This Month
Former Aquamamma CEO says investors should have read fine print
Emma Gibson, the wellness start-up’s co-founder and a former Rich Lister, says backers should have known she had not verified the figures she was pitching.
- Jessica Sier
Start-up says it will beat famous Aussie rival to make a quantum computer
Diraq says it’s on track to beat Michelle Simmons’ company – backed by Telstra, the CBA and the government – to the punch with a commercial model by 2028.
- John Davidson
‘AI powered’ recruiter banks $7m to take on Seek
The Funded blog is the home for news on the tech deals that are done in Australia, as soon as we hear about them.
- Updated
- Paul Smith
- Opinion
- Atlassian
‘We’re stressed and tired, and we’ve never been happier’: start-up founder
Despite the stress, sweat and tears, the founder of Modano says he is never happier than when problem-solving with his colleagues.
- Michael Hutchens
Canva CFO posts disappear as investors express confidence
Canva’s biggest investor is confident its CFO’s abrupt departure will not disrupt its operations, as posts about his conduct were deleted from an online forum.
- Jessica Sier and Paul Smith
IPO hopeful Canva’s CFO departs amid ‘inappropriate behaviour’ concerns
Canva chief financial officer Damien Singh has resigned after the design software company launched an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
- Updated
- Tess Bennett and Jessica Sier
Melbourne start-up chases AI gold rush to US with $19m
AI start-up founded by two Amazon alumni has raised $US12.5 million ($19 million), led by Silicon Valley venture capital firm Lightspeed.
- Tess Bennett
- Exclusive
- Venture capital
This VC firm has hit a landmark - and it’s payout time
OneVentures has hit a landmark moment in paying back investors of its 2010 fund, including the government, the first of the current era VC firms to do so.
- Paul Smith
How you could save up to 1pc off your mortgage rate
Three fintech start-ups – Craggle, Stay or Go and Elula – are challenging mortgage brokers and comparison sites by helping banks negotiate deals with customers.
- James Eyers
Aussie quantum pioneer lands former Arm boss as chairman
Silicon Quantum Computing, the company formed by former Australian of the Year Michelle Simmons, has appointed Simon Segars, who sold the British chip company for $US32 billion.
- Paul Smith
Investor reforms could ‘push the next Canva offshore’
Younger Australians and women could be big losers from changes which could block more than 40 per cent of angel investors from funding start-ups, a survey says.
- Lucy Dean and Hannah Wootton
Tech wreck: Aussie start-up funding plummets two-thirds from peak
Away from the headline grabbers such as Canva, Australia’s tech start-up sector suffered a huge drop in investment last year, a new report shows.
- Nick Bonyhady
What this small fintech deal says about the big shifts in data sharing
Few have heard of Fat Zebra and Adatree. But the acquisition points to emerging data rights, as screen scraping teeters and Apple enters open banking in the UK.
- James Eyers
The Aussies hoping to make a fortune from Apple’s Vision Pro
The $11 billion ASX software giant Pro Medicus and a Melbourne start-up are among the businesses hoping to cash in on Apple’s new $5000 headset.
- Tess Bennett
January
Renewables start-up slashes marketing but still loses $30m
The Mike Cannon-Brookes-backed Brighte has repeatedly cut jobs and slashed its marketing by 90 per cent last year but did manage to up revenue by a quarter.
- Nick Bonyhady
- Exclusive
- Weight loss
Ozempic seller Eucalyptus’ staff cash out $8m
The company’s tangles with doctors’ groups and drugmakers over the blockbuster treatment have not dented its $560 million valuation.
- Nick Bonyhady
- Exclusive
- AI
After $35m start-up sale, founder returns with AI parental helper
Verity Tuck is pouring some of the money she made from selling her first start-up LVLY into a new AI-based start-up with her husband.
- Tess Bennett
- Exclusive
- Workplace disputes
Rugby Australia backs Rebels chairman despite $50m in company debts
The governing body and Rebels CEO Baden Stephenson are supporting club chairman Paul Docherty despite issues with his other companies.
- Zoe Samios
Nicholas Moore-chaired start-up Willow back in front of investors
The company did not respond to our query about whether the raise was undertaken at a lower valuation.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Co-founder exits at $960m start-up Dovetail
Customer research start-up Dovetail, last valued at $960 million, is set to lose its co-founder Bradley Ayers.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
