Startups stories - Page 7

Meta has bought Singapore AI start-up Manus, aiming to embed its autonomous general-purpose agent across consumer and business products.

Small firms across Australia and New Zealand turn to AI to sharpen 2026 growth, boost service standards and tackle persistent staff shortages.

MRead secures AUD $1.6m grant to advance MineReader, a handheld magnetic resonance landmine scanner aimed at faster, safer demining.

AI is reshaping biotech and healthcare, speeding drug discovery and diagnostics as the market for AI in biotech surges toward USD $11.4 billion.

Energy bills surge for Australian SMEs as federal rebates end, driving cost cuts, delayed investment and a pivot to digital and AI tools.

Sarah-Jane Peterschlingmann has been elected ACS Queensland chair for 2026/2027, the branch's first woman leader in 15 years.

Australian start-up Restoke.ai launches its AI 'restaurant manager' in the US, promising to boost margins and automate back-of-house work.

OpenAI launches its first Asia Pacific OpenAI for Countries plan in Australia, pairing sovereign AI infrastructure with major skills drives.

A viral festival clip of a top influencer sipping from a pink Huski champagne flute has sent global demand for the Kiwi drinkware brand soaring.

GovHack's 2025 Red Carpet Awards in Sydney spotlighted innovative open data projects driving public benefit across Australia and New Zealand.

Hyvä has made its Magento front-end solution free and open source, aiming to help smaller retailers worldwide access advanced eCommerce technology.

Paris-based Gradium raises USD $70 million to launch an AI voice platform offering expressive, low-latency, multilingual voice interactions for enterprises and developers.

ThoughtSpot has unveiled StartupSpot, a programme offering early-stage firms AI analytics integration for USD $12,999 per year, aiding data-driven product features.

Google DeepMind has launched its first Southeast Asian lab in Singapore to advance AI research and support regional language, culture, and innovation initiatives.

AWS unveils Kiro AI coding assistant with a new IDE, CLI tools, and features to boost code quality and collaboration for developers and teams.

PixelForce unveils an AUD $1.5m Launchpad to support ten Aussie tech firms with tools and advice for overcoming scaling challenges beyond product launch.

Andiron Group and Lucrum Ventures launch an Investor Impact Accelerator to prepare Australian startups for funding rounds, growth and exit strategies.

SOUTHSTART 2026 returns to Adelaide, uniting founders, investors, and innovators across Australia's startup and technology sectors in March.

Equinix plans a USD $22 million data centre in Lagos, its first in West Africa, boosting digital infrastructure to power Nigeria's growing tech economy by 2026.

Cicada Innovations, Australia's deep tech incubator, has generated an economic impact exceeding AUD $8 billion over 25 years, driven by AUD $6.5 billion raised.