Featured
- Opinion
- Tech Observed
VCs told to get real about their role in the tech wreck
A seasoned investor watching last week’s AFR Entrepreneur Summit was stunned to see their VC peers’ lack of self-reflection about hugely over-valued start-ups.
- Paul Smith
Rate rise that broke retail | How VC picks the next big thing | Chalmers’ Lowe dilemma
In this week’s podcast episode, James Thomson and Anthony McDonald see more signs rate rises are hitting consumers, and discuss how investing can be an art.
- Analysis
- Government Observed
Australia’s dud report card on innovation and entrepreneurship
The collapse in venture capital is likely to stall already tepid R&D spending and innovation, raising profound questions about Australian entrepreneurialism.
- Tom Burton
- Analysis
- Analysis
Ozempic’s ‘an eating disorder’: Kayla Itsines and tech entrepreneur clash
The high-profile fitness instructor hit out at the use of drugs like Ozempic on a Financial Review panel alongside the CEO of weight-loss injection selling start-up Eucalyptus.
- Nick Bonyhady
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Three things Blackbird looks for in a start-up founder
As much as equities investors may be put off by venture capital’s white sneakers and airy approach, the two are looking for the same thing: a magnetic leader.
- Anthony Macdonald
June
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Creative crunch time for entrepreneurs
Crunch times are part of the process of concentrating the allocation of ultimately scarce capital to the entrepreneurs who have the best chance of long-term success.
- The AFR View
I would do it all again, Theranos whistleblower says
Erika Cheung says putting Elizabeth Holmes in jail was never her intention, but potential harm to patients made her speak up.
- Jessica Sier
- Opinion
- Entrepreneur
Tech wreck forces entrepreneurs to wash their own face
Australia’s best tech start-ups know they will survive tougher market conditions, and don’t mind if frothier companies fall by the wayside.
- Paul Smith
Australia’s food, drug and finance regulators can be progressive
Founders say Food Standards Australia and the Therapeutic Goods Administration are open to supporting new business models.
- James Eyers
Larry Marshall says Australia needs more ‘scientist CEOs’
Before he steps down at the end of the month, the CSIRO chief executive has issued a call to arms to founders to find a ‘market vision’ to drive innovation.
- James Eyers
NSW government aims to build innovation hub nightlife
Investment NSW says it wants to help create a vibrant nightlife around its innovation precincts to make them attractive places to work and socialise.
- Tom Burton
Take the cash in a start-up sale, not golden handcuffs, founders say
Several large Australian venture capital firms launched their first funds a decade ago, putting pressure on them to find exits.
- Nick Bonyhady
After a $205m exit, this founder shares his ‘first-world problem’
The former Adelaide Crow footballer says he had tied his identity to business success, and opened up about the fallout of leaving that behind.
- Nick Bonyhady
Better to list in Australia rather than on the Nasdaq: WiseTech boss
Richard White told The Australian Financial Review Entrepreneur Summit that a shrinking sharemarket was a global phenomenon.
- Tess Bennett
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
VC investors talk tough after year of ‘madness’
The boom in venture capital shifted the power balance from investors to founders. But now the capital has dried up, a new reality has set in.
- James Thomson
- Exclusive
- Innovation
Why Larry Marshall turned down a job extension at CSIRO
When Silicon Valley veteran Larry Marshall breezed in to run Australia’s national science agency in 2015, he was the very definition of a disrupter. Now he says it is time to go.
- Paul Smith
‘Just missed out’: The AI start-up that went bust before the hype hit
Elliot Smith has watched with dismay as the artificial intelligence hype cycle reaches fever pitch, after his promising cancer screening start-up hit the skids.
- Jessica Sier
Rich Lister Kayla Itsines is finally ready to talk now
Australia’s most famous personal trainer is exactly who she says she is. And she has a lot to say, including on her break-up with her business partner and fiance, Tobi Pearce.
- Lauren Sams
Ellume’s $58m bailout fails as rival misses deadline
The COVID-19 testing business was once an upcoming star of Australia’s biotechnology scene.
- Liam Walsh
Europe challenges tech giants’ power with new AI laws
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a sweeping package that aims to protect consumers from potentially dangerous applications of artificial intelligence.
- Cat Zakrzewski and Cristiano Lima
Scientists hate asking for money, but make great CEOs
In a new book, CSIRO chief executive Larry Marshall explains the challenges facing Australian entrepreneurs trying to succeed in Silicon Valley.
- Larry Marshall
‘The golden handcuffs are pretty real’: Tech struggles with job losses
There is an industry-wide feeling that setbacks such as widespread layoffs, the collapse of crypto and the Silicon Valley Bank failure are deflating Silicon Valley’s balloon.
- Ellen Huet
- Exclusive
- Entrepreneur
Scuba diver’s tech dream pays off as company sells in big money deal
It was while working as a scuba diving instructor, and running a dive centre in Thailand, that Simon Lenoir had the idea that would make his fortune.
- Updated
- Paul Smith
- Exclusive
- Venture capital
AirTree, Blackbird look to extend VC funds as 10-year deadline looms
Australia’s biggest VC firms are looking to extend the deadline for paying out investors on their first funds due to falling valuations.
- Jessica Sier and Emma Rapaport
Cashed up Aussie tech firm eyes global deals after winning $77m takeover battle
The CEO of Accel-KKR controlled Humanforce has flagged further acquisitions and global expansion, after buying out ASX-listed IntelliHR for $77 million.
- Paul Smith
