.png)
Your weekly dose of everything you need to know about ANZ Tech & Innovation.
For more stories + updates from across the globes subscribe here
A huge welcome to the 22 new subscribers that have joined us since last week. We love to see our community grow!
After 52 editions of the Hype Man Media Newsletter, this edition marks a huge milestone.
We’re officially rebranding this newsletter to Hyped: ANZ Startups
Why, do I hear you ask?
- Because we want to broaden our horizons beyond just Australia and start telling the amazing stories from our Kiwi cousins across the ditch
- To help you at home to understand the difference between this newsletter and our parent company Hype Man Media
- Because we’re bloody Hyped about Startups in ANZ, so it just makes sense!
Same format, same stories, just bigger, better and more Hype.
A huge thank you to those of you that have been around since the Hype Man days. We hope you enjoy reading edition 1 of Hyped: ANZ Startups just as much.
This is just the beginning, enjoy the journey!
Dickie Currer
Author & Founder of Hype Man Media
Top headlines from the week
StartupBlink’s Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2025 dropped earlier this week
The Index, put together annually by the ecosystem mapping research centre, ranks the startup ecosystems of more than 1,400 cities and 100 countries using hundreds of thousands of data points.
Australia placed 12th this year, dropping a place behind Baltic state Estonia, known for its high focus on technical capability building. Meaning it drops further behind its record high of 8th place in 2023.
New Zealand also drops a place, to Eastern European Czechia, down to 31st, with a growth of 11.3% recorded, well behind the global average of 25%.
There’s better news for the region’s cities. With Sydney climbing 5 places to 31st, sandwiched between Jakarta and Atlanta. Melbourne jumped 2 places to 42nd and Adelaide scaled 15 places to 217th. With Auckland also climbing 1 place to 115th overall.
The same can’t be said for Brisbane(-9), Perth(-9) and Wellington(-22) which also dropped down the rankings.
Our view: Reports like this are good yardsticks for how specific geographies are stacking up against each other though should be taken with a pinch of salt. This report didn’t have a local ANZ Ecosystem Partner and there are elements of it which are monetised.
So celebrate the wins and don’t take the losses too seriously!
Hype Man Media’s “Taking your Startup to Asia” breakfast was a huge success
The event, which was part of a 3 part series in partnership with our friends at Vanta, saw over 50 attendees join us on Wednesday morning at our Tank Stream Labs HQ.
With a stacked panel of industry experts sharing their insights about taking their Startup into APAC:
- From how to overcome cultural and linguistic barriers
- To what variables to consider when deciding where to work in Asia
- And how you can leverage technology + people to help that process
Our Founder Dickie also launched a new venture at the event, HyperConnected. A global Startup Advisory helping to connect Startup Ecosystems across APAC. Read more about it here.
A huge thanks to everyone that joined us. Keep your eyes peeled for future events and the recording of this one for those who missed it.
NZ Venture Capital fund Outset Ventures secures NZ$41.5M for Fund II
The deep-tech focussed fund exceeded its target by 33%, with over 150 investors including NZ Growth Capital Partners, which contributed NZ$15M via Elevate NZ.
Fund II will be focussed on investing in NZ Startups from across pre-seed to Series A. Outset also has a Future House incubator in Auckland which supports over 20 startups DeepTech Startups.
5 Startups that caught our eye this week
In honour of our new inclusion of Aotearoa New Zealand in this newsletter, this week we’re featuring some of The Land of the Long White Cloud’s most exciting Startups.
You know the drill, if you can help them in any way then please reach out!
1. Vital
Vital guides millions of patients through hospital, emergency & urgent care visits.
Using live EHR data, AI explains today's care, predicts wait times, and simplifies discharge. The result is more time for doctors & nurses, better outcomes, and higher patient scores.
Because in their words: The experience matters as much as the medicine.
Read more about the number 1 AI Patient Experience Platform here
2. Halter
Halter is on a mission to unlock more productive and sustainable agriculture.
Farmers are using Halter to break free from the time-intensive constraints of conventional farming. They’re growing more grass, increasing milk production and improving the health and well-being of their cows.
They bridge deep tech into real-world farming by enabling farmers to remotely shift, virtually fence and proactively monitor their cows’ health and behaviour.
And are backed to deliver on a mission that matters by Tier 1 investors including DCVC, Blackbird, Promus Ventures, Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck and Icehouse ventures.
Halter is changing the way cattle herd management is done, read more about them here
3. Naut
Naut is an electric propulsion technology company from Northland, New Zealand.
They design and make electric motors for the marine industry using their unique proprietary battery system, our amazing high calibre engineers and years of experience innovating in electric propulsion around the world.
Naut believes that propulsion should be done radically better and they want to make electric transport the norm. Naut is a company of boat-loving challengers and innovators. They are driven by a pursuit of excellence and a commitment to leave clean air and water behind them as they go.
Experience the power of electric boating with Naut here
4. Hnry
Hnry is a world-first accounting service that automatically calculates, pays, and files taxes for sole traders.
They are on a mission to make it easy, affordable, and accessible for anyone to earn independently. Whether you’re a freelancer, contractor, or side hustler, Hnry removes the barriers that stand between sole traders and the freedom to build their own career.
No more complicated tax time, or stress about managing finances—Hnry handles it all for you so you can never think about tax again.
Read more about Hnry.
5. Sharesies
Sharesies is an empowering wealth app on a mission to give someone with $5 and someone with $5 million the same money opportunities.
Since launching in 2017, they’ve grown to provide access to Invest, Save, and KiwiSaver all in one place. Now, over half a million people use Sharesies to invest in the share market—and their financial future.
Sharesies partners with companies to offer capital raises, and engage and reward their employees through Staff Shares.
They’re also a proudly certified B Corp and Living Wage Employer, with a goal to help as many people as possible to grow their wealth, and together impact generations to come.
Be a part of the Sharesies mission here
Events to watch out for
5 June - Melbourne - Stone & Chalk Ecosystem Mixer - Designed to foster meaningful connections across the Victorian startup ecosystem, this event brings together founders, mentors, investors, and ecosystem supporters in a relaxed, community-driven setting.
11 June - Melbourne - Notion x Antler: Founders Mixer - Notion and Antler are teaming up to bring you a night of good vibes, great convos, and even better company.
16 June - 27 June - Cairns - Tropical Innovation Festival - TIF is back this June for a massive celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship, and connection in the heart of Cairns.
18 June - Melbourne - Cremorne Build or Buy - Join the Cremorne Digital Hub as they explore how Orgs are supercharging, partnering with startups, accelerators, and collaborators to solve complex problems faster.
19 June - Melbourne - Pitch Event Melbourne-Bandung Food Waste Challenge - Meet the finalists from Australia and Indonesia and watch them pitch their innovative solutions to tackling food waste in the hospitality, food markets and airline sectors.
26 June - Gold Coast - HealthTech Summit - a day of cutting-edge discussions and demos on the latest advancements in healthcare technology!
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.
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.
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
Nexus 2025 - Australia to China program
The “Future City Innovators” program, which aims to support Australian Startups to scale into China, offers participants:
Cash Prizes, totalling $20,000, offered by Pukou High-Tech Zone and City of Melbourne
- An acceleration Service Package
- $15,000 Travel Package to Visit Nanjing China, offered by Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute
All business categories providing solutions related to the five focused sectors of Nexus 2025 can apply, which are:
- Climate Technology
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Urban Mobility Technology
- Digital Technology Including Gaming
- Health Technology
Businesses must also have a genuine interest and commitment to commercialisation of their research/products/services into Australia and the wider Asian market and a proven business development approach with a clear growth pathway based on initial seed investments already.
We're collecting EOI's if you're interested please let us know here
Until next week!
Dickie
