Australia’s Q4 2021 tech news
• October, November & December of 2021
• Technology and startup news headlines
• Quick reference for time-poor readers
• One-click access to each article
The fourth quarter 2021 collection is drawn from
Startup News Asia’s daily updates.
October 2021 | November 2021 | December 2021
October 2021 headlines
Startup Australia
Australia: E-commerce Industry Report (pdf)
- Australia: Western Bulldogs AFL team ink two-year partnership extension with CoinSpot, the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchange
- Australia: Startup Vic x Giant Leap Impact Pitch Night set for October 26th with 7 startups set to present so far – startup pitch applications close October 17th
- Fintech Australia launches Australian Fintech Regulatory Map to help with navigating the country’s legal and regulatory requirements system
- Technology Council of Australia launches ‘Roadmap to Deliver One Million Tech Jobs’ focusing on 4 key steps to be taken
- Australia: ‘How to fund your startup with equity crowdfunding’ online event from Silicon Beach Australia set for October 14th
- Australia: Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology ranked no.2 globally by CoinDesk for blockchain-related courses, research, student clubs and more
- Australia: A brief intro to the 3 finalists in the Food and AgriTech category of the InnovationAus 2021 Awards
Tech Council Australia Roadmap to Deliver One Million Tech Jobs
- Australia: Applications for the 2022 evokeAG startup program close October 25th, seeking solutions to agricultural supply chain challenges
- Australia: VentureCrowd equity crowdfunding platform and Josephmark venture studio partner to help early-stage Australian startups scale rapidly
- Australia: A quick intro to the 19 startups from Startmate’s Winter21 cohort presenting in today’s Demo Day
- Australia: Duct Tape podcast launches, a collaboration between Startup Victoria and Victoria University, with issue 1 also available as a full magazine download
- Canada’s Clearco launches in Australia to back digital-first ecommerce businesses, with investment built around revenue-based financing
- Australia: Vicinity Centers shopping mall chain launches drone delivery service for customers using Google-owned Wing
- Australia: A brief intro to 12 of the country’s female business leaders and the businesses they’ve founded
Australia’s Offensive Cyber Capability – Policy Brief
- Australia: Former consumer neo bank, Archa, to launch smart business credit card and spend management platform that integrates with a firm’s accounting software
- Women in Cyber: An interview intro to South Australia’s Paula Oliver, manager of the AustCyber South Australia Node
- Australia: Gov’t unveils Ransomware Action Plan, in part mandating reporting of incidents and updating legislation to prevent payments
- Australian Cyber Week 2021 runs from October 25 to 29
- Australia: Nepean Hospital in New South Wales partners Vantari VR to integrate virtual reality into training curriculum of the hospital’s ICU department
- EY FinTech Australia Census 2021: “…Where fintechs are three years or older, 88% are post-revenue. Following in their wake, 81% of companies two years or older are also post-revenue.”
- Crypto in Australia, from the Finder Cryptocurrency Adoption Index, ranking the most popular cryptocurrencies across 22 countries
Australia: Ransomware Action Plan
- Australia: Commonwealth Bank to replace Android-based POS terminals with Smart platform in Verifone partnership, providing app marketplace and host of built-in features
- Australia: Zero Co breaks crowdfunding record with range of refillable personal-care and home-cleaning products, raising $5M in just six hours
- Australia: Muso raises $2M with platform streamlining logistics around live local entertainment for venues and performers
- Australia: Applications for Remarkable Accelerator open now, closing in January 2022, seeking early-stage startups creating tech for people with disability
- Australia: Legislation proposed to make social media companies obtain parental consent for under-16s, with fines up to Au$10M for platforms that fail to comply
- Cybersecurity: Australian Federal Police may be set to introduce a ‘more aggressive’ cyber division with legislation passed granting extensive new powers
Tidal VC, Australia
- Australia: Introductory webinar for the new Questacon Cyber Ready Program set for tomorrow, October 29th, aiming to improve cybersecurity skills, awareness and job readiness
- Australia: Byron Bay to host Australia’s largest Bitcoin mining operation, running on green energy
- FoodBytes! by Rabobank unveils 15 food and agriculture startups selected to present at the 2021 FoodBytes! Pitch virtual competition on November 10th
- Australia: Startmate accelerator launches Engineering Fellowship, connecting experienced engineers with networks within the Startmate community of ANZ startups, investors and partners
- Australian Fintech Landscape 2021 now available to download from KPMG, a one-page snapshot of the companies in the sector
- Australia: Commission proposes smartphone ‘choice screen’ to combat Google search monopoly, and steps to prevent Google paying Apple for search default
- Webinar: Cyber Security & Critical Technologies – Australia India Bi-Lateral Ecosystem Connect event for business and startup collaboration opportunities
- Fintech in Vietnam online launch event set for October 27th, focusing on how Australian companies can be part of the emerging fintech sector in the country
CoinSpot: Trade Ethereum, Bitcoin, Ripple…
November 2021 headlines
Australia’s tech news
Cool Points Club / Re-imagining climate action with blockchain
- Download: Australian Digital Inclusion Index 2021 – Measuring Australia’s Digital Divide (pdf)
- South Australian gov’t opens EOIs for agri-tech firms looking to develop and commercialise, using AgTech startup hubs at PIRSA AgTech Demonstration farms
- Sunny Skin beauty brand startup debuts its first NFT collection, seeing digital influencer marketing as a core brand component
- Australian Securities and Investment Commission raises oversight of investment side of local cryptocurrency market with licences for crypto-asset holders
- West Tech Fest set for December 6-10, running out of Perth, Western Australia
- Commonwealth Bank to become the country’s first main-street bank to offer a platform for retail customers to trade crypto, partnering NY’s Gemini Trust exchange
Instagram: Asia’s tech news
- NSW Gov’t to establish IDSupport NSW, providing a one-stop shop for victims of identity theft, replacing documents and providing support and counselling
- YBF innovation and tech hub has called in administrators in bid to reboot following long-term impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne
- The Sydney Dialogue is next week, 17-19 November, a summit for emerging, critical and cyber technologies featuring speakers including India’s Modi and Japan’s Abe
- Extreme Tech Challenge’s Australia competition applications close November 24th, seeking purpose-driven startups addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals
- FinTech Australia unveils Investor Map, featuring funding sources across venture capitalists, angel funds, corporate investors, crowdfunders and incubators
- An intro to Oxamii’s smart grid software platform enabling residents, community organisations and businesses to buy and sell energy from renewable sources in their local community
Deloitte: 2022 Tech, Media, Telecoms Predictions (pdf)
- Governor of Victoria Startup Awards launches to celebrate the $10.5BN sector and showcase entrepreneurs, leaders and investors across the ecosystem
- Tasmania’s Sea Forest wins Ocean Impact Pitchfest with use of asparagopsis seaweed in livestock feed, reducing methane emissions by 90%
- MYAMI launches digital fashion line, with the aim of dressing the metaverse using NFT-driven digital wardrobes
- Sustainable Fintech Demo Day 2021 from StartupBootcamp and Fintech Australia set for December 9th, showcasing 10 sustainability-focused startups
- Main Sequence, the CSIRO venture capital fund, aims for celebrity co-investment in renewable energy and deep-tech startups with Voice Capital program
- Construction Startup Competition 2021 in the US selects Presien and ProcurePro amongst winners, with AI-driven HR risk management and subcontractor procurement respectively
- ‘Startup Isolation – addressing the elephant in the room’ event set for December 8th, looking at the mental health challenges of entrepreneurship
Cool Gram / Make your Instagram carbon negative
- SproutX 2021 Demo Day set for December 1st, showcasing 4 startups addressing challenges in the agrifood supply chain
- That Startup Show webseries and podcast returns with 6-part season, commencing November 18th and aiming to explore the metaverse
- Annie Parker, Microsoft’s head of startups, to take on exec director role of the The Greater Sydney Commission’s Tech Central innovation hub
- Zoomo raises $60M with electric bike subscription service, focused on last-mile deliveries for gig workers and couriers
- Google to invest Au$1BN in infrastructure, research and partnerships over 5 years to aid development of the country’s digital economy under Digital Future Initiative
- Commonwealth Bank to integrate retail offers into mobile banking app with Little Birdie partnership, likely aiming for eventual ‘super app’ status in financial services
- Australia’s ValAi takes overall win at Global Open Finance Challenge with financial services focus on achieving a zero-carbon, nature-positive global economy
Tech Council of Australia
- ‘Female Founder Funding Roundtable – Redressing the Balance’ takes place online on November 25th, an event from Techboard
- LaunchVic to back 75 potential startup investors for participation in VC Catalyst course at University of Melbourne-based Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship
- Australia’s looming tech skills shortage: “…estimates that Australia will need to upskill an extra 200,000 tech workers over the next few years.”
- Fishburners launches Tech for Good awards program to recognise social impact and climate focused startups across 6 categories
- An intro to the 23 female founders and startups that presented at the 2021 Atto Accelerator Demo Day
- A look at Greener app, aiming to make it easy for consumers to identify and spend on brands that are focusing on sustainability, climate change and more
- Ikea rolls out Mobile Checkout, allowing customers to scan products by phone as they shop, paying at fast-track checkouts without unpacking and repacking bags
- PwC Australia NewLaw partners Checkbox no-code platform to provide legal clients with document and workflow automation for in-house legal departments
AusPost: Australia’s Online Shopping 2021 report (pdf)
- Packapill medications delivery platform partners Western Diagnostics Pathology for teleconsultations, adding to 3-hour on-demand delivery services
- ‘The Future of the Digital CBD in Melbourne and Beyond’ – first report release event set for December 1st, from RMIT Blockchain Innovation Hub
- Visa backs Australia’s Basiq, open banking platform bridging 100 banks and 150 fintechs which provides access to account data for lending, banking, BNPL and more
- Techstars SportsTech Melbourne Accelerator applications close December 1st for program running March to June 2022
- Ride Protect insurance-tech startup launches service to provide cover for the gig economy’s ride-share and food delivery drivers
- An intro to HelpPay, first-of-its-kind platform allowing people to securely share bills with family and friends via app, allowing others to help with payments
- NSW gov’t partners Microsoft and others to focus on apartment building defects using blockchain and AI to secure and record provenance details
- 2021 Australian Impact Investment Awards nominations close this week, Wednesday December 1st
- H2Oai closes $100M in funding led by Commonwealth Bank of Australia, with CBA set to explore artificial intelligence-driven products and services
Islands of Cool / Climate change, blockchain & NFTs
December 2021 headlines
Australian startup news
Deloitte: 2022 Tech, Media, Telecoms Predictions (pdf)
- Australia: Audalize looks to UK and NZ for expansion with background music supply for digital signage, messaging and ambient visuals for hospitality, retail and similar industries
- Australia: Victorian state gov’t unveils $2BN ‘Breakthrough Victoria Fund’, aiming to bridge gap between discovery and commercialisation in health sciences, agri-food, digital technologies and more
- Australia: Gov’t proposes defamation laws holding social platforms like Facebook or Twitter accountable for troll comments made against users
- Australia: Mr Yum raises $65M Series A with QR-based mobile ordering and payments platform, boasting use in more than 1500 venues
- Australia: Carma online used car platform raises $20M, emerging from stealth and opening its first inspection and reconditioning facility in Sydney
- Australia’s Sample backed by Sequoia Capital India with LinkedIn-style professional network for people in hospitality, retail, warehousing and other essential daily services
MDEC: Southeast Asia Gaming Industry Report 2021 (pdf)
- ICYMI: The Victorian Big Battery lithium-ion battery energy storage system, Australia’s largest, is now online
- Australia to create licencing framework for crypto exchanges, and to consider retail central bank digital currency, in biggest overhaul of payments industry in 25 years
- Porsche Australia launches 3-item NFT series to celebrate 70th anniversary
- Australia: West Tech Fest conference gains $500K support commitment for 2022 edition from Western Australia government
- Australia: Dataro raises $2.5M with artificial intelligence-driven approach to changing how charity fundraising works
- Australia: An intro to Vyro, aiming to make the process of purchasing electric vehicles simpler and less costly than auto dealership models provide
- ICYMI: Australia and South Korea ink $1BN defense deal to build an armoured vehicles centre of excellence facility in Geelong, Victoria
- Australia: An intro to the 13 tech startups selected for backing under the 4th Seed Investment Program from Skalata Ventures
KPMG: Australian Fintech Landscape 2021 (pdf)
- Australia and United States sign agreement to ease justice department access to digital phone and email records needed in criminal investigations
- Australia: VOLY raises Au$18M to scale ‘supermarket of the future’, featuring delivery by e-bike, sourcing direct from suppliers, micro-fulfilment centres and more
- Wild Futures startup ideas competition applications open to January 17th 2022, an opportunity to pitch to Blackbird VC for entrepreneurs in Australia and New Zealand
- Australia: An intro to Aussie Angels, pooled-funds investment platform allowing investors to join investment syndicates to back the next wave of Australian startups
- Australia’s augmented reality treasure hunt company iHunt4 preps for US growth following selection for display at US National Retail Federation’s Big Show in New York
- Australia: Vivi, fast-growing education-tech startup, raises $20M with sights on team and market growth in the Americas, Europe and Asia
CoinSpot: Trade Ethereum, Bitcoin, Ripple…
- Australia: Gov’t Digital Transformation Agency has been trialling digital ID age verification for online alcohol purchases, with tech potentially later applied to gambling, gaming and more
- Australia: NSW government earmarks $8.9M to work on personalised digital wallet to allow citizens to prove identity and share decentralised, verifiable credentials
- Australia: A quick interview intro to Urban Swan, aiming to solve the problem of bad and boring dating experiences
- ICYMI: Australia plans for 3 major offshore wind developments, with 2 to be floating wind farms rather than bottom-fixed installations
- Australia / Singapore: Big Tiny raises Au$4.2M pre-A funding, focusing on design, manufacture and assembly of tiny houses, partnering hosts to operate as small guest accommodations
- Singapore’s Trovio digitisation, tokenisation and provenance services firm merges with Australia’s TCM Capital digital asset manager to form crypto entity valued at $200M
AusPost: Australia’s Online Shopping 2021 report (pdf)
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