Thanks to the legends at Notion, we’ve managed to secure 6 months of Notion Business, including Notion AI free (saving you $12,000 in total) for our community.
ICYMI, Notion is the Operating System trusted by the fastest growing startups in history inc Open AI, Figma and Deel. Perfect for early-stage teams, it gives you
✅ One place for docs, product specs, and investor updates
✅ AI to help draft detailed research reports, record/summarise meetings, and brainstorm faster and
✅ AI-native wikis, project management, and fundraising templates — all ready to go
Redeem their amazing offer here or click on the below image to get started.
And read on to hear everything else that’s happened in ANZ Startups this week including the best events, opportunities, Startups and headlines!
Dickie Currer - Author & Founder of Hype Man Media
Top headlines from Australia
Everything you need to know about Australian Startups in the last week
NSW based Bio Manufacturer Cauldron recognised by the World Economic Forum
Based in Borenore, New South Wales, Cauldron develops advanced fermentation systems for the food and chemical manufacturing sector.
They’re clearly doing something right after they were recognised as a global technology pioneer by WEF in their latest pioneer cohort.
Cauldron’s proprietary hyper-fermentation technology drives significant gains in productivity, generating more volume at less cost, using smaller bioreactors.
$80 million for NSW Tech as part of the Innovation blueprint
The third Labor budget from Treasurer Daniel Mookhey is the first time the Minns government has made a notable investment in the Startup and Tech sector following $4 million in 2024 and mostly budget cuts in 2023.
It comes off the back of the Innovation blueprint, the State’s 10 year plan released in April and includes:
- $38.5 million for Tech Central to flourish as a melting pot for groundbreaking innovation, research, and lifestyle
- $20 million for the Emerging Technology Commercialisation Fund to drive long term growth and productivity in Government priority areas, such as housing, Net Zero and energy transition and local manufacturing
- $4 million to support female tech founders and those from diverse cultures and backgrounds, as well as budding tech giants living and working in Western Sydney and regional NSW
It’s a welcome change from cuts, though still has its dissenters for being too “modest”.
With Simon Thomsen of Startup Daily pointing out that “for comparison, the recent South Australian budget included a new $50 million government-backed venture capital fund, $28m for an AI program, and $5m a year for a Research and Innovation Fund” and that “SA’s share of Australian GDP is 5.6%. The NSW economy is more than 5x that at 30.7% of GDP”.
Robbie Williams lets non-alc beer brand Heaps Normal entertain him
In one of many current ‘not on our bingo cards for 2025” moments, the British pop star known for both his love for Australia and recovery from a previously debauchery filled lifestyle, took to Instagram this week to declare his love for ‘Heaps Normal”.
The brewer founded by Andy Miller, Jordy Smith and Ben Holstock officially launched it in July 2020 and is now stocked in more than 10,000 retailers across Australia and New Zealand. Earlier this year they ventured into the US and already have contracts with WholeFoods and 200 other retailers.
Following Robbie’s love letter to Heaps Normal, they reported seeing huge uplifts in their socials and website traffic. Clearly he’s the “better man” in this one!
Top headlines from New Zealand
Kia ora from Aotearoa! Here’s what’s happening across the startup ecosystem, thanks to our NZ correspondent Pauli Sosa:
🦄 Halter Joins the Unicorn Club: NZ agri-tech startup Halter hit a US$1B valuation after raising NZ$165M to expand its smart cow collar tech into the US. A huge moment for smart farming and Kiwi innovation.
📅 Auckland Startup Week Announced: Mark your calendars for 20–24 Oct—this five-day festival will spotlight Kiwi startups building a global revolution.
🆕 Force Femme Directory Launches: A new national directory showcasing wāhine-led businesses across Aotearoa is now live.
Want more updates like these? Check out Startup Digest New Zealand to stay in the loop with events, opportunities, and ecosystem news.
6 Startups that caught our eye this week
Our weekly spotlight on some of the region’s most exciting emerging Startups. If you’re reading this and you can help them out then don’t hesitate!
This week we’re featuring the six Startups that took part in last week’s Melbourne x Bandung Food Waste Challenge 2025 showcase run by the City of Melbourne, City of Bandung and Rocket Seeder.
The following six Startups from across Australian and Indonesia all won prizes based on their solutions to solving food waste problems in hospitality and airlines after a 10 week challenge:
1.BIKI: post-harvest edible coating technology which extends the shelf life of fruit and vegetables.
2.Circular Vision: AI-powered Waste Sorting solution with MediaScreen for bins to create a new platform of digital ads
3.Envmission an inventory management & waste analytics platform to help F&B industry customers to track, manage, and optimize their inventory
4.WastePlant : Gardenship is a modular, circular, highly efficient composting solution that helps urban development precincts to turn what used to be costly, smelly waste management practices into regenerative, relaxing public space.
5.PT Ngadaur Bakti Solusi social enterprise focused on organic waste management initiatives including integrated behaviour change education, biogas technology and composting in a box (koboks).
6.ZeroLoop on-demand food waste recovery platform that connects businesses with surplus food to local composters, farmers, and processors.
Events to watch out for
The biggest and best events across our ecosystem, bringing our incredible community together.
1 July - Online - Expansion planning Masterclass - A Startup Daily webinar about whether to grow your startup in Australia or take it to Asia, Europe or the US?
1 July - Online - Free Startup PR Workshop by FoundrPR - Learn the 7 key steps to build awareness for your tech startup in the media.
3 July - Sydney - Lessons Learnt: Scaling for Success - an invite-only night of startup insights, raw lessons, and meaningful connection.
3 July - Melbourne - Stone & Chalk Ecosystem Mixer: AI & Your Startup - Melbourne’s most sociable startup event is back — & this time, they’re putting AI in the spotlight.
4 July - Melbourne - AFC Presents In Session with Advanced: How R&D becomes a Flywheel - a founder-first series unpacking the tactics that actually move the needle.
4 July - Auckland - 2025 Impact Day | Entrepreneurship at the Edge: Extending the Boundaries of Gender and Entrepreneurship - an incredible day of dialogue and networking.
8 July - Online - Compliance as a Catalyst for Startup Growth - Compliance is no longer just a checkbox—it's a growth strategy. In this webinar, we’ll show how early-stage startups can use compliance frameworks like SOC 2 and ISO 27001 to build trust, unlock larger deals, and accelerate go-to-market timelines.
10 July - VIC secret location - AI Hackathon By Antler and MLAI - Antler and MLAI are curating 10 of the most promising AI builders for a 24-hour retreat-style Hackathon!
10 July - Byron Bay - Show Her the Money screening - a powerful, multi-award-winning documentary that shines a light on the gender investment gap and the barriers faced by women founders seeking funding.
10 July - Melbourne - Charity Trivia Night - Forever Projects x Overnight Success - All proceeds from this evening will be donated to Forever Projects.
22 July - Melbourne - Startup World Cup - The Melbourne regional event for the Startup World Cup, the world's leading startup competition in collaboration with Pegasus Tech Ventures, a global venture capital firm from the US.
23 July - Melbourne - Taking your Startup to the US - We’re partnering with Vanta for a networking breakfast about expanding to the United States of America.
24 July - Melbourne - Launchvic Startup Gala - an annual event bringing together more than 800 entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders to celebrate the continued growth of Victoria’s startup ecosystem.
31 July - Melbourne - Community Collective 3rd Birthday - bringing together founders, operators, community builders and everyone in the startup space to celebrate our industry and key milestones.
4 August - Sydney - Startup World Cup - The Sydney regional event for the Startup World Cup, the world's leading startup competition in collaboration with Pegasus Tech Ventures, a global venture capital firm from the US.
13 August - Sydney - Community Collective 3rd Birthday - the Sydney edition of the above.
28 August - Brisbane - SomethingTech - a two day showcase that puts a spotlight on Queensland and Australian companies who are developing emerging technology.
10 September - Sydney - Cicada x Tech23 2025 - Australia's Biggest Deep Tech Festival is back, providing a gateway to real Australian ventures delivering global impact and commercial success.
Opportunities to help you grow
Programs, competitions and Accelerators to help you thrive and grow
Applications for Verge are now open
If you’re a female student founder with an idea and some early traction, Verge is for you. Here’s why:
→ You’ll spend 7 weeks with Australia’s most ambitious young women like you!
→ Try the growth ideas you’ve been sitting on, with no pressure to succeed. Share what worked, and what didn’t.
→ Sit in the “hot seat” and unpack your biggest challenges with your peers, learning from each other's experiences.
→ In-person dinners in Sydney and Melbourne with good food and even better company.
→ Backed by Blackbird and Female-Led Ventures, so you can focus on building.
Apply to pitch at River Rival in Brisbane
River Rival our evolution from the original Riverpitch part of the Something Tech festival is landing August 29th, 2025.
Join a room of enablers, activators, industry and tell us about the product, business and impact you are making to the world.
CSIRO India RISE Accelerator
CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is inviting Australian startups and SMEs with innovative renewable energy technology solutions to join the India Australia Rapid Innovation and Startup Expansion (RISE) Accelerator.
The program offers tailored support for early market entry, technology validation, and in-country partnerships, plus:
- Up to $135,000 in non-equity grant funding (subject to milestones and competitive assessment)
- One-on-one expert coaching
- A structured learning and immersion program to build market readiness
StartupDaily Best in Tech Awards
Nominations have opened for the Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards 2025
For a third year, Startup Daily's annual awards celebration will recognise the founders, investors, startups and individuals who are progressing our tech landscape with their brilliant ideas and achievements. Categories include Startup of The Year, AI Changemaker, Future Leader of the Year, Best Regional Startup and more.
Get your nominations in now - finalists will be announced in August, followed by a gala event at the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney on Thursday 25 September.
Liked this newsletter? Then let us know in the comments and for more content like this:
Until next week, Dickie x
