For Australia’s techies, the past 12 months have been marked by stark contrasts . . . if not quite boom and bust, then very much sweet and sour. It is likely that 2021 will be seen as the peak of industry optimism and investor excess.

A pack of unicorn tech companies was created, and the start-up scene, led by almost unfathomable growth in the valuation at Melanie Perkins’ design software behemoth Canva, was becoming increasingly influential across the broader business realm.