This Month
Sports stars Sam Kerr, Pat Cummins, Dylan Alcott back tech VC fund
A venture capital firm backed by 100 of Australia’s biggest sports stars has closed its first fund after raising $25 million in three months.
March
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.
February
Australian Jewish leaders to raise millions to fight antisemitism
Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg will chair a fundraising group that aims to help stamp out hate speech.
January
‘Out of control’: Australian Jews express anger and alarm
Prominent Jewish community members blamed the PM for not acting faster to quell the rise in antisemitism after the discovery of an explosives-laden caravan.
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.
December 2024
‘Find what makes you happy’: From zero to $1b in two years
Zeller’s Ben Pfisterer brought Square to Australia after stints at Jetstar, NAB and Visa. He has based his career on one piece of advice – from his parents.
November 2024
Start-up stars: what’s happened to tech’s Class of 2021
VC firms that wrote huge cheques on very generous valuations in 2021 are now nervously watching Australia’s most heavily backed start-ups. How are they going now?
Chanticleer’s 10 legends of marvellous Melbourne
Melbourne has always been Chanticleer’s spiritual home. As part of the column’s 50-year celebrations, we name 10 big characters from the past five decades.
September 2024
Albo keeps it in the family at the AFL commissioner’s lunch
You can’t buy a ticket to Aussie rules’ most exclusive grand final function, so there are few better tests of relevance than trying to score an invitation.
Sanjeev Gupta jets in (and out) of Whyalla
You know what angry suppliers on delayed payment terms love to see? The owner of the whole operation dropping in by private jet.
How Square Peg is luring investors into its $840m fund raise
The $3 billion VC has been a responsible money manager with a handful of successes. But it’s only had a few home runs.
August 2024
Mass CFMEU job walk-off; BHP cuts dividend; GyG’s burritos pay off
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Paul Bassat’s biggest ever bet isn’t a start-up
The veteran entrepreneur and investor will take a leap into the world of politics and policy with the launch of his new grassroots community organisation.
July 2024
Aussie who sold cloud start-up for $2b jumps on AI for ads
Three years after selling A Cloud Guru in a bumper payday, Sam Kroonenburg is teaming up with advertising entrepreneurs with big plans and investors in tow.
The war in Gaza is dividing Australians. Business is worried
Paul Bassat says Australia is fighting a “war of ideas” and losing; John Mullen says business people are too scared to say what they really think and Rod Eddington fears multiculturalism is under threat.
June 2024
Haters not invited on the Guzman y Gomez burrito rocket
Barrackers for the blockbuster IPO will use every tool in the box to paint the Mexican chain as unfairly maligned.
What Canva, Rokt and Aussie VCs have learned about US IPOs
After Life360’s oversubscribed Nasdaq debut fund managers predict 2025 will see a rush of private tech companies testing the public markets. Canva and Rokt are watching closely.
May 2024
Big win for Square Peg as Nvidia buys AI start-up Deci
The Melbourne VC firm will soon be toasting a rich profit on its investment in an Israeli AI start-up, when it is acquired by chip titan Nvidia for $447 million.
Stick or twist? How start-up investors know when it’s time to sell
VCs selling down Canva stakes could leave huge gains on the table, but don’t want to leave selling too late. Poorly timed sales have a history of destroying value.
April 2024
Uber and GoCatch stagger out for round two of court case
Nobody expected a clean fight when GoCatch called out Uber for huge damages, but startling details in the first week of the trial have left both sides wounded.