Smart Company (Australia)

SmartCompany is Australia's top online platform that offers free news, insights, and resources aimed at entrepreneurs, as well as owners and managers of small to medium-sized businesses.

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#237048

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#6641

Computers Electronics and Technology/Programming and Developer Software

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Articles

First look: Google’s Project Starline makes video calls feel more real

1 week ago | smartcompany.com.au | Tegan Jones

The first few seconds of my Project Starline demo were surprising. Not because my call partner seemed like they were coming out of the screen at me – 3D technology is something I have enjoyed since Movie World as a kid. No, what really caught me off guard was something I rarely do in my daily video calls: making eye contact. Project Starline is Google’s high-fidelity 3D video chat system. It’s been kicking around in development for around five years and is already used internally at Google.
Seer Medical saved by $40 million rescue deal from global investors, Breakthrough Victoria

1 week ago | smartcompany.com.au | Eloise Keating |Tegan Jones

Melbourne-based medtech startup Seer Medical has been revived from voluntary administration thanks to a $40 million investment deal involving former backer Breakthrough Victoria and Cadwell Industries, one of the world’s largest neurodiagnostic equipment manufacturers. Seer will join Cadwell Industries’ portfolio as part of the investment deal, which also includes Singapore-based TrialCap.
US tariffs: China’s Shein and Temu set to raise prices

1 week ago | smartcompany.com.au | Tegan Jones |David Adams

Chinese e-marketplace Temu and fast-fashion retailer Shein will raise prices next week as US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and crackdown on low-value imports push up costs for the companies known for their budget offerings.
Neural Notes: The AI boom can’t ignore the tariff tension

1 week ago | smartcompany.com.au | Tegan Jones

Welcome back to Neural Notes, a weekly column where I look at how AI is affecting Australia. This week: The digital tech industry’s reluctance to talk about tariffs both on the ground in the US and Australia. Last week I was in scorching Las Vegas for Google Cloud Next. The AI hype was enormous, as demonstrated by the 127 pages of briefing material media received ahead of Google Cloud’s fresh announcements.
"It is insane": How a small Sydney cake shop went viral on Chinese social media

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.
AI tops startup funding deals in Australia, but there's a catch

1 week ago | smartcompany.com.au | Tegan Jones |David Adams

AI-first startups topped Australia’s deal count in Q1 of 2025. This marks the first time the sector has led on that metric, according to new data from Cut Through Venture. Of the 100 announced venture and accelerator deals tracked for the quarter, 62% referenced AI-related product benefits. If that wasn’t high enough, the report also suggests the figure may understate the true scale of activity.
ebook: Attitudes to debt

1 week ago | smartcompany.com.au | Eloise Keating

For years, the startup and SME funding landscape followed a familiar playbook: take on debt, seek venture capital, or bootstrap your way forward. Lately, however, Australian founders have been rethinking their approach to raising capital. To find out how attitudes are changing, SmartCompany and Tractor Ventures surveyed nearly 400 SME owner/operators and startup founders.
No receipts, no worries: Labor promises "instant" $1000 WFH expense deduction

1 week ago | smartcompany.com.au | David Adams

Taxpayers could claim an “instant” $1,000 tax deduction for working from home expenses under a re-elected Labor government, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. In a significant pre-election sweetener, the Prime Minister on Sunday pledged to reform income tax deductions for minor WFH expenses from 2026-27. “Taxpayers won’t need to collect receipts” for expenses under the $1,000 threshold, said Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers in a joint statement.
Tariff war: Chinese manufacturers go viral on TikTok for exposing luxury item costs

1 week ago | smartcompany.com.au | Tegan Jones

In response to Trump’s tariff hikes, Chinese manufacturers are going viral on TikTok for exposing just how little it costs to make luxury goods — from Birkin bags to Lululemon tights. They’re not just showing the production process, they’re advising viewers on how to bypass markups and tariffs by ordering directly from factories.
ATO's specialist phone line under review as tax time draws near

1 week ago | smartcompany.com.au | David Adams

Inconsistent support. Confusing extensions. A lack of authority to make decisions. These are a few of the complaints levelled by accountants against the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) official tax agent phone line, just weeks before the hectic end of financial year rush. New Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman (IGTO) Ruth Owen is reviewing the effectiveness of the registered agent phone line, an exclusive communication link between tax professionals and the ATO itself.