News
Linktree, the trusted tech platform that connects audiences to a user’s entire online ecosystem, has raised US$10.7 million in Series A funding, led by Insight Partners, an investor in Shopify, and AirTree Ventures, an early investor in Canva. The funding will accelerate Linktree’s expansion in international markets, including global team growth, and the evolution of Linktree’s product […]
A new study has shown that Australians are generally unwilling to sign off on wide-spread use of Artificial intelligence (AI), with less than a quarter of those surveyed approving of the growing technology. The study, conducted by the University of Queensland in partnership with KPMG, shows while 42 per cent generally accept it only 16 […]
Earlier this week, ASIC Commissioner Sean Hughes outlined ASIC’s expectation that issuers and distributors of financial products adopt a “consumer-centric” approach when designing and distributing their products. In an address to the 30th Annual Credit Law Conference, Mr Hughes provided an update on reforms since the 2019 Royal Commission, ASIC’s strategic priorities, and future credit […]
The NSW Government is joining forces with Innovation District Partners, including the Australian Catholic University (ACU), to identify innovative businesses for grants under the Boosting Business Innovation Program. This year’s Boosting Business Innovation Program supports businesses which are accelerating the commercialisation of research products to address the many disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Innovation […]
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced all retail and hospitality businesses in Melbourne can reopen within days, after the state recorded no new coronavirus cases and deaths for the first time in more than four months. When restrictions lift at 11.59pm on Tuesday, Melbourne restaurants, hotels, cafes and bars will be able to host up to […]
Open Banking is here. It’s not scary, and it could save you money. I asked my 72-year-old Dad what he thought Open Banking was. With a daughter deep in the fintech industry, you would hope he’d know a thing or two about dollars and cents. Despite his enthusiasm for the topic, he thought Open Banking […]
The Digital Skills Organisation (DSO) has announced the appointment of Patrick Kidd, as its Chief Executive Officer, off the back of the 2020 Budget’s push towards digitisation for small businesses. Mr Kidd will lead the DSO as it aims to improve digital skills training in the VET system and provide an innovative and world-leading approach […]
Daniel Andrews has announced a “cautious pause” on the easing restrictions for Melbourne businesses, triggering negative backlash from the business sector frustrated that retail and hospitality opening will continue to be delayed. Victoria’s “roadmap to recovery” promised a step towards COVID-normal once Melbourne had a rolling 14-day average of below five new cases a day, […]
The Prime Minister has encouraged businesses to “be the best at adopting” technology but has cautioned against becoming “one big Silicon Valley.” This has elicited confusion among tech creators who question how Australia can promote technological innovation under a Federal strategy that prioritises practicality over originality. In an address to the Australian e-Commerce Virtual Summit […]
Small Australian businesses will be hurt the most if trade relations between China and Australia falter. While large companies like BHP and Rio Tinto can absorb the temporary revenue loss from lower export rates, it will be much harder for small businesses to survive. According to the latest release of ABS data on Characteristics of […]
With You With Me (WYWM) is a workforce technology platform that helps upskill veterans through training, education and recruitment. In 2019, WYWM won Deloitte’s Tech Fast 50 and Tech Fast 500 programs because of its explosive growth rate of 13,361 per cent. We sat down with co-founder Luke Rix to discuss why they founded WYWM, […]
Fewer businesses reported a revenue decrease in October compared to July, showing that businesses are stabilising as the economy recovers from the coronavirus recession. However, experts are saying this may be a sign of insolvencies to come. New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) COVID-19 Impact Report released on Thursday shows that while […]
Paypal and Buy From the Bush (BFTB) have launched an online marketplace for rural small businesses to expand their reach through ecommerce. The online marketplace connects bush businesses to consumers in cities around Australia. More than 250 small businesses have already signed up to the BFTB marketplace. Four out of five BFTB businesses are sole […]
China is the world’s first major economy to grow after COVID-19, after reporting a positive GDP for Quarter 3. The latest economic data from National Bureau of Statistics of China has shown a 4.9 per cent GDP growth in the third quarter, a positive sign after a -6.8 per cent GDP plummet in quarter one […]
With the 2020 Federal Budget bringing news of a new instant asset write-off measure for Australian small businesses, SMEs are being urged to use the opportunity to digitise. Under the new scheme, businesses are able to claim the full value of all new eligible depreciable assets of any value which are first used or installed […]
As the public looks to businesses for the stability and guidance that many international organisations, governments and political institutions have failed to provide, there’s a golden opportunity for Australia’s small business sector to lift the bar and change how it does business. But how can small businesses walk the walk when it comes to upholding […]
Many stakeholders in the Start-up and Innovation Funding sector were delighted to see the Morrison Government enhance the value of the R&D Tax Incentive program by committing to additional investment in its 2020 Budget over the forward estimates period. That is to say, that the Refundable R&D Tax Offset rate has been significantly increased, and […]
A former rider for Deliveroo has taken the food-delivery service to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) in an unfair dismissal case. Diego Franco’s contract was terminated in April after working for Deliveroo for three years. Mr Franco claims that he was an employee and was sacked without warning at the height of the pandemic. The […]
As trade tensions with China increase, Australian industries as diverse as cotton, barley, coal and meat are being forced to reassess their export strategies. Now a new report highlights how the dairy industry plans to become less reliant on the Chinese market by focusing on ASEAN-6 countries. After prioritizing the Chinese market for the past […]
Zip has announced its partnership with Visa, Apple and Google to allow many more small businesses to accept buy now, pay later (BNPL) in store. The company’s new ‘Tap & Zip’ product feature enables Zip Pay users to shop anywhere that accepts Visa1, ApplePay or Google Pay. Unlike its major competitor Afterpay, which can only […]
