This Month
‘Five minutes with god’: Rupert holds court at Murdoch Christmas bash
With the 93-year-old in town, dozens of the nation’s most powerful political, sporting and media executives were drawn to Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch’s annual party.
- Updated
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
Canva, Cotton On and Atlassian among the top 20 corporate givers
The amount of funds donated by the top 50 corporate philanthropists has jumped to $1.7 billion.
- Sally Patten
- Opinion
- Business People of the Year
Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht take Canva to the next level
The founders were busier than ever before their bumper US listing, nailing some early challenges to propel them onto the Business People of the Year list.
- Paul Smith
- Opinion
- Business People of the Year
Humble starts, billion-dollar deals unite Business Person of the Year winners
Founders of Chemist Warehouse Jack Gance, Sam Gance and Mario Verrocchi, and AirTrunk’s Robin Khuda take the top prize for 2024.
- James Thomson
November
Five tips to land a job at a unicorn
Want to work at Australia’s most valuable private technology company? You’ll need to pass the ‘Canva challenge’ first.
- Tess Bennett
Start-up stars: what’s happened to tech’s Class of 2021
VC firms that wrote huge cheques on very generous valuations in 2021 are now nervously watching Australia’s most heavily backed start-ups. How are they going now?
- Tess Bennett
Who is Canva’s new Wall Street weapon?
Canva’s new chief financial officer Kelly Steckelberg has seen the highs and the lows of the tech boom, and starts on Tuesday as Canva heads to an IPO.
- Amelia McGuire
‘Nanny state’: Top techies slate rushed social media laws
Australia’s tech sector was stunned at being given only 24 hours to respond to new social media laws, and warns they are ill-defined and risk unintended consequences.
- Paul Smith
Airtree raises $650m for new start-up investment funds
The money for the high-profile venture capital firm’s two new vehicles came from institutional investors in the US and from three Australian super funds.
- Paul Smith
HESTA forced to repay; More Jones charges; Why Australia’s stuck
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Canva poaches a mastermind of Zoom’s IPO
The appointment ends eight months of speculation after Canva’s former chief financial officer stepped down after allegations of misconduct.
- Updated
- Amelia McGuire
Five founders keeping the faith with investors
Corporate Australia has recently experienced a founder “killing season”, but these founder-led companies are still keeping shareholders happy.
October
- Updated
- Start-ups
Canva valuation leaps to almost $50b as overseas investors eye Australia
The design software giant is the largest of the country’s privately owned technology firms, and is seen as a bellwether for the local start-up sector.
- Updated
- Amelia McGuire, Tess Bennett and Paul Smith
Angry members brand Tech Council a ‘billionaires lunch club’
The industry association for some of the country’s largest technology firms failed to act on allegations against WiseTech founder Richard White, they say.
- Tess Bennett and Amelia McGuire
How execs create their own jobs
BOSS talks to three executives who came up with their own titles or convinced an employer to create a new position for them.
- Euan Black
Canva touts revenue leap, new AI tools after Leonardo buy
The $39 billion graphic design company has unveiled new generative AI features after hiring 1000 employees so far this year, and buying out a local rival.
- Tess Bennett
How to have a job you love, save the world and earn up to $800k
This week BOSS speaks to four executives who are helping to save the planet. All have a high level of job satisfaction, and all earn decent money. It appears it is possible to have it all.
- Sally Patten
Canva backflips on forcing some customers to pay 300pc more
After a backlash, the design software provider now says its longer-term users can remain on their original subscriptions as a “thank you for their loyalty”.
- Tess Bennett
September
For some private tech firms, it’s back to 2016
The so-called funding winter may be over for reasonably established, revenue-generating software, AI and biotech firms as valuations drop from giddy heights.
- Paul Smith
The five most powerful Australian tech leaders in 2024
The biggest deal of the year, the end of an era at Atlassian and the rising influence of super funds helped to shape the list of technology’s most powerful in 2024.
- Updated
- Paul Smith
