »
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