October
- Exclusive
- Funding
After selling his tech firm for $1.6b, Leigh Jasper is starting again
After he sold Aconex to US giant Oracle, it is surprising to see the co-founder starting at square one again. What is less surprising is well-known backers buying in.
- Paul Smith
BlueScope, Aconex co-founder back mass timber products start-up
A Melbourne start-up has banked $1.5 million to develop structural design software to bring mass timber into the mainstream.
- Tess Bennett
July
Bassat, Thorpe-backed skincare brand raises funds to hit the big time
Stuff is seeking to disrupt the mainstream men’s grooming brands which have sat idle for two decades, according to its chief executive Hunter Johnson.
- Carrie LaFrenz
March
- Exclusive
- Funding
New start-up fund for founders without rich family and friends
A new angel investor has got some well-known backers for a fund for entrepreneurs who can’t tap up wealthy relatives for money.
- Tess Bennett
October 2022
- Exclusive
- Venture capital
Forrest’s Minderoo joins bevy of founders backing VC’s second fund
SecondQuarter has raised $83 million for its second fund, which lets start-up investors, founders and employees sell their shares without a company sale or IPO.
- Yolanda Redrup
August 2022
- Exclusive
- Venture capital
Canva downgrade sparks valuation rethink for local tech
The tumbling value of Australia’s technology darling Canva has prompted VC funds to re-appraise their portfolios.
- Paul Smith and Yolanda Redrup
March 2022
- Exclusive
- Funding
Investors look for billion dollar Aconex repeat as Mastt secures $9.5m
A booming construction sector and rapid revenue growth has led investors into a big funding round – including the founders of local success story Aconex.
- Paul Smith
June 2021
Melbourne tech firm snapped up for $1.7b
MessageMedia, which provides SMS marketing, has been bought by Sweden’s Sinch in yet another huge money deal for an Australian tech company.
- Paul Smith
April 2021
- Exclusive
- Proptech
Equiem acquires British Land’s Vicinitee tenant portal
Australian proptech firm buys a rival portal that takes it into 157 new buildings immediately and will boost its further growth ambitions.
- Michael Bleby
Why this plant-based ‘meat’ group listens to Ruslan Kogan
Deliciou has some new high-profile shareholders to add to an investment made by the Kogan.com founder.
- Simon Evans
March 2021
- Exclusive
- Venture capital
First secondary VC fund offers founders ‘life-changing’ wealth
SecondQuarter Ventures has raised $51m for its first fund and made investments that crystalise some of the value created by private start-up founders.
- Yolanda Redrup
- Exclusive
- Funding
Raise the Mastt: Aconex founders back ‘spreadsheet killer’ start-up
Rob Phillpot and Leigh Jasper are among the backers of Mastt, which has signed up impressive clients for its software to help manage construction projects.
- Updated
- Paul Smith
February 2021
Tech jobs could flee offshore, Aconex founder warns
Leigh Jasper, whose start-up was bought by Oracle for $1.6 billion by in 2017, says Australia is falling behind other tech hotspots.
- Patrick Durkin
January 2021
Construction tech company Felix to kick-start sector IPOs
Felix will be the first construction tech company to come to market since Aconex was acquired by Oracle, and it does so with Rob Phillpot's backing.
- Yolanda Redrup
November 2020
- Exclusive
- Funding
Aconex founders back $6m construction tech start-up round
Buildxact sells software that lets builders provide quote estimates and manage their jobs. It raised capital after surprisingly growing during the pandemic.
- Yolanda Redrup
October 2020
- Opinion
- Federal budget
There's JobKeeper and JobMaker, now we need JobMultiplier
When I co-founded Aconex, I saw first hand how start-ups are responsible for creating thousands of jobs.
- Updated
- Leigh Jasper
September 2020
- Exclusive
- Growth Nation
How Afterpay and Whispir led tech out of the wilderness
Australian tech companies have had a breakout year despite, or perhaps because of, the toughest economic conditions in decades. Adapting to the in disruption is key.
- Yolanda Redrup
June 2020
- Exclusive
- Construction
Lendlease hails greatest construction innovation of the next 100 years
With "digital twins", Lendlease says it can model every aspect of new buildings before they are built, and detect problems in advance with artificial intelligence.
- Yolanda Redrup
December 2019
- Exclusive
- Funding
Aconex founder gets back on the tools in $8.5m Buildxact investment
Aconex founder Leigh Jasper has left Oracle following its acquisition of the company and has joined the board of construction software company Buildxact after funding it.
- Yolanda Redrup
May 2019
- Opinion
- Sharemarket
Investors can't bet on business as usual
The corporate landscape is being remade at an increasing pace and it seems ASX companies stand to lose more than they gain.
- Patrick Commins