INSIDE SYNCHRON: The Aussie brain chip start-up racing ahead of Elon Musk’s Neuralink

Four years before Elon Musk launched Neuralink, NICK OPIE and TOM OXLEY launched a start-up in Melbourne attempting to insert electrodes into human brains so people could control computers with their thoughts. It’s been a rough ride, even as their tech has led the world, but last year, a call from the world’s richest man […]

Show business: The making of an ‘Aussiewood’ film industry

For the first time in Australian history, expenditure on scripted screen productions has exceeded $2 billion. However, ongoing skills and capacity challenges remain, and some question whether chasing the dream of ‘Aussiewood’ is misguided. Issue six of Forbes Australia is out now. Tap here to secure your copy and become a premium member. Numbers at […]

How to tell if it’s intuition or ego driving your decisions?

Jacinta McDonell took on the Australian licence of US gym franchise Anytime Fitness in 2008. It had scaled to 425 clubs by the time she exited in 2018. She now focuses on leadership training and helping founders. She shared her key lessons at the Forbes Australia Leadership Forum. The first key to success that Jacinta […]

The surprising Aussie tech hubs you’ve never heard of

A CSIRO report examining the geography of digital businesses has revealed 96 tech clusters spread across the country – in sometimes surprising places. Key Takeaways Eight Mile Plains in Brisbane’s south came up bright red when CSIRO principal research consultant Stefan Hajkowicz plugged in the numbers for the concentration of tech jobs in Australia, trying […]

Bondi Sands co-founder opens up on $450 million sale to Japanese beauty giant

Australians love a good, healthy tan, and nobody knows that more than Bondi Sands co-founder and CEO Shaun Wilson. The company, which controls more than half of the Australian self-tan market, has been acquired by Japanese-owned multinational, Kao Group, for almost $450 million. Wilson told Forbes Australia‘s, Jane Lindhe, that he’s been in discussions with […]

Deep-tech VC raises $450m for a fund with an ‘unfair advantage’

There’s a new bucket of VC money in town, but the cash from Main Sequence’s Fund 3 won’t be going to any old start-up. Key Takeaways “If you could build it in a weekend in your garage, it’s probably not something we’re investing in,” says Mike Zimmerman, co-founder of the “deep-tech” venture fund. “The companies […]

Australia’s richest couple, Andrew and Nicola Forrest, confirm split

The country’s wealthiest couple, Fortescue’s Andrew Forrest and his wife Nicola have announced their split. They say their separation will have “no impact” on their vast business and philanthropic interests. Billionaires Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and his wife Nicola Forrest have confirmed in a statement that they have separated and are living apart after more than […]

Forbes Finds: Japanese brilliance in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges

JANE LINDHE discovers a hidden, delightful Japanese Izakaya restaurant in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges with excellent food, an extensive sake list and charm in abundance.    You have to know where to look when you search for the incredible Japanese izakaya restaurant in the Victorian spa country town of Woodend, Kuzu Izakaya. As head chef and […]

‘It’s the best guide’: Kristina Keneally’s ‘golden rule’ to live by

Few women in Australia carry the breadth of leadership experience of former New South Wales premier and Australian senator Kristina Keneally. From politics to sport and now her role as chief executive of the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation – Keneally has experienced it all. American-born Keneally – Premier of NSW from 2009 to 2011 – […]