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1 week ago | 
smartcompany.com.au | David Adams |Mrinaal Datt |Morganne Kopittke
Paul Adam wants to make one thing clear: “It’s just a cake”. But try telling that to new fans of Du Plessy Pralin & Otello, who have turned the suburban Sydney patisserie into a viral phenomenon. Months after a Chinese video blogger visited the West Pymble store and shared his story online, its chocolate mousse cake is one of the most desired desserts on Earth. The shop now opens with lines out the door. Sales have increased tenfold.
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1 month ago | 
smartcompany.com.au | David Adams |Tegan Jones |Eloise Keating |Mrinaal Datt
Melbourne startup Flowing Bee has secured a $1.6 million capital raise, as it automates behavioural science and customer analysis with the assistance of AI. Founded by Michael Sankey, a behavioural scientist whose former clients include ASX100 companies, and Sara Khorasani, a technologist who designed simulations within the Williams Racing organisation, Flowing Bee taps into deep behavioural insights to help brands achieve their marketing goals.
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1 month ago | 
smartcompany.com.au | Eloise Keating |David Adams |Mrinaal Datt |Irene Dong
Victorian shoppers have been told to immediately stop using products purchased from Panda Mart, after government inspectors seized thousands of products from the ultra-low-cost retailer this week over safety concerns. Crowds of eager shoppers flocked to the official opening of the new Panda Mart store in the Melbourne suburbs of Cranbourne over the weekend, prompting security concerns and calls to Victoria Police.
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1 month ago | 
smartcompany.com.au | David Adams |Mrinaal Datt |Irene Dong |Eloise Keating
The managers of the new discount superstore Panda Mart have been forced to recruit extra security and even call Victoria Police for assistance, after massive crowds of shoppers flocked to its just-opened Melbourne location. Since opening on Thursday, the Panda Mart warehouse-style retail store in Cranbourne has seen long queues lining out the door, with hundreds of shoppers eager to visit what some online commenters have described as a bricks-and-mortar Temu.
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1 month ago | 
smartcompany.com.au | Mrinaal Datt |David Adams
The founder of a business based in Melbourne’s west was left pleasantly surprised after meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a recent trade event and learning he was already a fan of their fast-growing brand. Suji Sanjeevan, co-founder of Light + Glo and BrandScent, met Albanese at the Melbourne launch of Australia’s New Roadmap for Economic Engagement with India last week.
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1 month ago | 
smartcompany.com.au | David Adams |Mrinaal Datt |Morganne Kopittke
Some of us search all our lives for meaning and purpose in our careers; for others, it comes to them through passion or innate skills. Take Katharina Mildren, founder of Sydney-based fashion brand Katharina Lou, for example. The young designer’s deep connection to clothing has been there all along, however – like so many other entrepreneurs – learning the business side of things has been a work in progress.
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2 months ago | 
smartcompany.com.au | Tegan Jones |Mrinaal Datt |David Adams
Invite-only subletting startup Kiki has spent the past year shifting strategies, burning cash, and attracting controversy. Now, it faces mounting questions over its financial sustainability, inconsistent investor reporting, and potential violations of New York’s strict short-term rental laws.
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2 months ago | 
smartcompany.com.au | Morganne Kopittke |Sophie Venz |Mrinaal Datt |Marion Rae
For the founders behind Queensland-based business Sheet Yeah! it all started with a need for a truly sustainable and skin-friendly laundry product, which could help eliminate single-use plastic from Australian households at the same time. Today, Todd Windley and Jacque Markie are making good on their mission, with the cleverly named brand securing shelf space for its laundry sheets in 800 Woolworths stores across Australia.
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2 months ago | 
smartcompany.com.au | Tess Ikonomou |Mrinaal Datt |Bri Williams |Genevieve Hawkins
Workers are doing less unpaid work since right to disconnect laws kicked in, with a warning from unions that scrapping the measure would add 100 minutes of overtime each week for which employees aren’t compensated. Under the laws, which came into effect for most workers in August 2024, employees are allowed to reasonably refuse to respond during out-of-work hours. This includes not having to take calls or answer to emails.
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2 months ago | 
smartcompany.com.au | Tegan Jones |Mrinaal Datt |David Adams |Catherine Roberts
Adelaide-based game studio Mighty Kingdom is cutting staff and collapsing senior management roles as part of a major cost-saving effort, following ongoing financial challenges and a turbulent leadership history for the company. Most recently this included the departure of former CEO David Yin just eight months into the role and significant changes within the board.
