No Roads Expeditions, a Melbourne travel company, announced that it has brought 250 solar-powered LED lights to the village of Kagi, which lies along the Papua New Guinea track.

The company agreed to provide the lights in coordination with the Kokoda Track Foundation (KTF), whose Light Up the Track initiative has provided over 3,000 solar lights to 30 PNG villages.

“We have a close relationship with Kagi and it was only natural that we helped them out with the 250 lights the KTF asked us for,” said Peter Miller, No Roads’ managing director.

The past decade has seen a renewed interest in the gruelling 96-kilometre track, which can only be traversed by foot. This year, thousands of Australians will make the pilgrimage to retrace the steps of their forbears, who engaged in intense combat with Japanese forces in the World War II campaign.

The trek also offers an opportunity to interact with the locals. No Roads, with seven years of tour experience in Kokoda, contracts most of its porters from Kagi, a community of thatched huts with no access to electricity.

The solar lights charge during the day and are ready for use after dusk. “This will help the children of Kagi to do their homework,” explained Miller. “It will also help people prepare food at night without the need of lighting a fire in their hut, thus reducing the chance of fire.”

The lights can also be clicked together to increase light capacity for larger spaces, such as community halls and schools.

KTF was founded in 2003. The Sydney-based NGO promotes community development and sustainable tourism throughout the Kokoda catchment area.

April-through-October is the dry season in PNG and is considered the best time of the year for travel. 2012 marks the 70th anniversary of the Kokoda Track military campaign.

Image by Arthur Chapman

After hitting American shores in March with a showing at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, he’s back in Sydney participating in the first year of the PushStart Accelerator Program.

Kawalsky is the one behind Make Tonight Count, one of eight startups making up PushStart’s inaugural class. Most of the participants will be looking to move their mobile and web apps into greater circulation and out of Beta, while growing seed funding and learning the ropes of attracting capital.

Kawalsky and company’s “Tonight” app for the iPhone is already on good ground. When it debuted last December, it made it to the top of Apple Australia and New Zealand’s “Staff Favourites” list. Free for download, the app lets users maximise their evening plans with their mates for just the coming night.

“We want to help people squeeze the most out of every night by connecting them with their friends and their city,” said Kawalsky. Anticipating the comparisons to Facebook, he added that the idea behind Tonight is to improve social activity offline rather than online.

Solutions to “Large Market Problems”

The 13-week Accelerator Program run by PushStart, the tech startup community group, and will conclude in June. Participants get some very measurable benefits, like $20,000 in cash and, over $100,000 in services and products from a roster that includes Microsoft, Deloittes, Ninefold and DLA Piper.

Then, there are the intangibles, including access to a mentoring network of 40 entrepreneurs and investors, among them Matt Barrie of Freelancer.com, Rebekah Campbell of Posse, Mitchell Harper of BigCommerce, and Rod Johnson of SpringSource. Teams also get to practice their investor pitches at the program’s end.

“Although the applicants represent a wide variety of industries, they all share one thing in common: great teams of founders working on solutions that have the potential to solve large market problems in innovative ways,” said Kim Heras, co-founder of PushStart.

The rest of the startup class includes such colourful characters as Bleeply. Bleeply calls itself a solutions manager for combatting and preventing social media gaffes, that companies are often fall prone to.

Or, as the founders put it on their home page: “You know how live TV broadcasts have a time delay? Bleeply does that for your team’s social media updates.”

Also participating is Rezon8, which also had a successful showing at SXSW. They’re a digital advertising innovator that uses augmented reality to make public ads more consumer-interactive.

And then, some concepts are just too keenly Australian to pass up, as evidenced by Quiverizer. Their product? An app that lets surfers swap boards.

Whether hanging ten or just hanging out with friends, Heras thinks consumers will soon be getting a lot out of the Accelerator class.

“They all have so much talent and, I can’t wait to see how they evolve over the next few months,” he said. “As great innovators and entrepreneurs, they have so much to offer Australia in the future.”

PushStart Accelerator 2012 Participants

The eight successful applicants, as announced by PushStart:

Bleeply — Social Media for enterprise…without the bloopers.

GimmeQuotes — Service Quotes done right. Better leads for business — better service for customers.

Make Tonight Count — An iPhone app which allows users to share and discover plans for tonight…only.

MateWire — Real-time activities around you. MateWire is an activity-based mobile social network for like-minded people.

Quiverizer — The world’s first surfboard swapping site.

Rezon8 — Digital advertising solutions using cutting-edge technology.

Tinybeans — The online baby journal for busy parents.

Werdsmith — An iPhone app to help writers organise, share and collaborate on their projects on the go. Think Github for writers.

Image by dierk schaefer

The one thing she never saw coming, however, was that Hollywood would latch on so quickly.

321 Water, you may recall, took home the top honour in last year’s Anthill SMART 100 competition. Then, just last week, Oost started getting texts, tweets and calls asking if she was excited about her product placement in The Hunger Games.

Yes, that Hunger Games. Not in a bookreading by a local fan club, but on the silver screen itself.

Sure enough, audiences flocking to see the futuristic teen blockbuster, which has been raking in revenues right and left, were able to verify a cameo appearance by the 321 Water container in the sleek, hyper-sanitary control room scenes of the film.

Oost, who has not yet seen the film, said she was “blown away” when she heard about the sighting.

“We didn’t know anything about our product being featured in the movie,” the Melbourne resident said. “It certainly came as a big surprise.”

The bottle’s unique concept — which utilises a filtering device to allow for drinking tap water on the go — is complemented by its glossy blue design that seems to hold a futuristic aura. Evidently, it was this combination that caught the attention of set designers for The Hunger Games. Stylistically, it fits right in.

Viewers who are hoping to spot the thirst-quenching product should pay attention to the hologram scene in the control room near the movie’s end; that’s the one where Katniss Everdeen and her star-crossed hunger-mate, Peeta, are being chased by the “muttations” into the centre of the arena. For about 13 seconds, the water container is clearly visible.

While Oost was caught off-guard by the news, she’s not complaining. The subtle Hollywood endorsement, she says, proves that 321 Water is the bottled water of the future. (A future that doesn’t include that whole part with violent child gladiators, that is.)

“This shows that great design and a creative approach can put Melbourne-made products onto a global stage,” she said.

And, on that serendipitous note: who’s to say what surprise endorsements await this year’s SMART 100 innovators?

All of these products have two things in common: a) they’re Australian; b) they’re from unlisted companies represented by the Australian Small-Scale Offerings Board (ASSOB) and seeking equity capital from investors.

OK, we fibbed: the third thing is that c) they are all featured in this month’s edition of ASSOB’s Smart Capital Magazine.

Among the 15 companies ripe for picking in this autumnal harvest (which, by the way, is free to download) include:

Kondoot (cover)

Sure, they’re already anointing him the next Mark Zuckerberg, but Kondoot co-founder Mark Cracknell isn’t letting the hyperbole distract him. Nonetheless, he explains why his live-sharing video site has the power to hold its own against Facebook, while breaking down the company strategy for drawing revenue (a mix of broadcasting fees, gaming and advertising) and upping the PR blitz in North America. (Note: for a general introduction to the Kondoot phenomenon, may we humbly direct your attention here.)

Lahris

Lahris chief exec Gary Lanyon has an antidote for restless travellers: a tablet-based system that lets hotel guests search for local dining and shopping options where they are staying. With 1,200 hotel rooms in Australia already signed on, the Lahris platform can be utilised by hotels to provide up-to-date information and price lists, saving them the expenses of reprinting paper brochures.

Accoustic3D Holdings

Joe Hayes of Accoustic3D Holdings presents his company’s plan to release “a $999 system that has been compared to a $100,000 audiophile stereo system.” How so? Using advanced sound engineering techniques, Accoustic3D is making loudspeaker technology astronomically more affordable. The company is now looking to attract high-end recording enthusiasts to its no-feedback system — which, says Hayes, creates the uncanny feeling of really being there at the concert.

Flextank International

While most wine purists can’t imagine using anything but an oak barrel to age wines, Flextank is taking its imagination  well outside the cellar. Traditional barrels, according to managing director Peter Seer, pose many problems due to their cost and short lifespan. Flextank’s breakthrough, the Flexcube, oxidises the wine in a polymer vessel, with top-grade French oak built in for flavour. Skeptics are being won over to the new technology and the company is pursuing aggressive expansion into the US.

And, lest we forget: word is that a few of these company heads will be presenting at ASSOB’s Pitch Breakfast series throughout the month of March. So, have a look to find an upcoming breakfast event nearest you and be sure to register before it’s too late!

According to Connecting Up, unlike in other developed countries, there has been no comprehensive online directory here to allow donors, legislators and not-for-profits to network and establish connections with each other.

Connecting Up, itself a not-for-profit based in Adelaide, has announced its remedy to fill this void with the release of its directory listing of 60,000 Australian charities and NFPs.

“This website will provide the opportunity to contribute content, connect with other organisations and access resources that build the capacity of these community‐based organisations that are striving to make our community a better place,” Doug Jacquier, CEO of Connecting Up, announced in a media release.

The directory listing can be searched by organisation name, location, or categories such as education, health, religions & philosophies and environment & heritage.

As the Federal Government launches its Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), the sector is growing in significance and visibility. Supporters say that the directory, exclusively for NFPs and charities, will help to redefine the playing field.

“We commend Connecting Up for taking the initiative to develop the Connecting Up Directory of Australian Not‐for‐Profit and Charity Organisations and we encourage organisations to be actively involved in providing the information
needed to make it a success,” said Rev. Tim Costello AO, chair of the Community Council for Australia and CEO of World Vision.

Leslie Hems, director of research at the Centre of Social Impact at the University of NSW, also voiced support.

“I urge all nonprofits and charities to support this initiative and take the opportunity to provide the Directory information online,” Hems advised. “I would also like to encourage other agencies to promote the Directory to the millions of Australians who benefit from the products and services provided by Australian not‐for‐profit and community organisations and also the millions of Australians who volunteer and donate to them.”

Image by Aidan Jones

That seems to be the finding of independent research commissioned by Telstra Business and the Council of Small Business of Australia (COSBOA) to gauge issues of importance to small business ahead of the return of Federal Parliament.

The third annual Telstra-COSBOA Back to Business Study found that three-fourths of the SMBs are simply unaware of the Federal Government’s big-ticket Budget offering — a generous tax write-off for small to medium businesses — and their confidence in the Gillard Government dipped this year.

The disconnect could be devastating in the current, uncertain, economic environment because Australia’s 1.88 million small businesses constitute 95% of all companies and account for 30% of the country’s economic activity. The sector is also the highest employer — generating 3.6 million jobs, or 47% of private sector, non-agricultural employment.

SMB Commissioner, anybody?

A mere 24% of SMB owners and operators knew about last year’s announcement of an instant write-off on the first $5,000 spent on any capital asset from July. The Budget also offered SMBs a write-off on all other assets (except buildings) above $5,000 in a single depreciation pool at 30% and a reduction in the company tax rate to 29%.

That is not all that is wrong, according to the report.

Most SMBs expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of politicians in general and the Federal government in particular, sliding one percentage point this year to 38. The businesses rated the Gillard Government’s financial management at 39%. Labor was rated evenly on a range of other areas including climate change (43%), superannuation (42%), infrastructure (41%) and industrial relations (40%)

“With cost pressures such a concern to small business, it’s surprising so many are unaware of a tax write-off that could provide a real stimulus. There’s a clear message that the government needs to do more to sell its initiatives, while the low approval rating for all MPs shows they could be doing more to focus on the needs of small business,” said COSBOA CEO Peter Strong.

To help the government better communicate with the sector and help MPs, Strong recommends the appointment of a Federal Small Business Commissioner.

“Over the years I have had many MPs ask how to communicate more effectively with the small business people and a commissioner will assist the government, the bureaucracy and the elected members achieve that outcome,” he said.

Small business is finding the current economic environment tough and adjusting to counter the difficult environment, pointed out Telstra Business Group Managing Director Will Irving.

Over a third (35%) plan to cut their debt and another 27% intend to “put more time into networking with other businesses,” he said.

SMBs rated the European financial crisis as the biggest issue they could face in the next 12 months, with more than a quarter (27%) nominating it as the key issue of concern, ahead of a carbon tax (24%.) Also, 35% think the Australian economy has worsened in the last six months, up from 13% six months ago. The economy will worsen before the end of the financial year, assert 13%.

The Telstra SMB survey was conducted by StollzNow Research and included owners of 321 businesses from self-employed to those with 200 employees.

The call comes in the wake of the escalating ‘supermarket war’ between the two giants, with Coles committing to cut prices on a range of fruit and vegetables while Woolworths continues to maintain its fixed low prices on similar items.

According to Food Conect founder and spokesperson Robert Pekin, “the market dominance of Australian supermarkets has meant increased pressure on our farmers to provide cheap fruit and vegetables. The result is a mass exodus of farming families walking off the land at the rate of five per week.”

“With 2012 being the Year of the Farmer, I urge Australian citizens to ask themselves who grew their food and whether those farmers were paid a fair price for their hard work.”

As farmers markets, farmer-direct enterprises (often called CSA or community supported agriculture) and local food businesses proliferate, Food Connect and CERES Fair Food are leading the charge on what could be described as new form of agri-social enterprise that supports ecologically sustainable farming practises while paying farmers as much as 40 cents in the retail dollar for their produce.

“As a result of fair farm-gate prices hundreds of farmers in Queensland, NSW and Victoria have stayed on the land,” says Pekin.

“In stark contrast, the last twelve months has seen 30 Queensland dairy farmers abandon their farms as a direct consequence of the milk price wars initiated by the supermarket duopoly.”

The jointly issued release calls on the ACCC to hold the duopoly to account, declaring that “predatory pricing practices are not only illegal, but un-Australian.”

Rural communities in decline

According to Michael Cebon, founder of ethicaljobs.com.au and formerly of Global Trade Watch), in the past forty years:

• production has doubled while the value of production has stagnated
• farming’s contribution to the national economy has plummeted approximately 90%
• farmer’s costs have doubled
• median farmer incomes have dropped approximately 30%
• farmer debt has tripled
• 45,000 farms have disappeared
• farm and rural employment has dropped approximately 20%
• the price of bread has increased at double the price of wheat
• the price of beer has increased at triple the price of barley
• the price of steak has increased 45% over the price of cows
• consumer prices for milk have increased 75% over farm-gate prices

Yet in the same period, share prices for Woolworths and Wesfarmers have increased almost ten-fold.

“With growing global concerns about food security, the ACCC and local, state and federal government need to put pressure on the major supermarkets to end a war where both farmers and consumers have been proven to consistently lose,” says Pekin.

“We call on more Australians to vote with their forks, and help to create a food system fit for the future. If we don’t act now, we risk compromising our food security and it will be our children who will wear the costs down the track.”

The same applies in just about any market, including the mobile device ‘gold rush’. It’s not the gadget makers alone who are striking it lucky — millions of entrepreneurs who develop innovative accessories for mobile phones and tablet computers are raking it in, too.

In 2011, the global market for mobile phone accessories was an estimated $34 billion, according to New York’s ABI Research and will rise to $50.2 billion this year.

Out to grab his share of that pie is Alon Tamir, a Melbourne entrepreneur who has set up a full-fledged studio with goal of designing and building exciting new accessories under the umbrella brand of Wallee.

StudioProper has just released an iPad accessory that allows motorists to mount the tablet computer on the back of a seat, instead of holding it in their hands all the way. Called the Headrest, it turns any car into an entertainment hub by attaching the mount to a car seat with a simple turn and click movement.

Entertainment hub for the car

The Headrest is crafted from anodized aluminium — just like the iPad and other Apple products — and can swing out to a central position between the two front seats, and be switched between landscape and portrait, for versatile viewing.

“Instead of uncomfortably holding the iPad in your lap in the back-seat of the car, we’ve created a perfect mount that lets you lock it into your car’s headrest. You can multitask or just sit back and enjoy the ride,” said Tamir. “The great thing about the iPad, is that it can transform into so many things. You can use it for a wide range of entertainment and productivity uses.”

Tamir says he sought to create something new in an iPad accessory market “filled with copy-cat designs.”

“So we wanted to create something new, which has never been done before. Our designs exist to make the iPad experience more enjoyable,” he said.

The Headrest is not Tamir’s first iPad accessory. He previously released the Pix and Stix — a set of guitar picks and capacitive drum sticks that can actually be used on the iPad. The Headrest, fully designed and made in Australia, is available for $39.95 with free shipping around the world.

AAAI is asking angel investors, individuals and groups who provide capital to start-ups to complete the National Angel Survey before next Monday, 16 January.

The results from the survey will be revealed at the upcoming National Angels Conference in Melbourne on 29 February.

Angel investment is a rapidly growing source of funding for Australian start-ups, said Bentleys director Heath Shonhan.

The survey will “monitor that growth in order to foster the angel community and help AAAI inform future practice and policy,” he said.

Shonhan also indicated that the survey results will contribute to comparative studies of investment across different countries.

Bentleys, the accounting and finance network, is conducting the survey in tandem with AAAI.

The organisations are eager to see how the 2011 results stack up against those from 2010. The participants in that survey said that they invested more than $3 million in about two dozen companies, and more than half of individual and group investments were in seed and start-up companies.

Ruth Drinkwater, CEO of AAAI, said that she expects the life science sector will predominate among investments, in addition to related sectors like agribusiness and medical equipment.

The results from the survey will be informative to the angel community, entrepreneurs, big business and government groups alike, said Drinkwater.

“By better understanding what makes angel investors tick, we can all learn how to best leverage their expertise to benefit new companies, entrepreneurs and society in general,” she said.

To complete the 2011 National Angel Survey, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RMZ3YG2.

For such prophecy seekers, IBISWorld has come up with its annual, and laboured, report on which industries will fly in 2012, and which will be grounded.

In a surprising turn, the diamond and gemstone mining industry will see a fresh sparkle this year, after five straight years of decline, driven in the main by global factors. In fact, IBISWorld is predicting a huge 36.7% growth for the sector, reflecting a tremendous recovery.

Other sectors that will see a smart uptick are autos and three relatively new but vibrant industries — online education, biotechnology and e-commerce.

Conversely, the industries that are expected to register negative growth are iron and steel, construction, cotton ginning, cut flowers and paper. Iron and steel is likely the biggest loser with a nearly 15% projected decline in revenues.

Here is a snapshot of industries that will fly:

Diamond and Gemstone Mining

For five years, the industry suffered lower volumes and lower prices because of global economic conditions. For an industry that exports 90% of its production, a rising Australian dollar hardly helped. But a sharp rebound is at hand — a 36.7% jump to $599.9 million.

“The revenue rebound will be driven by stabilising prices and higher production levels, which are forecast to increase by 39.5%,” said IBISWorld General Manager (Australia) Karen Dobie.

Automobiles

Motor vehicle manufacturing will grow 14.3% to over $11.9 billion this year but the recovery will only be partial. This is because it still will not regain pre-global financial crisis levels, falling short by $5 billion.

Key drivers for the industry are a more diverse range of products including more environmentally friendly vehicles and a rise in exports for the first time in three years.

Online Education

IBISWorld expects revenue from Australia’s online education industry to increase by 10.6% in 2012 to just under $4.9 billion.

High-speed Internet services, government support of students, efforts to expand access beyond the typical school-leaver demographic and a wider and increasing acceptance is powering the growth of online education.

“The growing trend towards re-skilling for working adults and lifelong learning for retirees is expected to support continued growth in flexible methods of study, including online education,” Dobie said.

Biotechnology

With many Australian companies “approaching commercial readiness,” and receiving increased global investment, IBISWorld expects biotech revenues to grow 10.3% to over $2.4 billion.

IBISWorld expects growth to be driven by “continuing economic uncertainty” as leading “global investors search for low-risk opportunities like commercial-ready technology that Australia has on offer.”

E-commerce

Australia’s steadily rising online shopping industry is expected to grow 10.2% this year to $10.4 billion, still representing only 5% of the total retail sector.

Growth of e-commerce, from $7 billion in 2007, has “been due to consumers becoming more comfortable with shopping online, and more major retailers launching online stores,” Dobie said, listing computer and electrical items as the most common online purchases.

Here is a snapshot of industries that will fall:

Iron and Steel

Weaker global economic conditions and a strong Australian dollar will see exports plunge by more than 45% over the coming year. Overall, the industry will shrink 14.9% to $7.6 billion.

“Domestic demand is simply not strong enough to compensate for the rapid declines in international exports – leading industry players to reduce production levels,” Dobie said.

Also, the introduction of the carbon tax in 2012 will push many producers offshore.

Building & Construction

The Institutional Building Construction industry is expected to decline as governments cut spending on new construction, stimulus spending on the refurbishment of primary schools ends and major current projects are completed. In 2012, industry revenue is expected to fall 9% to $10.3 billion.

Cotton Ginning

Australia’s cotton ginning industry will decline 7.7% decline to $2.5 billion. This decline is mainly because of last year’s high, aided by wet weather. Overall, it will be a return to normalcy with production expected to touch 1,109.5 kilotonnes.

Cut Flower Growing

Flower growers are expected to face another tough year with IBISWorld forecasting industry revenue will fall 4.3% to $297.2 million — nearly half of its value a decade ago.

“The industry has experienced a restructuring of its customer base with an increasing percentage of production being sold through supermarkets and convenience stores rather than florists, Cut flowers are also a highly discretionary item and conservative spending is expected to keep demand weak through 2012,” IBISWorld said.

Pulp, Paper and Paperboard Manufacturing

Australia’s pulp, paper and paperboard industry will fall 3.7% to $3.1 billion, thanks to rapidly expanding use of electronic devices such as tablet computers. It also will be hit by continued high prices of woodchips, eroding the domestic industry’s competitiveness.

Talking Business is a podcast review of the Australian economy, presented by seasoned business journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker, produced in association with the RMIT College of Business. It features interviews with prominent business leaders and expert analysis from RMIT academics.

Interview: Rick Hooper

This podcast features a chat with Rick Hooper, CEO of Barefoot Power, a highly lauded company that distributes clean and renewable energy products, including solar panels and LEDs, in underdeveloped communities in Africa and Asia. Here, Hooper talks about the business model that defines Barefoot Power and his efforts to expand the company’s outreach.

Press play to listen.

Talking Business Podcasts on iTunes

Garry Barker and Leon Gettler both have established careers with The Age newspaper, where Garry Barker is its Technology Editor, and Leon Gettler is a Senior Business Journalist. Gettler also works freelance on a number of other publications.

Almost half of UK consumers responding to Ovum’s survey said that social networking platforms have adversely affected their use of email services.

But wait, there’s more. A cool 40 per cent blamed Facebook for a decline in the use of voice fixed services, 34 per cent said they made fewer mobile phone calls due to you-know-who, and 29 per cent said the number of text messages they send was heading south.

Ovum telecoms senior analyst and report co-author Mark Giles commented: “The results of our survey show that social media is negatively impacting all forms of communication provided by telecoms companies.”

And it seems that the whipper-snappers are behind the shift in usage.

“The trend is being driven by younger age groups.”

“While it could be argued that younger users will change their habits with age and trend towards the habits of older users who are more reliant on traditional forms of communication, it would be naive to assume this.”

“This is because players such as Facebook are constantly innovating, and are likely to increase their communications capabilities.”

Similarly chatty report co-author Neha Dharia commented: “Telco voice and messaging revenues and telcos’ increasingly outdated pricing models are coming under pressure as a new wave of substitution threatens to sweep the telecoms market.”

“The functional development and increasing availability of social networking platforms on mobile devices is seeing communication via social media eat into more traditional forms of communication.”

So what’s Ovum’s solution to the telcos’ pickle? The analyst outfit reckons more inclusive minutes and lower-priced SMS are the way forward. Meanwhile, some operators have sought to charge a levy on applications that make a meal out of their revenues and bandwidth, such as WhatsApp, Skype and Viber.

Dharia added: “Other operators seem to be utilising a wait and watch approach to social media applications, with some stating that there has been no impact on revenues.”

“However, their stance is likely to change in the future as the battle for voice and messaging heats up.”

After she served as a consultant for several child care guides, it was only a matter of time before Curtin delivered a neonatal iPhone app kicking and breathing into the digital world.

The aptly named Midwife Cath gives parents advice on an array of infant care topics such as breastfeeding, bathing, mastitis, reflux and skin condition.

“In the technological age we live in, Midwife Cath is far more convenient than carrying around thick baby books,” said Curtin, of Melbourne, on the eve of the release. Curtin herself was the midwife consultant for Kaz Cooke’s parenting books, Up the Duff and Kidwrangling, before developing the app.

Curtin’s product has already earned the endorsement of some notable footy WAGs: Rebecca Judd (married to Carlton legend Chris Judd) and Erin Maxwell (wife of Collingwood defender Nick Maxwell). Mrs. Maxwell deemed the app “a life saver” and considered Curtin to be “as much of a necessity as baby wipes and nappies” after she assisted her during her pregnancy.

While Midwife Cath isn’t a fix-all solution to parenting (it’s still no substitute for changing those icky nappies — sorry mums), Curtin sees the convenience of having all the collected information together as its chief selling point: “At 2am when you’re holding a screaming baby, a one-click app is a lot easier to use than Google!”

Image by 2nd Street Photography

Talking Business is a podcast review of the Australian economy, presented by seasoned business journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker, produced in association with the RMIT College of Business. It features interviews with prominent business leaders and expert analysis from RMIT academics.

Interview: PayPal Australia’s Adrian Christie

In this podcast, Adrian Christie of PayPal Australia talks to Leon and Garry about the exponential rise of online shopping in Australia. With growth rates as high as 400% in the past year, Christie presents his analysis of how thousands of businesses, large and small, are adjusting their retail operations to meet this growing trend.

Press play to listen.

Talking Business Podcasts on iTunes

Garry Barker and Leon Gettler both have established careers with The Age newspaper, where Garry Barker is its Technology Editor, and Leon Gettler is a Senior Business Journalist. Gettler also works freelance on a number of other publications.

The Australian cloud computing and storage company Ninefold has launched the Cloud Booster Program and announced startup hubs Pollenizer and Startmate as its first partners. These have since been joined by Innovation Bay and AngelCube.

The new program aims to help Australian startups supported by Pollenizer, Startmate, Innovation Bay and AngelCube by offering them free cloud computing and storage credit up to a year.

“Ninefold is an Australian business helping Australian business,” stated Peter James, Ninefold’s Managing Director.

“We’re really excited to launch The Cloud Booster Program as further evidence of our ongoing commitment to the local startup ecosystem,” he added.

Worth $2,000 per month for each startup, the Ninefold Cloud Booster Program gives the opportunity to the chosen startups to reduce a major infrastructure cost. They will also be involved in Ninefold’s marketing campaigns as well as receive set-up technical consultations.

“During the first twelve months of a business, it can seem like finance only goes one way – out,” said Phil Morle at Pollenizer.

“By providing free cloud computing and storage to our Australian companies for one year, the Ninefold Cloud Booster Program allows fledgling web businesses to develop their ideas with the help of our mentors and without worrying about things like hosting or infrastructure,” Morle added.

Startups are also assured that their data will be residing in Australian servers, decreasing latency and increasing speed.  They will also benefit from Ninefold’s customer service which provides support via emais, live chat, twitter and phone, as well as no maintenance fees or lock-in plans.

“By partnering with The Ninefold Cloud Booster Program, startups can launch and then scale more easily and quickly, removing crucial bottlenecks in the early stages,” said Niki Scevak of Startmate.

More partners may be expected to be announced in the future, as Ninefold is working towards adding more communities to its Cloud Booster Program.

Photo by Jamison_Judd