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Start-ups

Yesterday

Canva.

Canva poaches a mastermind of Zoom’s IPO

The appointment ends eight months of speculation after Canva’s former chief financial officer stepped down after allegations of misconduct.

  • Updated
  • Amelia McGuire
Cicada boss Sally Ann Williams.

A top CEO reveals what you shouldn’t do in a job interview

Cicada Innovations chief Sally-Ann Williams discusses tips when trying to advance your career, and the thing she does every morning to make better decisions.

  • Sally Patten and Martin Peralta
QIC investment director Lottie Bryon, private equity partner Nick Guest and private equity analyst Eden Peterson.

QIC bets on Aussie climate tech companies, backs $200m VC

Queensland’s sovereign fund has joined Westpac and Clean Energy Finance Corporation in backing Virescent Venture’s second climate-focused fund.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

This Month

Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick

The tech industry must evolve beyond ‘problematic geniuses’

A venture capitalist’s controversial comments about investors seeking out “problem child” founders as tech leaders showed outdated thinking that pervades the sector.

  • Claire Bristow
SafetyCulture founder Luke Anear with new chief executive Kelly Vohs. 

Software unicorn SafetyCulture to be run from New York with new CEO

SafetyCulture’s founder Luke Anear says he never really wanted to be chief executive, and that the company may be more likely to go public under Kelly Vohs.

  • Amelia McGuire
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Tim Norton, founder of 90 Seconds.

VC-backed video start-up 90 Seconds fields interest, hires advisers

90 Seconds’ owners have hired Singapore-based boutique investment bank Sansa Advisors to field inbound inquiries and oversee the diligence process.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Dom Pym has founded more than 22 companies, but you probably only know him as the guy who built neobank Up.

‘If we lose everything, we can just get a regular job’

From a childhood that was “pretty tough” in parts, Dom Pym founded 22 companies including neobank Up, which he sold for $116 million. Now he wants to elevate Australia’s venture ecosystem.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Grant Wilckens presides over G’Day Group, a holiday parks company that owns $2 billion of property and is the largest provider of regional accommodation in the country.

This former investment banker now runs a $2b caravan park business

Grant Wilckens spent his early career raising capital for clients. Now he’s the CEO of the holiday parks company he founded, G’Day Group.

  • Sally Patten
Life360 floated on the Nasdaq in June.

Life360 to roll out tracking for pets, elderly relatives to its users

Chief financial officer Russell Burke says the company can simultaneously protect customer data and expand its advertising platform.

  • Amelia McGuire
Hivery co-founder and CEO Jason Hosking started the company after working for Coca-Cola.

‘We gave it everything’: AI start-up calls it quits after raising $60m

Administrators are looking for buyers of the assets of fallen retail company Hivery, which had raised over $60 million from leading VC firms.

  • Paul Smith
Tim Reed and Craig Blair were asked about the culture of treating tech founders as protected geniuses.

Airtree partner says ‘problematic’ founders can still be accommodated

Craig Blair, an influential venture capitalist, says visionary founders are often “deeply flawed” but should be supported as they create great businesses.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Bridgit CEO and Co-Founder, Aaron Bassin. says lower interest rates will be a boost to his business.

Fintech offers $8m bridging loans in minutes as Citi backs $250m facility

Bridgit uses AI to approve loans for those looking to buy their next home before their existing one has sold. It claims an average approval time of about four hours.

  • Paul Smith
Metigy co-founder David Fairfull has been charged by the financial regulator and will front court in December.

Metigy founder charged after using company money to buy luxury homes

The boss of now collapsed AI start-up Metigy has been charged with misleading conduct after allegedly using company money to buy the properties for $18 million.

  • Amelia McGuire
Silvija Martincevic, CEO of Deputy, said the $1 billion had increased spending of R&D.

Profits slump at workplace unicorn Deputy after hiring spree

The company makes software used by workers to manage their rosters. Its valuation topped $1 billion this year after an investment from a US labour hire firm.

  • Tess Bennett
Adam Gilmour said he wants to see the company’s first rocket launched before the end of the year.

Gold Coast rocket company gets green light for first launch

After a two-year battle with the regulator, Gilmour Space has been granted approval to launch its Australian-made rocket to compete with SpaceX.

  • Tess Bennett
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Have a listen to this AI sales call – it’s getting scarily realistic

When it came to selling a new range of drinks to schools, supermarkets and petrol stations, a Brisbane entrepreneur succeeded with artificial intelligence.

  • Tess Bennett
Equitise co-founder Jonny Wilkinson had been trying to secure funding to keep the platform operating.

Crowdfunding platform Equitise calls in administrators

Equitise, which helps companies raise capital without hiring expensive investment bankers, fails to secure fresh funding needed to keep its operations afloat.

  • Paul Smith
Koala founders Mitch Taylor and Dany Milham in the early days of the business.

Milkrun founder Milham returns to his roots at Koala

Koala co-founder Dany Milham will return to the chief executive role at the online furniture retailer he created in 2015, as it booked an annual profit.

  • Paul Smith
Immutable co-founders and brothers Robbie and James Ferguson.

Australian crypto giant Immutable faces SEC blowtorch

The video game software company was founded by the two sons of a Macquarie banker and in 2022 had a valuation of around $3.5 billion.

  • Amelia McGuire

October

Canva co-founders Cameron Adams, Cliff Obrecht and Melanie Perkins at a company event.

Canva valuation leaps to almost $50b as overseas investors eye Australia

The design software giant is the largest of the country’s privately owned technology firms, and is seen as a bellwether for the local start-up sector.

  • Updated
  • Amelia McGuire, Tess Bennett and Paul Smith

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/start-ups-629