Funding & Finance

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News, opinions and advice on capital raising and finance strategy.

Offer less choice to get more sales

Regular Anthill contributor Steve Sammartino published an interesting post on his blog this morning. Steve is in the process of tweaking the pricing model for his company Rentoid and relayed a nugget of advice offered to him by fellow entrepreneur Chris Pearson (founder of Skitch and Comic Life).

Matthew Bourke, 2009 Anthill 30under30 Winner

For those of you who think accountants are beige bean counters, introducing Matthew Bourke – the new wave of accountant / business leader. He has, perhaps, the most diverse business interests of any of this year’s 30under30 winners.

Leon Hayes, 2009 Anthill 30under30 winner

Leon Hayes began his web startup, Switchselect.com, in the energy market and developed Australia's first free comparison website, providing a one-stop-shop for the retail sector.

Sequencing Investments: A Lego block approach to funding

It makes sense to build a company’s investment plan that has the interlocking qualities of Lego pieces, tightly fit, all supporting and connected to each other. To do that takes a carefully constructed financing plan with these specific elements:

What this inventor wants from investors

In August, we decided to explore the many facets of capital raising - from angel investment and grants to venture capital and private equity. For want of a better name, we called the exercise Anthill’s Venture Capital month. The theme tossed up plenty of investment advice and discussion. But it also triggered some strong reactions from Australian inventors who think that the investment culture in Australia needs a dramatic overhaul. Trevor Rose was among the most ardent, so we invited him to provide a 'right of reply'.

Myer float a positive bellwether but will private equity investors be the only to...

The upcoming Myer float is largely being viewed as a positive sign for the Australian sharemarket. It is clearly a win for the Texas Pacific Group-led investors, who put up the money, and Bernie Brookes for delivering the rebirth. It could even be considered a win for the Myer family who could pocket $200 million. But despite the almost blanket glossy coverage, the effervescent smile of Jennifer Hawkins and the broader appeal of owning a small parcel of an Australian retail institution, I have my concerns.

New tool for innovators looking for grants

Design Victoria today launched Transform Your Design Business, an online guide that aims to equip designers with the know-how to successfully navigate the grants space and write strong grant applications.

Fund managers forecast blue skies ahead

Australian fund managers believe the worst of the global financial crisis is over and are strongly backing prospects for Australian equities over the coming year, according to Russell Investments' latest Investment Manager Outlook (IMO). The outlook for almost all sectors has strengthened, with the sentiment towards Australian equities at its highest level since the manager survey began in 2005.

Designer mum launches Crowdfunding model to rid the world of plastic bottles

Gretha Oost has adopted an unusual approach to raise capital. The Melbourne mum, designer and Pitch Club contestant has decided to trial a 'crowdfunding' approach to launch her award winning product 321 Water.

What do you do to make your company look bigger than it really is?

Some of the best startup concepts fail to gain funding or traction from customers simply because the entrepreneur behind them doesn’t do enough to present the opportunity in the best light. As a result, the buyer, venture capitalist or distributor sitting across the table doesn’t warm to the idea and it falls over. I learnt this lesson the hard way.

Business expenditure on R&D has jumped by 15 per cent

Business expenditure on research and development (BERD) has jumped by 15 per cent, reaching $14,380 million in 2007-08, according to statistics released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Friday.

Business expenditure on R&D has jumped by 15 per cent

Business expenditure on research and development (BERD) has jumped by 15 per cent, reaching $14,380 million in 2007-08, according to statistics released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Friday.

The 7 principles of a successful restructure

Chances are, you’ve had to make some changes to your company’s internal structure in response to the economic downturn and in preparation for the slow recovery that appears to be underway. As with everything in business, restructures can be done well and they can be done poorly. Here are seven principles to help you avoid unnecessary complication.

Cleantech sector gathers momentum with launch of Sydney Cleantech Network

This week we were presented with further evidence that cleantech is rapidly gaining mainstream status in Australia with the launch yesterday of the Sydney Cleantech Network (SCN).

Tasmanian innovator Travellr raises growth capital from World Nomad Group

Later in the evening, perhaps after a second or third round of cocktails (all the pubs were closed), Cummings shared his views that raising capital is a time consuming process and that, in particular, he would be seeking a strategic partner. That's why I was particularly pleased to receive news yesterday that Travellr.com has secured growth capital from none other than the travel insurance and travel services company The Worlds Normad Group.

Ali G pitches Ice Cream Gloves to The Donald, VCs

Sacha Baron Cohen might be making more waves these days with his other alter egos, Borat and Brüno, but his original breakout character, Ali G (ayyyeee), was where it all began. In this clip, Ali G gets his entrepreneur on, pitching his idea for "Ice Cream Gloves" to a less-than-wooed Donald Trump and a series of bemused US VCs.

Why the green shoots of recovery will strangle some Australian businesses

It looks like this recession-that-wasn’t-actually-a-recession is coming to an end. As a business owner, you are right to be proud to have survived a frightening 18 months, when so many others have gone to the wall. But beware. It is not a given that survival in the downturn will equate to success and riches in the upturn. Indeed, there is a strong risk that recession conditions have deceived you about the general health of your organisation.

The top 10 lessons I learnt when my company collapsed

Thinking about starting up a business? Or are you in the middle of the ride of your life, totally focused on making you business a success? Take a moment to read this – it may save you from making some of the more common mistakes that entrepreneurs make. When my business collapsed last year, I learnt 10 things...

Liubinskas at TechCrunch50: Aussie startup entrepreneurs from iPitch & spellr.us

Pollenizer's Mick Liubinskas, Anthill's man on the ground at this week's TechCrunch50 conference in San Francisco, has been wandering around with his trusty video camera hunting down Aussie startup entrepreneurs to interview for you. In this first video, he interviews Green Lane Digital, the team behind iPitch, an online platform matching companies and investors. Below, Liubinskas catches up with another regular contributor, spellr.us founder Kevin Garber.

Liubinskas at TechCrunch50: Aussie startup entrepreneurs from iPitch & spellr.us

Pollenizer's Mick Liubinskas, Anthill's man on the ground at this week's TechCrunch50 conference in San Francisco, has been wandering around with his trusty video camera hunting down Aussie startup entrepreneurs to interview for you. In this first video, he interviews Green Lane Digital, the team behind iPitch, an online platform matching companies and investors. Below, Liubinskas catches up with another regular contributor, spellr.us founder Kevin Garber.
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