Adelaide based sport drink startup raises $500k in seed funding for launch

PREPD, a new hydration-boosting sports drink developed by Flinders University startup Preserve Health, has secured more than $500,000 in seed funding to launch its first products. With money now in the bank, thanks to angel investors and other high net-worth individuals, PREPD is set to launch in the market and take on the big players in ...

Gold Coast training and recruitment company gets three Shark Tank 'bites'

The founders of a Gold Coast training and recruitment company have scored a Shark Tank first by securing investment from three of the sharks in a deal which values their business at $625,000. Jack Corbett and Ryan Tuckwood, founders of ISR Training, jumped into Network Ten's Shark Tank Australia hoping to get internet pioneer and Shar...

Know your numbers or you're in deep trouble: Shark Tank's Janine Allis on startup mistakes

She's a former backpacker who once worked on David Bowie's yacht and if you went back in time to before 2000 and asked Janine Allis whether she'd one day be in charge of a multi-million dollar international business and the young Janine would have probably told you to lay off the alternative substances. The Boost Juice founder...

NYC venture capitalist on what's really killing Aussie startups

As technology continues to scale and artificial intelligence (AI) becomes smarter and more autonomous, the question on everyone's lips is 'will AI ever run me out of business?' Jacqueline Garavente doesn't think so. As a prominent venture capitalist at Union Square Ventures (USV) in New York, Garavente knows more about...

How technology is turning 'crappy' businesses into gold

VENTURE capitalists may have previously considered them 'crappy' businesses not worth a second look, but according to Silicon Valley's sharpest investor Steve Jurvetson the technological revolution is changing that. Jurvetson, the co-founder of the $US6 billion venture capital group Draper Fisher Jurvetson and board member of ...

Entrepreneurial millennials rate Australia low on startup ecosystem

Entrepreneurial millennials around the world do not rate Australian cities as being the right places to begin a startup with only Sydney sneaking into the top 20 of a major survey. Not surprisingly, San Francisco and New York City were rated the top two cities for entrepreneurial millennials based on their business ecosystem while Kuala L...

Steve Baxter looking to sell River City Labs, according to reports

Queensland's chief entrepreneur and 'Shark Tank' star Steve Baxter is reportedly looking to sell River City Labs, the Brisbane startup hub which he founded seven years ago. It's believed the reason behind the sale is not a financial one and that he believes River City Labs, which mentors young entrepreneurs in a co-working...

How to get ahead in one of Australia's fastest growing sectors

Throughout the course of a year, billions of documents are being produced by hospitals and clinics around the world and now almost 30 per cent of the world's stored data is generated by the health industry. More than 1.2 billion clinical documents are generated in the US alone, and this 'big data' has the potential to deliver ...

'Can you see me now arsehole?': the question that inspired a booming business

Nathan Ford isn't your average entrepreneur. From running a bar in the heart of Nepal to establishing a string of IT startups back home, you'd be hard pressed to find a man with a more eclectic resume. While Ford's business interests may have changed over time, his love for motorcycles has remained constant, making his dec...

Gritty Pretty is changing the way we shop by serving 'beauty minus the bullshit'

Sitting pretty with more than 74,000 followers on Instagram, Eleanor Pendleton knows a thing or two about finding success online. Eleanor is more than just an Instagram influencer, she is the founder of Gritty Pretty, a magazine and online beauty boutique which has found success due to its niche formula. Providing both quality editori...

How the CEO of Melbourne's Blockchain Centre is taking the revolutionary tech mainstream

Though it might seem like blockchain is dominating the conversations you have with tech enthusiasts around you, the game-changing online infrastructure is still in its infancy. Companies like CoinStop and DigitalX are dominating the Australian scene at the moment, however the first true blockchain 'unicorn' is yet to reveal itself...

Starting from scratch: how the founder of LABO is reinventing digital marketing

As we edge closer to a new decade, it's safe to say that the world is a very different place than it was just ten years ago. Rapid advancements in technology, sudden changes in the socio-political environment and new ways of thinking about aesthetics have come to the fore in the 2010s. Old ways of thinking have died as we move int...

The entrepreneur turning tragedy around, one milk bottle at a time

For many entrepreneurs, the stories which led them to founding their own successful ventures are incredibly personal. Some want to create a solution to a problem only they can see, and others spend weeks searching for a particular product only to realise they can just invent it themselves. For Sallie Jones, the founder of Gippsland Je...

Serial restaurateur parts with iconic Justin Lane business

The entrepreneur behind Justin Lane, one of the most recognisable and popular venues on the Gold Coast, has sold the business after seven years. Adam Haralampou (pictured right) has owned and operated several of the Gold Coast's hottest venues including The Cavern, Mr Bengel and Harry's Steak Bistro and Bar. Justin Lane, howev...

How a Sydney startup managed to corner the Chinese market in months

Koala Eco only launched in 2017, but already the brand has found its place in the coveted Chinese market. Founded by husband and wife team Jessica Bragdon and Paul Davidson, Koala Eco is a 100 per cent Australian made line of eco-friendly cleaning products. Emblazoned with Australian flora and fauna, Koala Eco products are safe for the en...

The biggest mistakes an entrepreneur can make, and how to avoid them

I am often asked by entrepreneurs, "how much profit should my business be making?" My answer is always the same: It depends. It depends because I don't know how much money is invested in the business in the first place. The amount of capital invested has a significant influence on how much profit is enough. Unfortunatel...

Influencing the world is all in a day's work for this young entrepreneur

Ever wondered how those beautiful people on Instagram score major deals with Australia's biggest brands? Well, meet Genevieve Day, the woman who transforms fledgling social media accounts into booming businesses. At just 26 years old, Day runs her own marketing business called Day Management. Unlike traditional marketing firms, Day...

How the founders of Sneaker Laundry are cashing in on the 'hype economy'

Forget supply and demand, the economy of sneakers is all about hype.  Whether it's the new Nikes, the latest Adidas or obscure luxury labels, the sneaker economy is in its prime, especially in fashion forward cities like Melbourne. In addition to being a hub of startup activity, Melbourne is also widely considered to be the f...

Coconut vodka and coffee scrub entrepreneur spills the beans on viral success

If you haven't heard of Hamish Buckley (pictured), chances are you've heard of his products. Buckley is the man behind wildly popular Aussie brands like Bean Body, Coco Vodka, and Mr Bright. Three brands which have tamed the social media beast to generate huge business. Buckley never intended to create viral and 'totally Insta...

How Sabri Suby built King Kong into one of Melbourne's fastest growing digital marketing agencies

Like many entrepreneurial efforts, Sabri Suby's digital marketing agency, King Kong, was created in a bedroom. With zero capital and no connections, Suby started cold calling one day in an attempt to get the ball rolling on what he believed could be a massive operation. His dream wasn't without prior experience. Suby got ...