Asia-Pacific (APAC) Tech News

765 stories · Updated every 5 minutes · Page 2 of 20

1. Snakes, and their ladders

   StartupDaily · 16 Oct 2026, 09:38 IST

   Australia keeps feeding giants while startups starve on “ladders” that vanish.

2. Three ANZ startups that raised $20.3 million this week

   SmartCompany · 16 Oct 2026, 06:04 IST

   Payments technology was the real theme of this week's startup raises, with three businesses across Australia and New Zealand scooping up new funding. The post Three ANZ startups that raised $20.3 million this week appeared first on...

3. AI invoice fraud fintech bags $5.3 million in Seed round

   StartupDaily · 15 Oct 2026, 03:31 IST

   RedOwl grabs $5.3m to stop invoice fraud before cash leaks from corporate pipes.

4. Mark Zuckerberg goes viral for appearing to choke back a Guinness

   SmartCompany · 15 Oct 2026, 10:13 IST

   The Meta CEO has been ridiculed for his beer drinking technique on Stripe co-founder John Collison's podcast, but Zuckerberg said "that's just my face." The post Mark Zuckerberg goes viral for appearing to choke back a Guinness appeared...

5. GAMING: “People love this event”: Parallels returns despite funding cut

   StartupDaily · 14 Oct 2026, 07:35 IST

   Thanks to its dedicated volunteers, Parallels returned to Melbourne International Games Week.

6. Before VCs, a university writes the first cheque

   StartupDaily · 15 Oct 2026, 09:31 IST

   UNSW just out-hustled VCs with $1.6M for 16 pre-seed startups.

7. Fintech census puts Canberra’s startup tax debate to the test

   StartupDaily · 15 Oct 2026, 05:34 IST

   Australia’s fintechs are growing up, but Canberra’s tax tinkering won’t fix funding, regulation or procurement gridlock.

8. The big way Target and Big W are disrupting Amazon in Australia

   SmartCompany · 15 Oct 2026, 05:06 IST

   Two of Amazon's major advantages are delivery speed and range. Major moves by Target and Big W could change that. The post The big way Target and Big W are disrupting Amazon in Australia appeared first on SmartCompany .

9. Meet the 55 deep tech startups pitching investors at UNSW’s showcase

   StartupDaily · 14 Oct 2026, 13:08 IST

   Meet the innovators, and the big ideas, hoping to wow investors.

10. Australia’s innovation minister wants big ideas built here – but please step over the rotting corpse of startups killed by his government’s policies

    StartupDaily · 14 Oct 2026, 12:42 IST

    Ayres wants “built here” innovation while Labor tax tweaks kneecap startups.

11. Aly combats “racist” backlash to ATO plan, discloses 19 death threats in past week

    SmartCompany · 14 Oct 2026, 06:43 IST

    Small Business Minister Anne Aly has denounced an Opposition member's comments that she be "stoned in the square." The post Aly combats “racist” backlash to ATO plan, discloses 19 death threats in past week appeared first on SmartCompany .

12. How this founder took legal tech startup Dispute Buddy from zero to $2 million ARR in just 9 months

    StartupDaily · 13 Oct 2026, 11:22 IST

    Dispute Buddy hit $2M ARR in 9 months by dodging VC, chasing hard feedback, and rebuilding.

13. Credit card fintech taps $11 million raise

    StartupDaily · 13 Oct 2026, 10:40 IST

    Archa grabs $11m equity and $50m debt to kill personal guarantees and police corporate spend with AI.

14. ‘People take your business more seriously’: Why IP is a hot ticket for growth

    SmartCompany · 13 Oct 2026, 09:52 IST

    Intellectual property rights are proving to be a strategic move for startups on the rise. The post ‘People take your business more seriously’: Why IP is a hot ticket for growth appeared first on SmartCompany .

15. “We’re building an era-defining business for Australia”: The startups building global tech powerhouses from Wollongong

    StartupDaily · 13 Oct 2026, 10:00 IST

    From green hydrogen innovator Hysata to fintech unicorn Scalapay, Wollongong is home to a growing cohort of companies translating local capability into global growth.

16. Australian startup funding rose 80% in Q3, even without the Firmus megaround, but big deals still dominated

    StartupDaily · 13 Oct 2026, 01:20 IST

    Startup cash jumped 80% in Q3, but mega-deals and AI hype hogged the spoils while women got crumbs.

17. Kiwi open banking fintech Qippay pockets NZ$5 million for 25% stake

    StartupDaily · 12 Oct 2026, 10:28 IST

    Five-year-old Auckland fintech Qippay has raised NZ$5 million (A$4m) with Australian All Roads Wholesale Fund taking a 25% stake in parent business, Qippay Group. The deal, transaction, expected to complete...

18. July founders take 20% stake in Memobottle at $10 million valuation

    SmartCompany · 12 Oct 2026, 06:52 IST

    The founders of Australian luggage brand July have acquired a 20% stake in Melbourne-based memobottle at a $10 million valuation, as the design-led drinkware business prepares to launch a new product and accelerate its international...

19. Adidas sues White Fox alleging Aussie brand infringed its three-stripe trademark

    SmartCompany · 12 Oct 2026, 05:55 IST

    Adidas is suing the online fast-fashion retailer in the Federal Court for selling clothes with a four-stripe design. The post Adidas sues White Fox alleging Aussie brand infringed its three-stripe trademark appeared first on SmartCompany .

20. The startup uncovering hidden listings and property prices to shake up Australia’s real estate market

    SmartCompany · 09 Oct 2026, 10:42 IST

    Quiet Listings is revealing concealed information and hard-to-find properties, in a challenge to Australia's biggest real estate portals. The post The startup uncovering hidden listings and property prices to shake up Australia’s real...

21. Firmus shelves $44 billion IPO plan, citing market volatility

    SmartCompany · 09 Oct 2026, 06:42 IST

    The ASX hopeful will now look at “other options” for its $51 billion build of five AI data centres over the next two years. The post Firmus shelves $44 billion IPO plan, citing market volatility appeared first on SmartCompany .

22. VIC startup cops $28,000 import bill as global conflict stokes oil prices

    SmartCompany · 08 Oct 2026, 10:32 IST

    Kapture CEO and founder Raj Bagri said the startup had little choice but to accept the bill ahead of an imminent pre-commercial trial. The post VIC startup cops $28,000 import bill as global conflict stokes oil prices appeared first on...

23. Cricket Victoria’s $16 work-from-home ticket on a sticky wicket with employers

    SmartCompany · 08 Oct 2026, 05:48 IST

    Cricket Victoria's $16 work-from-the-cricket ticket has drawn criticism from employers, amid a heated debate over proposed working-from-home laws in Victoria. The post Cricket Victoria’s $16 work-from-home ticket on a sticky wicket with...

24. Applications for the first The Ventures Australian startup awards close October 9

    StartupDaily · 07 Oct 2026, 11:06 IST

25. Firmus could slash share price by nearly 20% or pull IPO

    SmartCompany · 08 Oct 2026, 05:26 IST

    ASX hopeful Firmus is likely to cut its initial public offer from $11 to $9 per share, reducing the amount raised from the float by around $1.3 billion, due to... The post Firmus could slash share price by nearly 20% or pull IPO...

26. Defence startup Arkeus lands Australian Army drone sensors deal

    StartupDaily · 07 Oct 2026, 10:48 IST

    Arkeus lands Army deal for AI Warden sensors, giving Integrator drones night-ready, wide-area surveillance.

27. Firmus looks to cut share price by nearly 20% – an $8 billion haircut on its market cap – and may even pull the IPO

    StartupDaily · 08 Oct 2026, 04:37 IST

    Firmus may slash its IPO price to $9 or ditch the float as demand fizzles.

28. Firmus looks cut share price by nearly 20% – an $8 billion haircut on its market cap – and may even pull the IPO

    StartupDaily · 08 Oct 2026, 04:37 IST

    Firmus may slash its IPO price to $9 or ditch the float as demand fizzles.

29. Firmus will spend $4.4 billion on servers and deployment from ASX raise

    StartupDaily · 07 Oct 2026, 10:20 IST

    Firmus wants $7.1bn, spends $4.4bn on Nvidia servers, and still needs more cash.

30. Privacy watchdog investigates software company behind $89 Kmart smart glasses

    SmartCompany · 07 Oct 2026, 06:30 IST

    The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner is turning its full investigative powers on the maker of the HeyCyan smart glasses app. The post Privacy watchdog investigates software company behind $89 Kmart smart glasses...

31. ‘Incentivised to as early as possible’: the government’s tax changes are pushing startup talent offshore

    StartupDaily · 07 Oct 2026, 04:18 IST

    Australia’s tax mess is nudging startups and talent offshore before growth makes escape costly.

32. GAMING: Kiwi studio Black Salt Games on the success of Dredge and and what’s next

    StartupDaily · 07 Oct 2026, 03:43 IST

    How Black Salt Games is growing while still staying true to what made Dredge a success.

33. Why IT is now an HR issue at Atlassian

    StartupDaily · 04 Oct 2026, 09:08 IST

    Atlassian put IT under HR to force AI into people and systems - and cut 1,600 jobs to fund it.

34. Anthropic takes a sly dig at OpenAI before parliamentary inquiry

    StartupDaily · 06 Oct 2026, 09:25 IST · Medium severity

    Anthropic jabs OpenAI over late breach alerts, urges Australia to force AI transparency.

35. CDC kills off its $73.3 billion data cente rollout deal with Firmus

    StartupDaily · 06 Oct 2026, 06:57 IST

    CDC ditches Firmus’ $73B AI data-centre blitz after just 2.5% delivered, as a $44B IPO looms.

36. Vuly founder says ACCC action will mean fewer promotions this Christmas

    SmartCompany · 06 Oct 2026, 06:21 IST

    Vuly founder Joe Andon says the retailer accepts the ACCC’s concerns over its previous Black Friday promotions, but the changes will mean fewer opportunities for shoppers to save. The post Vuly founder says ACCC action will mean fewer...

37. OpenAI’s Sam Altman says a little bit of bad is the price you pay for good AI

    StartupDaily · 06 Oct 2026, 05:40 IST

    Altman calls AI abuse the price of progress as OpenAI faces Canberra over rogue database access.

38. Amazon job ad reveals plans for Australian drone deliveries

    SmartCompany · 06 Oct 2026, 05:31 IST

    A new Amazon job posting has revealed the ecommerce giant is laying the groundwork to establish and launch its Prime Air drone delivery service in Australia. The post Amazon job ad reveals plans for Australian drone deliveries appeared...

39. SQC among 6 startups sharing $12.3 million in quantum grants

    StartupDaily · 05 Oct 2026, 08:43 IST

    SQC grabs $3.6m as 6 quantum startups split $12.3m for AI energy forecasts, clocks and biosensors.

40. Pavlova hits the Big Apple as Gelato Messina makes New York debut

    SmartCompany · 05 Oct 2026, 05:59 IST

    Gelato Messina has made its long-awaited US debut, opening a permanent soft serve and art concept store in New York with long-time creative partner Studio Jeremyville. The post Pavlova hits the Big Apple as Gelato Messina makes New York...