Annie Liao 🇦🇺

Bootstrap or venture capital? Ben Starmer, Co-Founder and CEO of Dad Grass, sits down with Krystina Rubino on Growth Talks to discuss bootstrapping your own business versus raising venture capital. 🤔 Find out what inspired Ben to start Dad Grass, how he navigated the transition from corporate marketing to entrepreneurship, and the innovative strategies that have driven Dad Grass’ growth despite the challenges of marketing in the cannabis space. https://bit.ly/4czaDCP | #GrowthMarketing #Bootstrap #VentureCapital #Podcasting

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[HIRING] Help me out here LinkedIn - looking for a legend who will help hundreds of founders ❤️ 💥 FOUNDERS ASSOCIATE #1 Find the most ambitious early-stage founders to invest in ANZ #2 Your tools: run Launch Club and Buildmate to help hundreds of founders start and grow their startups every year >> which feeds back into #1 Link in the comments! Give this a like or tag a legend 🔥

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Mental health company Spring Health, cofounded by CEO April Koh and Adam Chekroud, is now valued at $3.3 billion after raising a $100 million Series E round. The round was led by growth-stage firm Generation Investment Management, with participation from some existing investors including Kinnevik, the William K. Warren Foundation, RRE, and Northzone. Spring Health was last valued at $2.5 billion during a 2023 Series D round. The AI-powered mental health startup matches patients with care providers, selling to both health plans and employers. What the company calls “personalized mental health” separates Spring from competitors in the digital mental health space, it says; its founding eight years ago was predicated on a research paper that found that machine learning could match people with the best care for their needs. “We’re really excited that this is another big growth round in a world where that seems kind of rare,” Koh says. Read more: https://lnkd.in/d-fPU-4Q

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What’s happening in healthtech? 💊🎉 💰The Vic Gov will invest $7.5M to fund researchers to create 50 new startups  run by Breakthrough Victoria 💻 Safewill, bagged $17M to expand services like digital wills, power of attorney, & probate assistance 🧘‍♀️ Pronto Pilates snagged $1.6M in crowdfunding, to disrupt reformer pilates with affordable, trainer-free classes 💼 Hostplus committed $125M to VC, backing startups through IP Group plc Innovation Fund 📜 Private companies will now have to upload health data to My Health Record thanks to the Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 🧪 Aussie women will soon have access to at-home chlamydia & gonorrhoea tests 🤖 Baymatob won ‘AI Innovator - Healthcare’ at the Aus AI Awards for its maternal health tech providing early warnings for complications 🧬 The Fed Gov launched Genomics Australia, a national body to lead & coordinate genomic research, with a $30M commitment over 4 years 💼 Aus's $15B National Reconstruction Fund begins investing in deep tech, allocating $300M to boost quantum, robotics, & clean energy innovation ~~~🌎 US & Beyond the Borders 🌎~~~ 💍 ŌURA raised $75M, reaching a US$5B+ valuation, partnering with Dexcom to integrate glucose monitoring data into its platform 🧠 Headspace laid off 13% of its staff & is transitioning all therapists from employed roles 📈 WHOOP adds psychedelics tracking to its Journal feature, letting users log ketamine, LSD, & psilocybin use ⚽ David Beckham codeveloped longevity supplement brand IM8 Health with biotech company Prenetics, launching a longevity drink 💻 Eli Lilly & Company, the global pharma, invests S$42M in Singapore to launch a Digital Health Innovation Hub 🛠️ Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers trained a surgical robot using imitation learning from surgery videos Keen for the links & delicious deets?? 🍩🙌 Take a gander at last week's newsletter in the comments below👇😊 --- PS - if you liked this and are keen to join >8700 legends getting health tech and innovation news dropped direct to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter, What the Health, linked in the comments below! 💜 📩 #healthtech  #health  #healthcare  #digitalhealth  #medtech  #biotech

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[Startup News] Check out the latest tech trends happening in the global startup ecosystem and VC funding overview this week (Issue 132- June 9)🌍🚀 Top startup news to follow this week: 📌 Brandon Capital raises $180M fund to support Australia, New Zealand biotechs 📌Regeneron Launches $500M Venture Capital Fund Skewed Toward Biotech 📌Biotech’s road to recovery with 46% increase in Q1 venture funding 📌Women-Led Startups Grabbed 25 Percent of Venture Funding in 2023 📌Qatar’s Rasmal Ventures launches $100 million debut fund, hits $30 million as first close 📌Novel battery manufacturer EnerVenue is raising $515M, per filing 📌QARGOS raises $14M to digitize and decarbonize the trucking industry 📌Berlin-based Quantica increases Series A to €19.7 million to fuel growth of its additive manufacturing tech 📌Copenhagen-based early-stage VC BlackWood secures €14.7 million in 2nd closing of Fund I 📌Zurich-based Synthara Capital raises €10.5 million to expand the embedded computing market https://lnkd.in/e6gQrSQd via iFund Lab Narine Emdjian, MBA #startups #innovation #tech #technews #techtrends #venturecapital #artificialintelligence #newsletter #technology #biotech #healthcare #womenfounder #europe #europeanunion #founders #deeptech #cleantech #climatechange #battery #qatar #newzeland

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CaseMark Secures $1.7 Million Seed Funding Led by Gradient Ventures to Revolutionize Legal Workflows with Generative AI CaseMark AI, a pioneer in legal generative AI workflows, today announced the closing of a $1.7 million seed funding round led by Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-focused seed fund. Additional participation came from Rex Salisbury‘s Cambrian, Ride Home AI Fund and Alumni Ventures. The funding will drive the company’s mission to help legal professionals benefit from the efficiency and productivity of generative AI. CaseMark’s AI-powered legal workflows address automating time-consuming tasks like document summarization, research, and legal analysis. This frees up valuable time for legal professionals to focus on high-value activities such as client strategy and casework. https://lnkd.in/e4JF8Mim #litigationfinance #litigationfunding #legalfinance #legalfunding #legaltech #AI

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How can more funding equal more talent? 💼 You’ve probably seen the massive recent exits or secondary sales at scale-ups like Canva - which bring more angels into the ecosystem. But Turo’s Tim Rossanis asks deeper question… ❓ Do we have the technical talent to match this surge in funding? 💰 In the latest episode of the First Cheque podcast in discussion with co-hosts Cheryl Mack from Aussie Angels and Maxine Minter from Co Ventures, Tim breaks down the potential gap in our startup landscape. 🚀 While capital is flowing in, the talent pipeline isn’t keeping pace. 🔍 Australia’s next challenge? 🦘 Ensuring that today’s investments have the skilled teams to grow into tomorrow’s strong, scalable businesses. 🌱 Download the episode wherever you listen to podcasts and explore the path ahead for Australia early-stage investing. ✅ Thanks to our sponsors for helping to make this episode of First Cheque possible. Vanta, Rocking Horse Group - R&D Advance Funding, Galah Cyber

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When you talk to Pete Tran and Ethan Trang, one thing is clear: their raw talent and ambition as young founders. From a simple idea born out of their personal struggles with learning, to winning at Build Club's pitch competition, we have loved watching their growth. Hear about DoryAI's journey in NextGen Ventures first 'Founder Spotlight' 💡 Full blog in the comments ⤵ #studentfounders #venturecapital #australiauniversities #studentVC

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This is a very interesting investment. While East Ventures is generally known to be sector agnostic and have a broad and diversified portfolio, investing in a seemingly non-tech and low-multiple sector is not a very VC-like behavior. Perhaps there is more to Har Har Chicken than just a food and retail play. The team is a strong one though, with the right elements of experience to bring this to scale. If we can have the likes of KFC or NeNe Chicken, why can't we have our own? But more importantly, this is another data point that VCs are trading high-risk growth for more stability and profitability. Given the need for VCs to play within the Power Law and generate returns within the fund cycle, Har Har Chicken needs to scale at least a 100x over the next few years to be worthy to sit in East Ventures' US$550m fund dedicated to Indonesia and South-east Asia. #venturebuilding #venturecapital ==================== Powering venture growth 💥 - Building 💯 SEA-founded ventures through Krux Asia, SEA's leading venture studio by SEA operators

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You've been grinding away at your fund/startup for many years, finally making progress, and then suddenly some shiny new competitor shows up and seems to get all the attention. What's the advice? How do you handle it? Jonathan Lehr GP Work-Bench Stay focused on your path. Your authentic passion and deep understanding are your real superpowers. Keep building, keep learning, and trust your process. Link to the full episode in the comments

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💡 The future of VC is inclusive. BBG Ventures is proving it with their $60M fund II, expanding beyond women-led businesses to back diverse founders across race, age, and income. 🚀 Since 2014, BBG has invested in trailblazers like Spring Health and Starface World growing to $130M+ in AUM and 100+ investments. Their new strategy recognizes a powerful truth: founders who reflect their audience’s lived experiences hold a unique edge in solving overlooked problems. 🌍 From reshaping healthcare to redefining work, BBG Ventures is leading with purpose and data, fueled by insights into America’s “polycultural future.” Congrats to Nisha Dua, Susan Lyne, and the team for championing innovation through inclusion! 🎉 https://lnkd.in/em55Cr9M #DiversityInVC #InclusiveInnovation #FemaleFounders #PolyculturalFuture Fortune

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Is there anything that *isn't* on your plate? Sometimes it feels like you just have to jump in everywhere, and it's a lot of weight on your shoulders. Don’t navigate alone. Join our supportive community that is exclusively dedicated to the startup COO journey. We'll help you ensure clarity, connection, and fulfillment. Join us! 🌟 #StartupCOO #Leadership #PersonalGrowth

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🚀Founder Friday Spotlight 🚀 This week I had coffee with Alyse (Uh-lease) Nicole Dunn, the founder of healthtech startup, CareCopilot. Being able to hear founders and funders origins stories is one of the great joys of my role. First of many posts highlighting the incredible founders and funders in our Carta Community. 📈Business - CareCopilot is a caregiving concierge service that makes it easy to care for aging loved ones. CareCopilot's college-educated, U.S.-based concierges: - Fill out lengthy forms for grants, Medicaid, etc - Make time-consuming phone calls to doctors, banks, etc - Provide vetted, bias-free referrals for eldercare attorneys, home safety contractors, etc 📍 Origin Story - Alyse started CareCopilot after caring for both of her aging parents for a total of 8 years, one right after the other, before they both passed away. It's why she's so passionate about making sure that everyone out there who's caring for an aging loved one gets the support that they deserve. 🙏🏼 Founder Ask: Alyse is interested in interviewing people who are caring for aging loved ones right now, to gather information about how CareCopilot might better serve families. If you're open to sharing your experience with Alyse, please use this link to set up some time with her: https://lnkd.in/e2pz8nTv #agetech #healthtech #founders

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How are venture capitals (VCs) reshaping design — and is it for the better? 🚀 In his eye-opening article, former Atlassian Head of Product Design Darren Smith explores how venture capital funding impacts product design, team dynamics, and the future of innovation. When speed and growth are prioritized, the design’s strategic value can be compromised. But there’s a way forward: by aligning with VCs, design leaders can elevate the role of design, driving products that resonate deeply with users and succeed long-term. 👉 Dive into the evolving landscape of design and investment: https://lnkd.in/dKr29jhW #DesignLeadership #VentureCapital #ProductDesign #Innovation #UX #Strategy

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Great mid-year wrapup from Simon Crerar at SmartCompany on how Australia’s startup funding leaders feel about 2024. Feat. Holly Brooks 🍄 at Startmate, James Alexander at Galileo Ventures and Andrew Poesaste at Rampersand. Data analysis of the year reveals glimmers of hope for fundraising startups, with total capital raised in the first half of 2024 up 30% on the same period last year. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gcQUaGbw #startupaus #startupfunding

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Just shipped this week's Diaspora.nz podcast with Paul Copplestone, founder & CEO at Supabase. We talk about: ⚡️why open source is an unfair advantage — as a product development strategy, supercharging recruiting, and helping build customer community. ⚡️how they are building the end-to-end tech stack for AI startups — seeing many customers grow into the millions of users in just weeks, growing to be one of the most tagged products by makers on Product Hunt + most redeemed Y Combinator “perks.” ⚡️raising $116M, and scaling to ~80 people in 30+ countries over the past 4.5 years, operating as a distributed + asynchronous team. ⚡️building three startups over nearly a decade living in South East Asia. Subscribe + listen links in comments below👇 Subscribe at diaspora.nz for weekly episodes 🎧👈

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The Brainmates team surprised our amazing co-founders, Nick Coster and Adrienne Tan, with custom bobbleheads to commemorate the incredible 20 year milestone for Brainmates! Here's to 20 more years of driving value through innovative product management. 🥳 Don't they look awesome as bobbleheads? Who else wants one of their own? #BrainmatesTurns20 #TeamCelebration #ProductManagementJourney

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Funding opportunity for mental health startups (up to $9m) Here's what you need to know... - Wellcome Trust have launched a new funding opportunity for digital interventions for mental health - Teams can get up to $9 million - Businesses and non-profit organisations can apply - The focus is on scalable, digital interventions to advance early intervention in depression, anxiety and psychosis - Projects must be innovative and have potential for scalable, sustainable impact - Applications closes on December 5th This is a fantastic opportunity for any organisation (big or small) who wants to scale the impact of their intervention. If you want all the details (including how to apply and the assessment criteria) I've shared them all in this week's edition of The Hemingway Report (link is in the comments). __ Thanks to Elena Netsi and Lynsey Bilsland for taking the time to speak to me about this funding opportunity (and of course for all their work to create this opportunity in the first place). __ If you want insights on mental health innovation, subscribe to The Hemingway Report and follow me Steve Duke 📩 #MentalHealth #BehavioralHealth

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💡 Fundraising: More Than Just Money 💡 Too many founders focus only on the funds—but what about the people? The advice? The network you’re building along the way? Here’s the truth: Fundraising isn’t just about the check size; it’s about creating a network of advisors and allies who can guide your business to new heights. When you connect with the right people you unlock opportunities for growth beyond funding. Not to mention you create a foundation for long-term success. At Storm X Capital, we’re redefining fundraising to focus on connections, not just capital. Are you focusing on the money—or the people? Let’s rethink fundraising. #Fundraising #StartupTips #Networking #ThoughtLeader

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