I recently wrote about Bailador portfolio company Rezdy, and how the business started as an idea Simon Lenoir had while working in a dive shop in New Caledonia. The story struck a chord with many readers. Successful companies are founded by very different people from very different backgrounds. In this... Show More
Rezdy is fast emerging as a dominant player in the Tours and Activities booking software market and has a clear strategy to create a world-leading global marketplace. Show More
We recently invited a group of Australia’s leading venture capital (VC) investors to provide their views on various technology themes and how they are likely to impact the world in which we live. Our panel included Daniel Petre AO, Co-Founder and Partner from AirTree Ventures, Niki Scevak, Managing Director and... Show More
There was a short-lived segment on radio in Australia a few years back called “defend the indefensible” where a young lawyer was told an “indefensible” topic on the spot and asked to mount a passionate defence of what would seem to be a lost cause. It made for some funny,... Show More
In Livewire's final podcast for 2017, Livewire's Co-Founder and Managing Director, Tom McKay, sits down with Niki Scevak, Partner and Co-founder of Blackbird Ventures, one of Australia's most successful VC firms. With a keen interest in public markets, and the teachings of Munger and Buffett, Niki provides a unique perspective... Show More
Investing in Australia has been relatively straight forward for the past thirty years - buy domestic banks and property - however, this investment strategy is in its twilight. The challenge for investors, and indeed for the Australian economy itself, is to invest for the future rather than the past. More... Show More
Last month I took part in a Draper Venture Network investor summit in Silicon Valley where fellow investors from around the world gathered to share observations and talk emerging trends for the year ahead. While the ongoing shift to online advertising shows no signs of slowing, thanks to the ever-increasing... Show More
High-growth, early-stage companies are set to accelerate Australia’s labour market, driving jobs growth and economic prosperity according to the Australian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (AVCAL). Venture capital is a type of private equity investment strategy that targets high-momentum, early-stage companies. With the popularity of crowdfunding platforms and the... Show More
Fred Wilson is the founder of New York-based Union Square Ventures, an early-stage venture firm that’s achieved a US$1B+ exit each year since 2011 – including Tumblr, Twitter, Lending Club, and Etsy. He also writes AVC, the most popular morning read among ‘elite VCs’ based on guests from The Twenty... Show More
Ever since the financial crisis banks have delivered a constant stream of scandals. But in recent months there’s been a steady stream of scandals in the venture capital industry that rivals the worst excesses of banks. Venture capital firms and the companies they invest in are playing fast and loose... Show More
A year ago, startups with nascent business models were scoring billion-dollar valuations as investors raced each other to write checks. Today, venture capital is drying up for less successful startups. Investors, eyeing collapsing tech stocks and economic sloth, are culling their portfolios and forcing cash-starved companies to retrench or shut... Show More
Fat Fish Internet Ventures (FFG), is an internet incubator encompassing 13 portfolio companies, listed on the ASX. Some of the companies include Dressable (the 2nd largest online shopping mall in Singapore) and RajaPremi (one of the only platforms that sells car insurance and travel insurance in Indonesia). The stock is... Show More
Bloomberg has released its “2015: The year in Money” report. The 10 highlights were 1) Apple hit a record $775B market cap. 2) Netflix was the best performer in the S&P500 (Up 143%) 3) Sales of investment grade corporate bonds are at an all time high. 4) The junk bond... Show More
Rick Baker, the Co-Founder of Australian Venture Capital firm Blackbird says that investors have got to seek out genuine product-market-fit when trying to value technology companies with no revenues. “Number of users and growth is obviously really important and then it keeps coming back to engagement. We really look hard... Show More
Rick Baker, the co-founder of Blackbird Ventures says that they look for a number of key characteristics in startup investments but the key thing they’re looking for are businesses that are “global on day one.” We think the learnings from attacking the global market from the beginning are very different... Show More
Rick Baker, Co-Founder at Blackbird Ventures says that there are both good and bad startups listing on the ASX and investors need to be able to distinguish between the two. “The good type is a company that’s got around $10m in revenue (or more), is probably breakeven, profitable or very... Show More
Westpac has launched a new venture capital fund targeting financial technology start ups. The venture will look to make between 12 and 20 investments and has up to $50million to invest. It has already made its first investment with a peer-peer lending business. Essentially a platform that allows borrowers and... Show More