Yesterday
Canva makes its pitch to take on Microsoft with an AI Excel rival
Canva has launched its biggest product update, including a move to take on the industry giant with a re-imagining of the Excel spreadsheet.
This Month
Why AirTrunk gave staff a trip to Bali, plus $1000
The data centre operator gave staff money to donate to partner charities from the innovative social impact fund.
Chris Hadley’s Blackbird Ventures windfall
Sources told this column the private equity bigwig tipped in a fair chunk to Blackbird’s first-ever raise via his family trust.
Canva shocks employees with AI-related job cuts
The design software giant has laid off 10 technical writers nine months after telling them to embrace generative artificial intelligence tools.
March
AI company’s IPO fizzer a warning for Canva and Australian tech stars
The biggest US technology float since 2021, for artificial intelligence firm CoreWeave, fell flat on Friday. That has implications across the Pacific.
You don’t need a family office to buy shares in unicorns
For as little as $8000, investors can buy stock in unlisted tech superstars like Airwallex on a market that, at first glance, looks and feels a lot like a public market. Is Canva next?
14 venture capitalists unpack the year ahead
More than a dozen of the country’s biggest tech investors say floats will return, there’s no AI bubble, and Donald Trump may be good news for local firms.
Men dominate tech’s best-paid roles, but women are making inroads
Amid the DEI policy backlash, CEOs in the local tech sector have made progress in shrinking the pay disparity between their male and female employees.
February
After $180m deal, Young Rich Listers buy into $80m AI start-up
Brothers Frank and Jacques Greeff, who sold their tech company for $180 million, have made their maiden investment as rich founders in AI website builder Relume.
Stuck in a rut? Here’s how to shake off the post-holiday blues
If you feel like you’ve been wading through treacle since returning to work, you’re not alone. Career coaches say it’s a common feeling at this time of year.
AI boom leads start-up funding recovery in $4b year
New data lifts the lid on private tech investment in Australia, with a quarter of the money going to firms building products based on artificial intelligence.
January
Big VCs are getting bigger as fundraising pulls out of year-long slump
Seven firms closed new vehicles totalling $3 billion in the last year, money which disproportionately went to the most established start-up investment players.
Silicon Valley’s lurch to the right catches the eye of local VCs
Some 15,000 kilometres away from Washington DC, where tech is cosying up to Donald Trump, local start-ups are pondering whether to ride the anti-DEI wave.
The skills you need to thrive at work in 2025
Experts say critical thinking, problem-solving and using generative AI ethically and productively are among the top skills for knowledge workers this year.
December 2024
With Canva as a client, this start-up just hit $100m thanks to Airtree
The Brisbane company has raised $22 million, and is now backed by Scott Farquhar and Kim Jackson’s Skip Capital along with Employment Hero founder Ben Thompson.
‘Five minutes with god’: Rupert holds court at Murdoch Christmas bash
With the 93-year-old in town, dozens of the nation’s most powerful political, sporting and media executives were drawn to Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch’s annual party.
Canva, Cotton On and Atlassian among the top 20 corporate givers
The amount of funds donated by the top 50 corporate philanthropists has jumped to $1.7 billion.
Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht take Canva to the next level
The founders were busier than ever before their bumper US listing, nailing some early challenges to propel them onto the Business People of the Year list.
Humble starts, billion-dollar deals unite Business Person of the Year winners
Founders of Chemist Warehouse Jack Gance, Sam Gance and Mario Verrocchi, and AirTrunk’s Robin Khuda take the top prize for 2024.
November 2024
Five tips to land a job at a unicorn
Want to work at Australia’s most valuable private technology company? You’ll need to pass the ‘Canva challenge’ first.