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 »
Showpo founder Jane Lu knows what it’s like to ride the rollercoaster of startup life better than most. The only child to Chinese-Australian parents, she was living up to their expectations with an accounting career at the Big 4 consultancy firms. But it wasn’t her cup of tea, so Lu left to launch her first… Read more »
Australian Radio Network (ARN), the media company behind KIIS, as well as Gold and iHeart, used an AI-generated female Asian host to broadcast 4 hours of midweek radio, without disclosing it. The fake presenter, “Thy”, has been generated reportedly using someone in the finance department at ARN. The show broadcasts on CADA – “Australia’s home… Read more »
A recruitment platform that combines the simplicity of dating app swiping with AI-powered soft skills matching was launched in Sydney by a first-time founder this week. Job Matched is the brainchild of Australian-American Kayla Parry, who set out to make hiring faster, smarter and more human. Parry was on Startup 360 this week, where she… Read more »
Last year at SXSW Sydney, Startup Daily editor Simon Thomsen collaborated on a panel about parenting as a founder. Those who were there said it was powerful and one of the best sessions of the week. With both kids now adults and at uni, Thomsen can assure anyone in the thick of it there is… Read more »
Welcome to the Startup 360 with Kayla Medica and guest cohost Cat Long from climatetech startup Trace. Tomorrow is International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme is “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment. This week’s episode explores the challenges women face as founders, from funding to parenting and the self-doubt you can feel… Read more »
International Women’s Day (IWD) is fast approaching, and with it comes the flood of well-intentioned but often superficial corporate gestures. Think pink logos, vague social media statements, and one-off panel discussions that barely scratch the surface of gender inequality. While organisations may be eager to show their support, many fall into the trap of performative… Read more »
The federal government will adopt all 11 recommendations of the 2024 Diversity in STEM review, industry and science minister Ed Husic has confirmed. Husic surprised the crowd at Southstart in South Australia in announcing the government’s long-awaited response to the Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review, chaired by Cicada Innovations CEO Sally-Ann Williams, who was… Read more »
Welcome to the Startup 360 with Kayla Medica and Simon Thomsen. Our weekly show is all about founder fun, finding out what makes people tick and staying human. For our third show, Kayla and Simon celebrate Mardi Gras in Sydney this weekend talking about their favourite works by musicians and writers. Kayla recommends a Japanese… Read more »
Imagine having a groundbreaking business idea that could change lives, but every time you seek funding, you hear: “It’s too early,” “Come back when you have traction,” or worse, “Prove yourself first.” This is the reality for countless women entrepreneurs across Australia and Asia. Women have different financial needs to men, however most financial products… Read more »
The Sydney Startup Hub opened to Antler in Australia’s 13th residency last week, bringing together over 90 ambitious founders from across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Over the next few months, these entrepreneurs – both experienced and new – will test, build, and launch ventures in these three cities hoping to create a new generation of… Read more »
US businessman Dana White has a net worth of around A$800 million. As CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) his salary tops A$30 million annually. His good friend, Donald Trump, rocked up to UFC 309 in New York last November with Elon Musk in tow. Last month White joined the board of… Read more »
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 »
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