Climate Tech

3 things Australian universities need from the Albanese government to commercialise research and help startups succeed

- May 9, 2025 5 MIN READ

The recent call for submissions into the Strategic Examination of Australia’s R&D system has revealed ideas and frustrations that have long been articulated on numerous discussion panels. However, through this recent consultation, it has felt like more practical solutions have surfaced across the ecosystem, and many of the ideas align.  So if we could request… Read more »

Ed Husic
Opinion

Science and industry minister Ed Husic’s been dumped from cabinet as Labor’s factions assert their power

- May 9, 2025 3 MIN READ

Industry and science minister Ed Husic has been dropped from the new federal government’s cabinet as Labor’s factions jostle for position amid a swathe of new MPs heading to Canberra. Husic was widely admired in the startup and tech sector, implementing a series of reviews into the sector during his three years in the role,… Read more »

Mahesh Muralidhar
Funding

GD1-backed Kiwi VC Phase One Ventures closes early-stage fund with NZ$2.1 million backing 14 startups

- May 8, 2025 2 MIN READ

Four years after it launched, New Zealand VC fund Phase One has fully deployed its NZ$2.1 million (A$1.94m) early stage fund into 14 tech startups, including five (36%) with female founders. The fund, launched in April 2021, following the establishment of its early stage incubator community in 2020, the attracted GD1 as its anchor investor… Read more »

Business

Finder is getting out of crypto, shutting down its Wallet

- May 8, 2025 2 MIN READ

Comparison site Finder is closing down its crypto trading platform, Wallet Ventures, after four years, signing a deal with Swyftx to transfer users to the digital assets exchange. Wallet Ventures (formerly Finder Wallet) offered customers access to 18 cryptocurrencies through the Finder App. It launched in 2021 Finder notified customers on Wednesday, saying it will… Read more »

Mark Zuckerberg
AI/Machine Learning

Zucking the customer: Meta’s new AI chatbot is just another way for the company to harvest your personal data for advertisers

- May 8, 2025 4 MIN READ

Last week, Meta – the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp – unveiled a new “personal artificial intelligence (AI)”. Powered by the Llama 4 language model, Meta AI is designed to assist, chat and engage in natural conversation. With its polished interface and fluid interactions, Meta AI might seem like just another entrant… Read more »

Funding

Trumponomics and startup raising: how to navigate turbulent waters

- May 7, 2025 2 MIN READ

As a founder who has successfully navigated the choppy waters of fundraising through the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the Covid-19 pandemic, I find myself facing yet another storm, this time, stirred by Trump’s recent trade policies. The current funding environment bears an uncanny resemblance to those past crises, and the implications for early-stage startups… Read more »

Business

Atlassian cofounder Scott Farquhar takes on chair role at charity group Pledge 1% as the movement he cofounded turns 10

- May 7, 2025 2 MIN READ

Tech Council of Australia chair Scott Farquhar has another board to run since stepping down as Atlassian co-CEO, taking on a role close to his heart as chair of the global social impact movement Pledge 1%. Farquhar was one of the founding members of Pledge 1% started in 2015 via the Atlassian Foundation. Pledge 1%… Read more »

Funding

Queensland R&D finance fintech raises $2.3 million

- May 7, 2025 2 MIN READ

An R&D finance fintech based on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has raised $2.3 million towards a $25 million fund to lend as non-dilutive capital to Australian startups. Founder Alex Knight moved home to Coolum three years ago to raise a family, having previously worked at crowdfunding platform VentureCrowd and debt financier Tractor Ventures, having also invested… Read more »

Jim Chalmers
Other tech

Labor will ‘do more to embrace technology’ in its second term

- May 7, 2025 3 MIN READ

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says embracing technology will be a core tenet of Anthony Albanese’s re-elected Labor majority government following Saturday’s landslide victory against a Liberal-National coalition led by Peter Dutton. The prime minister’s victory guaranteed Labor a second consecutive three-year term and saw Dutton lose both his Brisbane seat of Dickson and his leadership of… Read more »

Daniel Vassilev, Daniel Palmer and Jacky Koh
Funding

AI agents builder trousers $37 million Series B

- May 7, 2025 2 MIN READ

A Sydney AI-based workflow automation scaleup has raised US$24 million (A$37m) in a Series B. The round for Relevance AI was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, supported by existing backers King River Capital, Insight Partners, and Peak XV. The five-year-old AI agents business previously raised $15 million Series A in late 2023 to expand into… Read more »

Funding

AI-based compliance platform bags $6 million Seed round

- May 7, 2025 < 1 MIN READ

A two-year-old regulatory compliance startup has raised $6 million in a Seed round to develop AI for risk management. The round for Haast was led by Airtree, with support from US-based defy.vc, and existing backers Aura Ventures and Black Sheep Capital. The Sydney-based startup previously a $1.2 million pre-Seed in 2023 to monitor greenwashing and… Read more »