Today is Youth Homelessness Matters Day. Homelessness is often seen as a challenge for governments and charities to solve, but the private sector can play a part too – beyond throwing money at the issue. Youth homelessness is growing at an epidemic rate, and SMEs should take notice. These young people are future job candidates […]
Sydney is the number one location in the Asia Pacific for startup founders to connect and building strong relationships, the results of a global startup survey show. [Related: “Huge coup for Sydney” – $35m startup hub to host exclusive Microsoft accelerator program, The NSW Government is launching a $35 million innovation hub; the startup […]
Customer obsession and innovation are “very much on a continuum”, Russ Grandinetti – Amazon’s Senior Vice President, International Consumer – told the audience at Amazon Innovation Day in Sydney, last week. Grandinetti, who was amongst Amazon’s first 2000 hires and sits inside its top 40 employees in terms of tenure, spoke of the need for […]
Hearing directly from those who have succeeded – and keep succeeding – in an increasingly competitive and rapidly changing business environment is an invaluable learning experience for small businesses, says Sharon Williams, CEO of Taurus Marketing. “There are many skills needed to run a business, and advisers, mentors, industry events and management events are a […]
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, has encouraged business owners to urgently contact her office if they have experienced “heavy handed tactics” by the Australian Taxation Office. The Ombudsman, together with the inspector-General of Taxation Ali Noroozi, has been directed by the Treasury to examine cases of unfair conduct the ATO. The investigation, […]
Kelley Sheenan, the Brisbanite behind Peppermint – an independent fashion and lifestyle magazine with a focus on sustainability – recently returned from London where she participated in StepUp, a mini-accelerator program run by Richard Branson’s Virgin StartUp (VSU). [Related: Winning Creative3 Pitch helped Darren Tonkin’s photo sharing app ‘cut through all the noise‘ and “If you can […]
Having recently closed a US$3.8m Series A round led by Allectus Capital, Switch Automation is now – in the words of co-founder and CEO Deb Noller – seeking to help a greater number of companies worldwide transform their buildings from “leaky buckets” into smart assets. [Related: Success you can see: nine female entrepreneurs on the attitudes […]
Fresh from partnering with VC firm Hatcher+ to produce 240 early-stage startups over three years, tech accelerator BlueChilli has teamed with Coca-Cola Amatil to help budding entrepreneurs launch scalable, global tech companies. [Related: Investors in BlueChilli startups automatically qualify for tax deduction after ATO ruling and Why the startup ecosystem needs more non-technical entrepreneurs, not stereotypes] Up […]
A parliamentary committee chaired by ex-Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has made six recommendations to the Federal Government to help small businesses compete against overseas, internet-based firms marketing to Australian consumers. In its report into the impact of global, internet-based competition on local businesses, the Innovation, Industry, Science and Resources Committee recommended the creation of a […]
Startups, scaleups and digital disruptors – both within and beyond Australia – are being invited by Qantas Group to apply for its second AVRO Accelerator program, following on from the first last year. Run in partnership with Slingshot, the program will provide entrepreneurs with funding and mentoring as well as access to Qantas’ domain expertise, […]
