Confirmed: AirTrunk acquired by Blackstone in $24 billion deal
Blackstone confirms to Forbes Australia it sealed a deal today to acquire Australian unicorn AirTrunk. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board also participated in the deal.
Shivaune Field
Shivaune Field is a business journalist with Forbes Australia reporting on tech and innovation. She has reported extensively in the U.S. and Australia across print, digital, television and podcast platforms. She regularly interviews founders, C-suite executives, leaders, entrepreneurs, and company builders. Before Forbes, Field was a journalist with Bloomberg Media based in Los Angeles covering innovation and the business of media and entertainment. She spent 16 years living in California and recently returned from Arizona where she reported on the 2024 US election. Field writes for the bi-monthly Forbes Australia magazine and Forbes.com.au. She covers Google, Amazon, OpenAI, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and Netflix among many other companies. She is the editorial lead for Forbes Women in Australia.
Aussie AI-driven grain grading company Cropify reaps $2 million
Up until now, Adelaide-headquartered startup Cropify has been bootstrapped by its co-founders. The fundraise will accelerate the commercialisation of the AI-driven technology domestically and set the company up to export its expertise internationally.
From TikTok to TV: Inside Australia’s Paralympics push in Paris
Research reveals that 69% of Australians and New Zealanders believe that athletes with disabilities deserve the same media coverage as non-disabled athletes. 61% of ANZ consumers are aware of the Paralympics, compared to 47% globally.
The emerging technology you need on your radar: Gartner’s 2024 Hype Cycle revealed
What stage are the 25 most disruptive technologies at, and when will they become reality? Gartner’s annual Emerging Technology Hype Cycle reveals what is on the frontier, and what has reached the peak of inflated expectations.
‘Unlocking critical capital’: Victoria’s seed boost targets $300m for startups
Eight new or new-to-Victoria venture capital firms have received $300,000 from LaunchVic. The goal is for the VCs to turn that $2.4 million into $300 million in funding for Victorian startups and founders.
Australia’s first state gov-funded satellite, Kanyini, launched via SpaceX
The South Australian government’s ‘Kanyini’ satellite is now in orbit, having launched on a SpaceX mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Nomad finds a home with $100m Aussie software scaleup Sitemate
One of Australia’s most promising companies that builds no code software programs for the construction, oil, gas and mining industries, has acquired startup Nomad. Sitemate founder Harley Pike tells Forbes Australia exclusively how the Nomad will accelerate Sitemate’s mission
Forbes Next Billion Dollar Startups: Hadrian, founded by Aussie Chris Power
Forbes released its list of 25 venture-backed startups most likely to reach a USD$1 billion valuation. Melbourne’s Chris Power and his LA-headquartered aerospace manufacturing firm Hadrian made the cut.
$150 billion in inheritance will change hands this year: JBWere
Bequests to philanthropic organisations are expected to double over the next decade, growing from $1.3 billion in 2024 to $2.6 billion in 2034. Inheritance to family, friends and charity is expected to reach $5.4 trillion by 2044 according to JBWere.
Inside ubank’s Gen Z playbook: How this CEO is using TikTok to win over customers
CEO Phillippa Watson has been at the helm of ubank for three years. Forbes Australia sits down with the banking dynamo to find out what a Gen Z banking customer is looking for, and what she is doing to give it to them.