Thursday - 27 September 2018

Canberra entrepreneur Matt Bullock's ambitions for his latest startup, Spinify, are even bigger than for eWay - the online transaction business he sold to the US for $US50 million in 2016.

His latest company Spinify brings sales data and key performance indicators - whether emails sent or cases closed - to life with big television screens in offices showing bright, bold leaderboards. Bullock is capitalising on research that humans are naturally competitive creatures by gamifying the workplace - whether that's a real estate agency or a call centre.

Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife have bought Australia’s most expensive home, the Fairwater mansion on Sydney Harbour, Business Insider can reveal.

The price has not been disclosed, but Business Insider understands it is close to $100 million.

In a statement, the Cannon-Brookeses said they were “delighted with the purchase of Fairwater for our young family and look forward to continuing the legacy of this beautiful Sydney home.

AFL Grand Final day is very nearly upon us, and while come Saturday all eyes will be on the oval at the MCG, at StartupSmart we’re celebrating players’ achievements off the ground as well.
 

There’s a surprising number of current and former AFL stars running small businesses in Australia, whether operating bars and clubs, selling snazzy swim shorts or importing fixie bikes. But, there’s also action in the startup space.

By Stephanie Palmer-Derrien from Smart Company

My Disability Matters is a tech startup providing an online social community / social media platform replacement for the disability sector.

The company was founded by Dale Reardon who has been blind since the age of 17 and believes that the disability community needs a place to gather for discussion around disability issues with a community willing to share information and experiences.
 

Recently the company has been recognised for their use of tech in improving the lives of people with disabilities.
 

By Startup Soda News

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between with Best Bar Reinforcements, Australia’s second largest supplier of steel reinforcement, and Perth-based BuildSort, in what is a first step towards what the founders believe will be just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing for the building industry.

By StartupNews.com.au

The $20 million SME Export Hubs grant opportunity will provide grants from $150,000 to $1.5 million over four years to help establish and/or operate Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) export hubs in the six Growth Centre sectors. The export hubs will work with Growth Centres to facilitate SME export opportunities. The grant amount will be up to 50% of eligible project costs.

By StartupNews.com.au

Blockchain may be a concept that the broader population is still struggling to get their heads around, but companies are seeing the potential and investing in the revolutionary distributed ledger technology.

According to the results of PwC’s Global Blockchain Survey 2018 of 600 executives in 15 territories, 84% of respondents say their companies are in some stage of involvement in blockchain technology. Though still emerging as a technology, it’s not surprising companies are investing: according to Gartner, it is expected to generate an annual value of more than US$3 trillion by 2030.

By PWC Digital

4 Ways Startup Founders Can Create a Productive Workplace Culture

During the early stages of your business, you will face many hurdles that will require constant problem-solving. Solving these problems on your own will likely prove difficult. Therefore, a positive workplace culture is essential to keep your team motivated through the successes and setbacks that come with starting your own business.

Luckily, startups tend to attract workers who are passionate about your vision and willing to work hard to achieve it. In this article, we set out four ways you can harness the passion of your team to create a productive workplace culture.

By Eugenia Munoz from Legal Vision

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