James Harkness

Leading tech accelerator BlueChilli will create 240 early-stage startups over three years with the aid of a US$125 million fund managed by Singapore-based VC firm Hatcher+. [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] Commenting on what the partnership means for BlueChilli, […]

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has released a report detailing changes made by the big four banks to remove unfair terms from their small business loan contracts of up to $1 million. The report, Unfair contract terms and small business loans, also provides detailed guidance to bank and non-bank small business lenders about compliance with […]

A new visa scheme will be piloted for 12 months from 1 July, this year, in a bid to attract highly-skilled global talent to Australia and boost the nation’s capacity for innovation, Minister for Jobs and Innovation, Michaelia Cash, has announced.   [Related: If employers can’t import critical talent on visas, they’ll consider overseas hires, says […]

Fintech and other non-bank lenders are set to overtake banks as the preferred source of growth funds for Australian SMEs, the latest Scottish Pacific SME Growth Index suggest. [Related: Let’s Talk… Fintech, FinTech Australia’s CEO steps down but will continue to help Aussie fintechs from Asia and Fintech Code of Conduct recommended by report into best-practice for SME […]

NSW businesses can now apply for matched grants of up to $250,000 under the NSW-Israel Research and Development (R&D) Tech Innovation Program. The program which is jointly run by the NSW Government and State of Israel was established to support innovation and strengthen ties between NSW and Israel. According to Minister for Trade & Industry, Niall Blair, interested businesses must apply before […]

Wesfarmers intends to demerge its Coles division, with the aim being to transform the supermarket chain into a separate, top 30 company on the ASX so it can focus on growth opportunities for its remaining businesses. Commenting on the proposed demerger, which is subject to shareholder and other approvals, Wesfarmers Managing Director Rob Scott said […]

The ACCC has initiated proceedings in the Federal Court against Equifax (formerly Veda), alleging the credit reporting bureau made false or misleading representations to consumers between June 2013 and March 2017, in breach of consumer laws. Allegations include that Equifax claimed that its paid credit reports were more comprehensive than free reports, when they were not. […]

BioConnected’s ‘world-first’ fitness headphones have only been on the market for a few months but – to ‘stay ahead of the game’ – the Sydney-based sports tech startup is already plotting to diversify into the pre-medical space, says Chief Innovation Officer Dr Sven Rees. He described the company’s debut product – the HR+ bio-sensing headphones and app […]

The recent 457 Visa changes are impeding Australia’s capacity for innovation and they could force Atlassian to relocate its headquarters overseas, warns the home-grown software giant’s co-founder and co-CEO, Mike Cannon-Brookes. In an address to the Senate Committee on the future of Worker and workers in Melbourne on Tuesday, Cannon-Brookes said that technology had taken […]

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is warning the public to beware of scammers impersonating the ATO and demanding Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency as a form of payment for fake tax debts. Assistant Commissioner Kath Anderson said that recent reports to the ATO had identified fraudsters pioneering this new payment method when defrauding taxpayers in late […]