Forbes Australia Issue 19

Beyond the $24 billion deal: How Robin Khuda bet everything on the cloud – and won

He nearly lost everything chasing a hyperscale data centre dream. Eight years later, Robin Khuda sold AirTrunk in Australia’s largest private equity buyout, joining the billionaire class while reshaping the region’s cloud future.   Subscribe to Forbes Australia for full access to this and all articles today Subscribe     Already a subscriber? Sign In  

Forbes Travel Guide’s 2025 Edge List

In an era of overtourism, these 20 hotels and cruises redefine luxury travel by offering extraordinary access, daring innovation and elevated experiences in the world’s most awe-inspiring locations. This story appears in Issue 19 of Forbes Australia, out now. Tap here to secure your copy. As overtourism strains urban infrastructure and crowds out Instagram-famous destinations, […]

Today The Brave

Why Jaimes Leggett moved his ad agency into Sydney’s most notorious squat

The ex-M&C Saatchi chief is betting that discomfort breeds creativity. Inside Hibernian House — the graffiti-strewn, artist-filled building that is home to his new venture, Today the Brave. Jaimes Leggett didn’t want his new advertising agency to be like everyone else’s. “Think gritty dark corners, and bad decisions,” he told the crisp-collared real estate agents […]

The biohacker who wants to live to 180 says Australian men are already showing the way

Bulletproof founder Dave Asprey thinks he’s figured out why Australian men are the second longest lived men on the planet. It’s not mindfulness apps or Medicare. Dave Asprey, 52, who came to fame with his fat-soaked Bulletproof Coffee brand and who claims to have coined the word “biohacker” is coming to Australia to teach his […]

From Sydney to space: This Aussie robot can build a home ‘in 24 hours’

Sydney-based Crest Robotics and Earthbuilt Technology have unveiled “Charlotte,” a world-first building robot designed to tackle Australia’s housing crisis and construct sustainable shelters on the lunar surface. Key Takeaways Key background Crest Robotics, founded to boost safety and productivity for blue-collar workers, has teamed with another Sydney-based firm, Earthbuilt Technology, to tackle two pressing frontiers: […]

bioreactor

$18m bioreactor upgrade in sugar country aims high, but scaling challenges loom

Australia’s precision fermentation ambitions received a boost this week with the unveiling of the upgraded QUT Pioneer BioPilot in Mackay, Queensland. Key Takeaways Key background The Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant (MRBPP), established 15 years ago, has been rebranded as the QUT Pioneer BioPilot. It has supported biomass-to-fuel and chemicals research for years; the latest […]

Nourish Ingredients

Aussie fake-fat startup bets on Europe as US turns cold on alt-meat

Aussie alternative meat pioneer Nourish Ingredients sets up in The Netherlands, betting on Europe’s food-tech ecosystem as the global vegan flesh market stumbles. Key Takeaways Key background Canberra-based Nourish Ingredients was founded in 2019 by ex-CSIRO lipid engineers James Petrie and Ben Leita to tackle the “fat gap” in alternative proteins. The company’s precision-fermented fats […]

Catriona Wallace

Why this former ASX-listed founder says psychedelics create better leaders

Former Flamingo AI founder and Shark Tank shark Catriona Wallace says the fastest way to create better leaders isn’t business school – it’s psychedelics, ritual, and a conscious embrace of technology. When Catriona Wallace looked at the world’s most prominent leaders – think Trump, Putin, Netanyahu – she saw ego-driven boys, not elders. Her solution? […]

Moderna

Bringing Moderna vax factory to Australia ‘worth $4.8 billion’

Australia will soon produce its own mRNA vaccines, with Moderna’s Melbourne plant set to deliver doses by the end of 2025. The facility promises 100 million shots a year, $220 million in annual GDP, and $4.8 billion in avoided costs over three decades. Key Takeaways Key Background When COVID-19 struck, Australia was left at the […]