Today
‘I fire people just as quickly as my male co-founders’
High-profile female entrepreneurs including Airwallex’s Lucy Liu have hit out at sexist attitudes, and male-led venture capital investors.
- 2 mins ago
- Tess Bennett
Top VC admits Aussie funds will struggle to raise capital
New venture capital funds will be the next casualties of the tough capital raising environment, even if they’re performing well, a Square Peg partner says.
- Yolanda Redrup
‘Nonsense’: Founder slams idea wealth can be created while ‘sitting on the beach’
Honey Insurance boss Richard Joffe says despite funding issues, Australia can be an attractive market for founders, but people have to work like Olympians.
- Maxim Shanahan
Super funds ‘should be forced’ to back start-ups
Employment Hero chief executive Ben Thompson has proposed a novel aid for the flagging start-up sector: reserving 1 per cent of superannuation money for it.
- Nick Bonyhady
Yesterday
Robotic friend company raises $3 million to build Abi
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
- Exclusive
- AI
Aussie brothers’ AI firm worth $120m as big name backers invest
Melbourne-based Affinda has built AI-based software used by numerous big companies around the world, it has doubled its valuation in 18 months with well-known investors.
- Paul Smith
- Exclusive
- Venture capital
Tenacious Ventures lives up to its name with $18m raise in hard market
Members of the Schwartz, Denholm and Murdoch families have committed money to the agricultural technology investor that has overcome hurdle after hurdle.
- Nick Bonyhady
This Month
OpenAI co-founder’s new company promises safe ‘superintelligence’
Last year, Ilya Sutskever tried to force out OpenAI boss Sam Altman. Now he has a new company, aiming to build a machine that is more intelligent than humans – safely.
- Cade Metz
- Exclusive
- Workplace
Say something bad about Canva? It can claw back staff shares
Documents seen by the Australian Financial Review show how Canva shares give the start-up leverage over former staff in a widely used industry practice.
- Nick Bonyhady
This Rich Listers’ daughter is forging her own path in business
Georgia Geminder launched her own toothpaste at the start of 2020 after three years of research. Now she has found a new “boring” category to transform.
- Yolanda Redrup
Sonic Healthcare-backed Harrison.ai boots up $100m-plus Series C raise
Harrison.ai’s management team has commenced discussions with a handful of potential investors regarding the cash call.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
- Exclusive
- Venture capital
VC firms lured to Qld by government funding
Early Tritium investors who sold out of the Brisbane-based company close to the peak of its valuation are among four VC firms to receive government backing.
- Tess Bennett
The ASX’s hottest critical minerals stock seesaws on drilling results
WA1’s market capitalisation was just $9 million in early 2022 but has soared to $1.37 billion after it disclosed more information about its promising discovery.
- Peter Ker
- Exclusive
- Uber
Providoor scraps hot food to concentrate on frozen meals
Online celebrity chef meal provider Providoor will target a growing market for pre-prepared meals, after struggling with delivery services for its hot meals.
- Paul Smith
May
Leonardo Ai co-founder says AI will enhance, not crush, creativity
Generative artificial intelligence will enhance creative work done by real people rather than replace them, the founder of a Sydney-based start-up says.
- Max Mason
- Exclusive
- Executive shake-up
Canva enterprise boss out after six months
Former Google and Microsoft executive Javier Soltero was hired to lead the company’s enterprise efforts, which are key to its IPO plans.
- Nick Bonyhady
- Exclusive
- Workplace
‘If you don’t like it, get a job at a bank’: Canva boss
The design software giant’s all-singing, all-dancing debut event in Los Angeles came with a host of new features – and rumblings of a cost to its tired staff.
- Nick Bonyhady
‘China is run by engineers, US by political lawyers’: Tech pioneer’s warning
As senior exec at AOL and Sun, William Raduchel spent 60 years at the forefront of the tech revolution - and once dated Janet Yellen. Here’s what he’s learnt.
- Nick Bonyhady
- Exclusive
- Canva
Canva, in the US, lifts the lid on its plan to win over Wall Street
It has hit $US2.3 billion revenue, but growth among individual users is slowing, so Canva is relying on big customers to keep its financials in IPO-shape.
- Nick Bonyhady
Replica Ozempic and Mounjaro will be banned by October
The ruling preserves the status quo of the drug market in a boon to big pharmaceutical firms and a blow to start-ups that are trying to disrupt the sector.
- Nick Bonyhady
