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Paul Bassat

This Month

Google Australia VP Mel Silva says kids need to think critically about what AI is telling them.

What to tell your kids about how to prepare for AI

We asked six leaders for their advice to teenagers about the unfolding AI revolution. Their answers may surprise you.

Matt Comyn says Australia needs to use the AI boom as a moment to drive reform.

Matt Comyn fears AI could make us the ‘left behind country’

The Commonwealth Bank boss doesn’t subscribe to AI doomsday scenarios but says we still need to ask: what if they’re right?

May

Blackbird co-founders Niki Scevak and Rick Baker.

The insecurity of Blackbird’s Rick Baker is a confidential matter

The big bird of Australian venture capital has defended his investment in Airwallex during calls with investors.

Airwallex co-founder Lucy Liu and Square Peg’s Paul Basset.

Massive Airwallex cash exposes VC herding

The mega round featured Blackbird and Airtree, whose appearance speaks more to their own past bets.

Peter Devine, the chief executive of Uniseed said a lower fee structure helped convince UniSuper to embrace venture capital.

How this VC fund landed $100m from UniSuper

One of Australia’s largest industry funds has lifted its venture capital allocation to $100 million, ignoring fears about Labor’s super tax reforms.

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Pollination managing directors Brer Adams and Jonathan Kelly and chief investment officer Diana Callebaut had hoped to raised $150 million.

‘Green Macquarie’ Pollination fails to raise $150m venture fund

Despite securing cornerstone investment from Queensland’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, Pollination has had to scrap ambitions to invest in climate start-ups.

April

Matildas star Sam Kerr is among the sportspeople investing in tech start-ups through Athletic Ventures.

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

Square Peg’s Paul Bassatt, OneVentures’ Michelle Deaker, Airtree’s Craig Blair,  Andrea Gardiner of Jelix Ventures, and Blackbird’s Rick Baker are among the investors who responded to the AFR survey.

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

Former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and University of Western Sydney Chancellor Jennifer Westacott are joining forces to fight antisemitism.

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

Paul Bassat says the government should have acted more quickly to stamp out antisemitism.

‘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.

Some of the country’s most prominent venture capitalists: Daniel Petre, Paul Bassatt, Michelle Deaker and Andrew Gardiner.

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

Zeller founder Ben Pfisterer says he “learnt the craft of trying to get stuff done” when he tried pioneering contactless payments at NAB.

‘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?

AFR composite

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

Jodie Haydon and Anthony Albanese take pride of place next to Andrew Dillon at the commissioner’s lunch in the Olympic Room at the MCG on Saturday.

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.

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Well-connected: Sanjeev Gupta with South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas in 2022.

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.

Paul Basset, pictured earlier this year, is the co-founder of Square Peg,

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

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Mass CFMEU job walk-off; BHP cuts dividend; GyG’s burritos pay off

Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.

Square Peg Capital co-founder Paul Bassat is stepping into a very different world.

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

Sam Kroonenburg says he sees a similar convergence of technology capability and market opportunity for Cuttable, that he enjoyed with A Cloud Guru.

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.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/person/paul-bassat-4ov