Simon Thomsen

Sydney

Contributor at Kochie's Business Builders

Editor, https://t.co/7e1VY3WF5y, @StartupDailyanz. Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita. “Having fun is half the fun": Guru Adrian. Gadigal land

Articles

Business conditions stumble to four‑year low, stoking talk of another RBA cut

2 days ago | startupdaily.net | Simon Thomsen |Lana Hallowes

Australia’s corporate pulse fell again in April, handing the Reserve Bank another data point to mull over as it weighs its next move on interest rates. NAB’s widely watched Monthly Business Survey shows the headline business conditions index fell to its weakest reading since the first COVID‑19 lockdowns in 2020. Business confidence, meanwhile edged up slightly.
StrongRoom AI's administrators recommend liquidation

3 days ago | startupdaily.net | Simon Thomsen

The administrators of medication management startup StrongRoom AI have recommended putting the business in liquidation ahead of a 2nd creditor’s meeting on Tuesday. The decision comes a fortnight before the Federal Court is due to hold another hearing in the legal action by VC firm EVP to recover $10.4 million it invested in the business just weeks earlier.
Fishburners bulks up its board with NEDs Jason Maletic and Paul Umbrazunas

3 days ago | startupdaily.net | Simon Thomsen

Sydney startup organisation Fishburners has added investor and tech M&A lawyer Jason Maletic and fintech entrepreneur Paul Umbrazunas as Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), taking its board to five. The move comes follows a recent changing of the guard with Majella Campbell takes on the CEO role in February. Chair Bilyana Smith said they join the board “as we embark on a bold new chapter”.
Here are the 5 startups in the annual Lander & Rogers LawTech Hub

6 days ago | startupdaily.net | Simon Thomsen

Five Australian startups from Australia’s eastern states have been selected for the 2025 LawTech Hub by Lander & Rogers. The accelerator program’s eighth cohort is focused on AI solutions for legal issues such as drafting and negotiating, legal research, due diligence, and agentic AI. The five startups are: Amender, Courtaid, DDLoop, Lawme, and Mobius. The LawTech Hub, established in 2019, is a pro bono commitment by Lander & Rogers to foster innovation in the legal sector.
Science and industry minister Ed Husic's been dumped from cabinet as Labor's factions assert their power

6 days ago | startupdaily.net | Simon Thomsen

Industry and science minister Ed Husic has been dropped from the new federal government’s cabinet as Labor’s factions jostle for position amid a swathe of new MPs heading to Canberra. Husic was widely admired in the startup and tech sector, implementing a series of reviews into the sector during his three years in the role, with the hope that in his second term as minister, they’d turn into action to bolster Australia’s digital transformation.
Finder is getting out of crypto, shutting down its Wallet

1 week ago | startupdaily.net | Simon Thomsen

Comparison site Finder is closing down its crypto trading platform, Wallet Ventures, after four years, signing a deal with Swyftx to transfer users to the digital assets exchange. Wallet Ventures (formerly Finder Wallet) offered customers access to 18 cryptocurrencies through the Finder App. It launched in 2021Finder notified customers on Wednesday, saying it will shut down on June 19, with the Wallet tab removed from the Finder App.
Atlassian cofounder Scott Farquhar takes on chair role at charity group Pledge 1% as the movement he cofounded turns 10

1 week ago | startupdaily.net | Simon Thomsen

Tech Council of Australia chair Scott Farquhar has another board to run since stepping down as Atlassian co-CEO, taking on a role close to his heart as chair of the global social impact movement Pledge 1%. Farquhar was one of the founding members of Pledge 1% started in 2015 via the Atlassian Foundation.
Queensland R&D finance fintech raises $2.3 million

1 week ago | startupdaily.net | Simon Thomsen

An R&D finance fintech based on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has raised $2.3 million towards a $25 million fund to lend as non-dilutive capital to Australian startups. Founder Alex Knight moved home to Coolum three years ago to raise a family, having previously worked at crowdfunding platform VentureCrowd and debt financier Tractor Ventures, having also invested in both fintechs alongside backing more than a dozen startups including ordering platform Mr Yum (now me&u).
Blackbird climbs aboard the Airwallex train with $60 million ticket

1 week ago | startupdaily.net | Simon Thomsen

Blackbird has added another unicorn to its portfolio, but unlike Canva, has come late to the party with plans to tip $60 million into fintech Airwallex. The AFR reports that the VC is signing on for an unannounced capital raising for Airwallex, ahead of plans to go public in the next 12 months.
Workplace culture platform Hoogly takes the world by storm, winning UK and US awards as it closes $1 million raise

1 week ago | startupdaily.net | Simon Thomsen

Mohit Midha, cofounder and CEO of employee engagement startup Hoogly was at Blackbird’s Sunrise last week, tired but unable to stop smiling after global recognition for in California and London. The fact that he set out to also raise $500,000 and now has $1 million with 10 days left before he closes his latest round is also putting a spring in his step.