Technology
Tech unicorn moves in on Australia
Cara Waters From the ashes of a failed video game start-up to the world's fastest-growing business application ever, why Slack is targeting Australia.
Reinventure backs Flare HR to disrupt default super
![Flare HR co-founders Daniel Cohen, Jan Pacas and Saul Kaplan plan to disrupt default super.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/o/o/n/j/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnp5br.png/1459156446998.jpg)
James Eyers Westpac's venture fund has taken a stake in Flare HR, which promises to overhaul company engagement with employees and tackle apathy about personal finance.
Welcome to the cash-free cafe
![Saxon Wright, founder of Pablo & Rusty's Coffee Roasters, shows off his Frank Green cup at the Coffee expo at the ...](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/p/y/4/8/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnpz35.png/1459120963079.jpg)
Cara Waters Saxon Wright's coffee business turns over $10 million a year but he's going cash free at his latest cafe opening in Brisbane.
'Want it now' shoppers put Aussie retailers under pressure
![Ivan Lim, co-founder of online furniture retailer Brosa, says technology is a key part of his business.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/k/s/4/y/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnj4i8.png/1458018119417.jpg)
Nina Hendy Australian retailers face mounting pressure to lift their game as shoppers demand better products, faster delivery times and cheap or free shipping options.
The perils of social media
![Your private life is no longer private.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/2/1/v/e/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gndly7.png/1457496033188.jpg)
Christine D'Mello Our private use of social media could be one of the pitfalls of the modern workplace.
GlamCorner scores in the sharing economy of fashion rental
![GlamCorner founders Dean Jones and Audrey Khaing-Jones have a background in finance rather than fashion.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/9/r/9/c/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gn9pt2.png/1456988895881.jpg)
Cara Waters A trend towards access not ownership is behind the $800,000 boost to this designer dress rental business.
Male sellers on eBay have edge over women
![Melanie Fodera, 21, has been selling on eBay for about seven years.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/z/5/1/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gmz4we.png/1455935807297.jpg)
Pam Belluck Sellers on eBay know certain things matter: item description, appealing photos, strong seller ratings and, of course, price. Now, a study suggests another factor is at play.
Tweet revenge for businesses
![Twitter chief executive and co-founder Jack Dorsey is trying to make Twitter more business friendly.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/n/z/o/t/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gmybtq.png/1455856728555.jpg)
Cara Waters Businesses can now take complaints offline and avoid a social media meltdown.
Podcasts for entrepreneurs
![Emma Clark and Tess McCabe record a podcast called 'The New Normal' about parents running creative businesses.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/s/o/f/7/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gmxhyc.png/1457893472983.jpg)
Cara Waters If you're a parent who runs their own business, a business owner who loves a beer or looking for tips on building an online audience, there's a podcast for you.
Image is everything, but filters sure help
![Topaz filters completely transform your photographs.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/p/2/s/2/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gmp2i6.png/1455710753331.jpg)
Terry Lane Two filter sets, Topaz and Nik, plug into Photoshop. Which one comes out ahead?
Spotcap Australia to share in $48.5m raising
![Lachlan Heussler, Spotcap Australia managing director, says he is in talks with all the major banks and expects to ...](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/j/e/a/4/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gmje65.png/1454417007149.jpg)
Shaun Drummond New small business lender Spotcap will use a €31.5 million ($48.5 million) debt and equity injection from private equity house Finstar Financial Group to expand operations in Australia, Spain and The Netherlands and into new markets.
The million-dollar tennis selfie business
![Spectators take selfies at the Australian Open which has catapulted Social Playground into the spotlight.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/a/t/c/q/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gmai69.png/1453424693366.jpg)
Cara Waters Annabelle Smith built a million-dollar business from our obsessions with selfies at the tennis and other events.
Your boss can read your WhatsApp
![Is your boss reading your instant messages?](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/h/v/d/5/8/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gm5poy.png/1452798995784.jpg)
Cara Waters Australian employers are already within their rights to read employees' instant messages.
Outrage at employee-tracking devices
![The OccupEye device.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/3/z/4/8/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gm3usb.png/1452641345885.jpg)
Cara Waters Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper has quickly removed tracking devices from journalists' desks after a backlash from unions and staff.
School kid turns app entrepreneur
![Spencer Porter, founder of LOWK8 app.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/0/k/0/7/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glzo2g.png/1452112515118.jpg)
Cara Waters How 16-year-old Spencer Porter created an app and got it stocked by Apple.
5 business trends set to shape 2016
![Immersive reality technology could have important applications for small business.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/m/j/g/j/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gm03fi.png/1452041749488.jpg)
Adam Courtenay Futurists predict the top trends that will impact on your small business this year.
Tech IPOs face tough investors
![Atlassian co-founders Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar watch as their company's shares open on the Nasdaq.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/l/2/8/8/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glzm45.png/1452487168280.jpg)
Alex Barinka and Eric Newcomer For investors to pile in tech companies will need to show profitability not just promise.
My business fell into a Google black hole
![Matt Lawry, owner of Yellow Octopus, says dropping out of Google's rankings can destroy small businesses.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/l/e/y/5/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gll29c.png/1450064233867.jpg)
Cara Waters Small businesses beware. Google can hijack your profitability by blacklisting your company if your SEO is found wanting.
Drone businesses have lift off
![Deb Saunders from ANU tests out a drone for wildlife tracking.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/i/f/g/w/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gliexc.png/1449555184051.jpg)
Gayle Bryant Drones aren't just for hunting terrorists. They're being developed to assist businesses with everything from preventing shark attacks to pizza delivery.
10 business lessons in 10 years
![Sean O'Meara founded ImPOS 10 years ago and has learnt a lot from both his mistakes and successes.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/f/c/x/c/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glfcdl.png/1449190831675.jpg)
Sean O'Meara How Sean O'Meara started up ImPOS and turned it into a point of sale software business with $7 million revenue.
Making money out of shark attack paranoia
![Close call: Pro surfer Mick Fanning is attacked by a shark during the finals of the J-Bay Open in Jeffrey's Bay, South ...](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/4/g/e/9/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl8lxj.png/1455174602616.jpg)
Kate Jones Aussie entrepreneurs dive into shark deterrence technologies after a sharp rise in attacks.
Why Boots snapped up Rhinomed's anti-snoring device
![Michael Johnson, chief executive of Rhinomed.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/9/4/g/q/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl8wve.png/1448571857213.jpg)
Cara Waters Aussie business Rhinomed, which makes anti-snoring products, has got its products stocked in Boots pharmacies throughout the UK.
LivingSocial offers a cautionary tale to today's unicorns
![The danger of being an overvalued unicorn.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/t/w/9/1/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl8buo.png/1451308365841.jpg)
Mike Isaac and Katie Benner Rows of empty desks at LivingSocial give a glimpse of what life is like when you are more unicorpse than unicorn.
SMEs most prone to tech disruption, warns IAG
!["My fear is that our current models, our current advice models, aren't capable of serving that segment properly," IAG's ...](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/3/4/l/0/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl20ym.png/1447965991577.jpg)
Ruth Liew SMEs are the most likely to distrust large insurers or switch policies at the blink of eye.
Inside a startup pitch night
![Michael Malone, founder of iiNet, is a regular at the Innovation Bay events.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/1/2/z/e/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl15pe.png/1447740465093.jpg)
Paul Wallbank Innovation Bay is about far more than just getting funding for the startups involved.
Online search trumps family and friends
![Edible Blooms founder Kelly Baker-Jamieson relies heavily on online search but believes word of mouth is also important.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/0/1/i/9/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkzwzh.png/1447651212968.jpg)
Cara Waters Research shows small businesses are finding the power of online search is more compelling than old-fashioned word-of-mouth recommendations.
O'Dwyer details equity crowdfunding laws
![Assistant Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer will introduce crowdfunding laws this year.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/8/q/4/7/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkzfs3.png/1447647093262.jpg)
James Eyers Under new laws to be introduced to this year, companies with up to $5 million in assets and turnover will be able to raise $5 million each year.
LinkedIn frustrations lead to Pundit Connect launch
![James Baird found LinkedIn's limitations frustrating and started his own online quoting system for consultants.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/x/h/p/f/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkxdpc.png/1447307431431.jpg)
Cara Waters When LinkedIn failed to deliver connections for James Baird he launched online quoting system Pundit Connect.
The rise of robo advisers
![Robo advice is coming soon to you if these businesses have their way.](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/m/j/5/t/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkvjbl.png/1447307000108.jpg)
Adam Courtenay Robo advice could slash investment costs and eliminate conflicts of interests but will people trust technology with their hard earned cash?
Seven deadly small business video sins
![The founders of Smudge Publishing, Jonette George, Daniele Wilton and Katie Wilton use video in their business to great ...](/web/20160408111140im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/v/6/c/3/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkv5hq.png/1447138359380.jpg)
Caroline James There's never been a better time to yell "action" to your colleagues. But how do you avoid getting it badly wrong?