Australia’s Q3 2021 tech news
• July, August and September of 2021
• Tech news headlines at a glance
• Quick reference for a time-poor audience
• One-click access to each full tech news article
• Online and drawn from daily tech news
July 2021 | August 2021 | September 2021
Get daily tech news from Asia and beyond, as it happens, from our social, mobile and email channels
September 2021
- Australia: YBF Melbourne has appointed a blockchain expert-in-residence to help startups better understand the potential of distributed ledger technology
- Australia: Giant Leap impact VC fund raises over $15M for a second fund, Giant Leap II, to focus on 3 key themes: Sustainable living, health and wellbeing and empowering people
- Australia: Paypa Plane partners Cuscal payments platform to enable PayTo digital solution, allowing real-time payments and more from customer bank accounts
- Central banks in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa to conduct joint cross-border payments trial using different central bank digital currencies
- Australia: A brief intro to SensFit Technologies, designers of a smart shoe that can detect early signs of conditions including diabetes, dementia and elderly physical activity issues
- Australia: Gov’t enacts new laws to hack your computer, online accounts, and most tech and networks you come in contact with – no warrant and without you knowing
- Australia: The full Emerging Tech Pitch Night video from the recent Melbourne Connect Innovation Week
- Video: Australia’s September 2021 Virtual Silicon Beach Pitch Night – 8 startups featured
- Australia: “A one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit can be built in as little as 18 hours and for $7,000 – provided we use 3D printing technology to do it.”
- She Loves Tech 2021 Australia Round set for September 10th at 10am, running virtually – register for the online event
- Australia: NFT Fest Aus virtual event set for September 30th, celebrating all things non-fungible
- Australia: propper property-tech startup gains backing from IAG Firemark Ventures with data-driven property management and insights
- Australia: Victorian gov’t to establish $4M hub and $2.2M in grants for pre-accelerator programs in sports-tech and agritech
- South Australia Dep’t for Trade and Investment inks agreement with Microsoft, Nokia and others around space technology and 5G
- Australia: New Wave US Ready Bootcamp launched by UNSW and US Embassy, opening applications for female entrepreneurs focusing on the US market
- Australia: A brief intro to 10 sports-tech startups, working with analytics, AI, virtual reality and more
- Australia: Remarkable Accelerator Program expressions of interest are now open, seeking early-stage disability-focused startups
- Australian Innovation Ecosystem Map – add your listing as a startup, innovator, entrepreneur…
- Mark your calendars: Australian Cyber Week 2021 set for October 25-29
- Australia: Startup Central Victoria Hackathon set for October 15-17, with registrations to participate closing October 13th
- “…Australian Cyber Security Centre’s latest Annual Cyber Threat Report revealed more than 67,500 cybercrimes were reported in the 2020-21 financial year…”
- Australia: Neighbourlytics female-led startup selected to represent Australia in global She Loves Tech competition
- Australia: New South Wales and Victoria reportedly trialling facial recognition software in COVID-19 containment, raising concerns over data security, accuracy and more
- Australia: Zip buy-now-pay-later provider aiming to allow merchants to accept Bitcoin payments next year; also planning to launch crypto trading feature
- Download: Australian Cyber Security Centre Annual Cyber Threat Report, 2020 to 2021 (pdf)
- Australia: Immutable raises $60M with Ethereum-based NFT games platform, with tools enabling credit card purchases, AML services, KYC and more
- Australia: Fundsquire investment firm gains Au$75M with focus on pre-revenue and early stage startups in the R&D space
- Download: ‘Preparing for Australia’s digital future – A strategic plan for information and communication science, engineering and technology’
- Australia: Rush Gold raises $3M Series A with app and platform allowing people to use gold like cash – to buy, save, transfer, gift and spend via major mobile wallets
- Australia: Spark Festival set for October 13-27, delivering 100+ events looking at startups, innovation and entrepreneurship
- An overview of Antler Australia’s achievements in its first 2 years of operation
- Australia: The Sydney Innovation Festival starts October 12th, an annual event introducing students to entrepreneurship and the Sydney innovation ecosystem
- Australia: An intro to Tide Foundation, competing in TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield with blockchain-based data encryption built on zero-trust authentication
- Australia: A brief intro to the 10 startups set to present at Pitch Perfect virtual event on September 30th, working in HR tech, fintech, sustainable shopping and more
- Australia: Mastercard to collaborate with government’s Digital Transformation Agency to explore digital ID verification technology
- Fintech Australia / AWS Fintech Megatrends Webinar set for September 30th
- Australia: GamefaceAI acquired in $33M deal by Slinger Bags equipment giant with AI-driven analysis of sports footage, providing insights on a match or sporting performance
- ICYMI: Mastercard now stepping into the burgeoning buy-now-pay-later space with launch of Mastercard Installments service in Australia, the US and the UK
- Australia: 10 startups pitch live, today at 4pm, in the Pitch Perfect virtual event from Startup Daily and Microsoft Australia
- Vietnam-Australia artificial intelligence cooperation network launches, aiming to boost knowledge-sharing in the field
August 2021
- Australia: Harvest B gains VC and grant funding of $4.5M with ‘smart ingredient system’ for food producers to make vegan meat analogues
- Australian organisations most likely globally to pay a ransom if hit by ransomware, IDC report finds
- Australia: Afterpay ‘buy now, pay later’ firm to be acquired by US payments giant Square in $29BN deal, the largest in the country’s history
- Australia: Greenhouse innovation hub launches in Sydney, aiming to provide affordable office space with a focus on climate tech startups and scaleups
- Australia: Startmate launches Liminal*, program running August 16-20 for women considering a startup bid, featuring online panels, masterclasses and breakout sessions
- Australia: CoinJar, country’s longest-running cryptocurrency exchange, unveils Crypto Mastercard allowing users to buy, sell and spend digital assets
- Australia: Facebook launches AU$15M across two funds, Newsroom Sustainability Fund and Public Interest Journalism Fund, and begins launch of Facebook News
- e-news, latest issue: Australia’s crypto MasterCard, Japan’s virtual celebs, new Singapore startups…
- Australia: Citi to launch Spot, a ‘buy now, pay later’ card in partnership with Diners Club, usable online or in-store anywhere Mastercard is accepted
- Australia: Foodbomb secures $4.5M Series A with focus on connecting independent venues with food suppliers, optimising wholesale food ordering
- Australia: An intro to the 6 tech startups selected for EnergyLab Climate Solutions Accelerator
- Australia: Commonwealth Bank’s x15ventures selects 10 startups to pitch at retail-tech focused Xccelerate21 Community Day
- Interview with Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs: “…it was hard to avoid international affairs which didn’t have some form of cyber component…”
- Australia: Gov’t in active discussions with US around regional digital trade agreement in effort to re-engage America in the Indo-Pacific, whilst boosting local tech sector
- Australia: FinTech Awards 2021 awards night set for October 6th in Sydney, with fintech submissions closing September 17th
- Australia: LockBit attacks on the rise, warns Cyber Security Centre, with ransomware that locks corporate files and systems
- Tech Council of Australia launches with Google, Atlassian, Afterpay among its 24 founding members, with sights on boosting tech industry value to $250BN by 2031
- e-news, latest issue: Australia’s Tech Council, Taiwan and Berkeley, payments from the Metaverse, digital asset custody in Singapore…
- Australia: More on the newly-launched Tech Council of Australia, industry lobbying group with 3 core goals including creation of 1M jobs in the tech sector by 2025
- Australia: Splashup takes CBA’s Xcelerate21 win with focus on boosting customer sales for e-commerce websites, adding refinements to search options
- Australia: Transformative Technology Founders sets mid-program pitch fest for August 25th, showcasing the 4-month program’s wellbeing and wellness tech and founders
- Australia’s Fable Food raises Au$6.5M with mushroom-based meat alternative, setting sights on US launch and building on Singapore and UK presence
- Australia: As part of Growth Campus initiative, WeWork co-work giant to offer subsidised work spaces and mentoring in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth
- Australia: Grow2Asia applications open for agrifood businesses, providing opportunity to land and launch in Singapore
- Australia: Government accredits country’s first private digital ID provider, OCR Labs, to offer automated, contactless identity verification
- Australia: NAB joins with Canada’s CIBC, Brazil’s Itaú Unibanco, UK’s NatWest Group, and AWS for Global Open Finance Challenge
- Australia: Regrow agri-tech startup raises $17M Series A with carbon measurement platform focused on agri-food supply chains
- Australian Blockchain Industry Awards 2021 applications close September 30th, showcasing 6 individual and 7 business-focused awards
- Australia’s SEEK, owner of JobStreet and JobsDB, takes 10% stake in JobKorea, Korea’s largest online employment platform
- “Investment scams in Australia cost investors more than Au$70M in the first 6 months of 2021, with crypto scams contributing to more than 50% of the losses…”
- Australia: She Loves Tech competition unveils 10 finalists selected for 2021, spanning mobility, wearable tech, health-tech and more
- Australian Border Force, Singapore Customs and others concluded blockchain trial for trade document issuance and verification across independent systems
- e-news, latest issue: Blockchain in Australia-Singapore trade, She Loves Tech finalists, Indian CBDC, hyperconnected smart cities…
- Available to download: Australia’s AI Action Plan, a key feature of the Australian Government’s Digital Economy Strategy
- Australia: Nutromics raises $4.1M with med-tech tracking multiple targets in the human body via a single wearable sensor, providing real-time molecular-level insights
- e-news, latest issue: Malaysia’s entrepreneurs, Australian e-commerce, Indonesia’s digital economy…
- e-news, latest issue: Myanmar’s mobile wallets, WeWork in Australia, driverless data…
- Australia’s Independent Reserve cryptocurrency exchanges gains in principle approval from Monetary Authority of Singapore to operate digital payment token services
- Taiwan’s space technology firm TiSpace to conduct test launches from South Australia having gained regulator approval, focusing on low-Earth orbit satellites
- e-news, latest issue: Healthtech in Taiwan, open banking, Baidu’s robocar, AI artists…
- e-news, latest issue: Singapore’s restaurants, China’s digital payment QR codes, India’s deep-tech initiative, Australia’s AI Action Plan…
July 2021
- Australia: Cyber Security Skills Partnership Innovation Fund backs 8 projects to the tune of Au$8.2M to boost skills and availability of cybersecurity professionals
- Australia: Victoria state gov’t Alice Anderson Fund set to co-invest $10M million in early-stage capital for up to 60 women-led startups
- Australia strengthens cybersec partnerships with India and US Quad partners, with joint research around trusted autonomous systems for cybersecurity
- Australia: The Australian Entertainment & Media Outlook 2020 COVID-19 Edition from PwC, including sections on e-sports and internet advertising (pdf)
- Australia: FL0 software engineering startup gains backing from Blackbird VC with ‘Dev Acceleration as a Service’, bringing fast, low-code solutions to back-end development
- Australia: An overview of the Startmate Founders Fellowship, 10-week program seeking budding founders in Australia and New Zealand – applications close July 19th
- Australia: ICYMI, the Digital Professional Workforce Action Plan 2020-2024 aims to boost number of Queenslanders skilling and re-skilling for digitally-focused jobs
- Australia: Bundaberg AgTech Hub launches in Queensland, aiming to provide agri-businesses with access to emerging technologies and services
- AgTech resources, from the Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
- Aus/NZ venture studio, Dovetail, currently raising Au$10M fund for seed, Series A and Series B investments in 15 startups in ‘large but underappreciated’ industries
- Australia: Visa approves Australia’s CryptoSpend startup to begin issuing debit cards allowing the startup’s users to make direct purchases using cryptocurrency
- Australia: Gov’t Blockchain Pilot Grants program to invest over $5.6M in investigating blockchain use in Australia’s Critical Minerals and Food and Beverage sectors
- An interview intro to Australia’s AgriWebb livestock and farm management platform
- Australia: Lygon platform has sights on digitising entire bonds and bank guarantees process using blockchain, backed by IBM and major banks
- Australia: A video intro to Luyten construction-tech startup, 3D printing with concrete direct from computer-based designs
- Australia: RMIT Activator’s LaunchHUB pre-accelerator program opens applications for 12-week September 2021 Impact Venture cohort
- Australia: Afterpay buy-now-pay-later startup trialing a new money and lifestyle app, offering users a savings account and debit card
- Australia: SPUR Location Grants Program applications are open to July 30 for businesses using using location data to add value to the land and property sector
- Australia: 2 AI projects to share Au$250K funding under NSW Gov’t Access to Justice Innovation Fund
- Australia: Alex digital banking startup gains banking licence from regulator, allowing the firm to receive deposits from customers to fund loans and credit for other customers
- “Australia’s venture capital ecosystem may be bigger, more established and more cash-rich than ever, but on a global scale, it’s still got some catching up to do.”
- Australia: Victorian government seeking manager for $120M Victorian Startup Capital Fund, a ‘fund of funds’ set to back early-stage tech firms
- Australia: Skyfii acquires Los Angeles’ CrowdVision, building out location-based analytics with AI, computer vision and Lidar to study passenger flows at airports
- Australia: Koinly tax startup partnered by Binance Australia to give users taxation office-compliant reporting solutions
- Australia: FinTech Australia’s End Of Year CEO Address, a year in review
- Australia: Share with Oscar on-demand parking app startup gains partnership with Meriton, Australia’s largest apartment developer
- Australia: Eden Brew gains backing from gov’t CSIRO, producing milk proteins without cows, creating a dairy alternative with no lactose or cholesterol
- Australia: A brief interview intro to :Different, property-tech startup streamlining processes for renters and landlords
- Australia: Spriggy gains National Australia Bank’s NAB Ventures backing with pocket money app for kids, allowing parents to set goals and monitor spending
- Australia: Generator Founders Program launches in Queensland with Startup Onramp and Split Spaces, delivering online learning and weekly group sessions
- E-news: Startup News Asia Issue 006 – a brief look at recent tech, startup and funding headlines
- India’s T-Hub and Australia’s La Trobe University launch Global Markets Accelerator Programme 2, unveiling 3 Australian growth-stage startups
- Pacific Island nation of Nauru rejects low-cost undersea cable bid by renamed Huawei Marine Networks, citing security concerns
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