Diversity and gender equality might be a dirty words in some political and business circles right now, but not for AirTrunk founder and CEO Robin Khuda, who sold his 9-year-old data centre business last year for $23.5 billion. The freshly minted billionaire, who arrived from Bangladesh nearly 30 years ago as a teen to study… Read more »
A health app focused on tracking the menstrual cycle to deal with issues such as endometriosis has raised $1.7 million to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) health assistant for women. The round for Ovum was led by impact VC Giant Leap, supported by Antler, Victoria and Robyn Denholm’s Wollemi Capital, Nakatomi Venture Studio, LaunchVic’s female… Read more »
Future of work education startup HEX has acquired Sydney edtech, EntryLevel, to build out its skills training offering. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. EntryLevel, founded in 2020, has developed an AI-powered, cohort-based learning management systems offering online courses in areas such as data analytics, cybersecurity, UX design, Python and growth marketing. More… Read more »
Clean tech founder and investor Monique Conheady has added another directorial arrow to her corporate quiver, joining the board of Wollongong hydrogen electrolyser startup Hysata. Conheady was cofounder of the pioneering carshare startup Flexicar, acquired by Hertz Australia, and now chairs companies Energy Safe Victoria and JET Charge, as well as being a Breakthrough Victoria… Read more »
Jeanette Cheah’s edtech startup HEX has forged a partnership with the Toyota Community Trust to launch Highway to STEM, a free program that demystifies STEM career pathways for female and non-binary students from regional schools. The project will offer free STEM career training to 1000 students across Australia. HEX founder and CEO Jeanette Cheah said the… Read more »
A new investment fund focused on and run by women has been kick-started with $100 million Western Australian philanthropist Nicola Forrest. The funds have come from the Minderoo Foundation, which Forrest established with her ex-husband, mining billionaire Andrew Forrest. The philanthropic fund has gender equality is a priority focus. Future Generation Women (FGW) will be… Read more »
The best of Indonesia’s SheHacks startup program has arrived in Sydney, with five leading female founders from Jakarta ready to meet with government, industry leaders and investors to explore opportunities for transnational collaboration and mentorship. Sponsored by the Australia Indonesia Institute (AII), and Indonesian telco, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, the ‘ SheHacks validation tour’ marks an… Read more »
The clap is back big time. Over the past decade, the levels of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhoea have increased by 157%. Chlamydia is also on the rise up 26% and is now the most reported communicable disease in Australia, with over 110,000 cases in 2023. But the infection, which is often appears asymptomatic,… Read more »
AI, underwater drones, deepfakes and online gambling are some of focus areas for the five tech recipients of the 2024 Churchill Fellowships. Fellowship awardees are granted up to $35,000 to fund four to eight weeks of overseas travel to investigate a topic or issue of national interest. “Fellows return home ready to challenge the status quo… Read more »
The Tech Council of Australia (TCA) is hoping to address the industry’s “women problem” by launching a certification framework for the sector to address equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) amid lingering tension over the organisation’s response to former board member Richard White. The TCA is gathering in Melbourne this week for the three-day National Tech… Read more »
It’s been a tough time for women in tech, both financially and emotionally, over the past 12 months. It’s been a well-documented struggle to attract venture funding, despite the oft-stated best intentions of VCs. On top of that, governments have withdrawn support, with the NSW government killing off a $10 million fund to back female… Read more »
Goterra and Agili8 are two very different startups solving vastly difference problems. But they’re both brilliant ideas, which is why they were named the first joint winners in the 2024 Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards as Most Innovative Startup. Goterra has developed a closed-loop modular robotics system that transforms food waste into high-value, low-impact… Read more »
For Caitlin Tanaka, founder of Youth In Motion, being named the Future Leader of the Year in the 2024 Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards is already as life-changing as the impact her startup gives to students in regional NSW to succeed at school. As she explained on LinkedIn following the recognition: “Three months ago,… Read more »
Having a femtech startup called Femtek is too generic for Australia’s intellectual property tsars, so founder Olivia Orchowski has turned to Norse mythology for inspiration, rebranding as Kyri. In true Australia fashion, it’s a shortening of Valkyrie, the warrior women sent to choose who, among the fallen in battle, would enter Vahalla, Norse heaven. Orchowski… Read more »
Talk is cheap when it comes to backing women in tech. But the surprising thing is that investing in them isn’t that expensive. Accelerator and investor Startmate, winner of Startup Daily’s Best in Tech Investor of the Year, has supported more than 800 women through its Women Fellowship programs over the last four years and… Read more »
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