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 »
The fact that less than 3% of women founders secure venture funding is a reminder of the deep-rooted gender inequality in Australia’s startup ecosystem. Astraeus Labs founder and principal consultant, Beau Ushay is hoping to take action to change that. and hopes to shift the dial on several fronts Astraeus Labs works with investors, M&A… Read more »
Aubrey Blanche has been part of building culture at two great Australian tech companies, Atlassian and Culture Amp. The self-confessed “proudly woke” data nerd, who believes that bringing empathy to the numbers is vital, sat down with Startup 360 cohosts Simon Thomsen and Majella Campbell to talk about workplace inclusion, how business is dealing with… Read more »
Storm Menzies knows better than most about the challenges of finding funding to back women-led startups. The founder of accessible beauty tools startup ByStorm Beauty set out to help more than 700 million women globally living with a disability to look and feel good, launching last month. Menzies has mild cerebral palsy, and after breaking… Read more »
When Victoria Minell, founder of Recipes by Victoria first shared a video of sushi rice sizzling in a waffle maker, she wasn’t thinking about virality. She was just having fun. That video didn’t just go viral – it exploded, inspiring thousands of recreations and paving the way for her next sensation: sushi muffins. “That one landed me… Read more »
Brisbane patient experience software provider Five Faces, has raised $1 million in a Series A. The round was led by Utiliti Group, with support from Queensland Government initiative, the Female Founders Co-Investment Fund. It’s the first external round for Alphalitica (trading as Five Faces), which will use the capital to develop new digital health solutions… Read more »
Nominations for the 3rd annual Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards have been extended for another 48 hours to midnight on Sunday, July 6. There are 14 categories in the 2025 Best in Tech awards including startup investor of the year, best technical leader, the AI gamechanger, best startup event, and the GSD Award –… Read more »
Nominations for the 3rd annual Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards are now open. The 2025 Best in Tech awards are once again feature AWS Startups as the major sponsor, with Vanta as supporting partner. This year there are 14 awards, including the always-popular Most Innovative Startup, as well as Startup of the Year. Several… Read more »
If you haven’t met Labubu yet, you’re missing the blueprint for the next wave of consumer brand virality. Born from Hong Kong’s Pop Mart, Labubu is an oddly adorable toy that’s more than merch. It’s a cultural phenomenon. Labubu is triggering global sellouts, fuelling resale frenzies and building a fanbase with near-religious devotion. Fans camp… Read more »
Listen to your gut and trust it, says Bree Kirkham from F5 Collective, a venture firm backing women-led startups. Kirkham, who worked for pioneering tech brands including ClassPass, Uber and Airbnb, had plenty to say about women in tech on episode 18 of Startup 360 this week. Cohost Simon Thomsen asked the mother of two… Read more »
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 »
Tech is stalling. Consumer is surging. And if you’re still waiting for the return of traditional VC exits – you’re already behind. Here’s the hard truth: liquidity has dried up in venture tech. IPOs are trickling. M&A deals have slowed to a crawl. According to PitchBook’s 2023 US VC Valuation Report, exits in the tech… Read more »
Quantum physicist and deeptech startup founder Professor Michelle Simmons has joined the board of The Tech Council of Australia (TCA). Her appointment dramatically improves the representation of women in the industry lobby group, which last year came under fire last year for failing to act when former board member Richard White faced inappropriate conduct allegations.… 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 »
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 »
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