The KPMG Global Tech Innovator challenge seeks to recognise the most exciting and innovative tech startups globally. The Australian leg of the comp saw five finalist startups going head-to-head in a pitch off challenge, with Gelomics taking the top spot. Gelomic’s competitors were DoveTail Electric, Eden Brew, Sustainable Salons, and InTruth Technologies.

“All of our finalists came to the table with bold, industry-changing ideas,” said Amanda Price, Head of KPMG High Growth Ventures. “Each entry was unique and demonstrated a high level of global potential, making the selection process incredibly challenging.”

Now, Gelomics’ CEO and co-founder Christoph Meinert will present the startup’s ideas in front of 70,000 investors, policy makers, and industry leaders at Lisbon’s Web Summit. The Web Summit will also decide the global winner of the competition.

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The acquisition will allow CashRewards to integrate the latter’s product search algorithms into its cashback platform and provide combined service to help members find “best prices” while earning cash back.

However, in the first phase of the integration, CashRewards will need to relaunch the Little Birdie website and app. The team said it aims to have the website available before the Black Friday and Christmas shopping season begins this year.

Once the site is relaunched, the company said it will help drive high-intent shoppers directly to retailers, allowing them to acquire new customers, increase transaction frequency, and boost revenue.

Some of the member benefits post-upgrade promised by CashRewards include seamless product search, the ability to check pricing history, getting price drop notifications, price comparisons and cash back on purchases.

Anthony Seymour-Walsh, CEO of CashRewards, said the company aims to pave the way for innovation to bring more value to customers.

“This move not only strengthens our market position but will enhance our value proposition and accelerate the growth opportunities within our cashback and retail media sectors,” he concluded.

This story first appeared on our sister publication Inside Retail.

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The storytelling platform Goldilocks has just launched in Australia. The platform, created by James Baldock, allows families to preserve the voices and stories of their older members. Once a week, users send a question to a family member about their life via email. In response to each question, the family member records or types a story. Goldilocks records the responses, then compiles the stories and prints them into a handcrafted, leatherbound book after a year.

The platform supports over 50 languages and offers families a new way to record their legacy and deal with loss and grief.

Development

Goldilocks’ founder, 20-year-old James Baldock, developed the platform after realising that he didn’t know much about his grandparents’ lives.

“Details about their first job or their greatest life lesson are not things you would necessarily think to ask them,” he said. “So building a platform that does so in a natural and purposeful way was a big motivator for me.”

Baldock started working on Goldilocks in September 2023. He sketched wireframes and tested logo concepts in between his university classes. During this time, he met his co-founder, who handles the software development while Baldock focusses on business development and sales.

“The most challenging moment for me was probably the realisation that if I ever wanted Goldilocks to succeed, I would need to quit my paralegal job to give myself more time to work on the business,” said Baldock. “In December of 2023, I took the jump, and now it is has launched, I guess you could say that I have never looked back.”

Now that the startup has launched, Baldock says he feels excited but also a sense of responsibility.

“I am aware that Goldilocks can help so many families as they navigate through dementia diagnosis and loss; so I want to do all I can to make it as accessible as possible,” he said.

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