Carla Penn-Kahn

Post 0224: Buy when it’s red This time last week, Wisetech and Xero, both listed on ASX as WTC and XRO were trading as follows: WTC = $83 per share, down from almost $100 per share XRO = $123 per share, down from about $140 per share These two are tech giants in Australia. And their share prices are expensive. So the best times to buy these sticks are when stock prices drop, like what happened last week. Just after one week, these two stocks are rising again: WTC = now $93 per share, up $10 XRO = now $136 per share, up $13 The best days to build wealth is when people frantically sell shares. Because shares of good companies that are driven down by irrational and emptional investors will always rise in the long run. As explained earlier, the PNG stocks don’t follow the overseas trends. You will therefore see that the stocks listed on PNGX are not rising as fast. They neither fall as fast when bad news drives world stock market prices down.

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🔥 Unpopular Opinion: Australia's Fractured Fintech Ecosystem As a Fintech founder or community member to go to all the major events this month you're looking at circa $1K minimum, even more if you're not a startup founder. 💰 Now it's not a HUGE amount of money but that's just June, there's multiple events throughout the year. 🤝 Now all of these events are great opportunities for networks to grow, deals to be done and partnerships to be formed and should be attended. They're organised by passionate and great people. 🤗 But there's lots of talk about Fintech struggles of late and how as a community we can band together and help increase funding, talent and growth of Fintech in Australia. 🤯 We have multiple communities, awards, summits (including a new one last week), newsletters, memberships and then there's other communities for cyber, regtech, proptech, insurtech, crypto and on and on and on the list goes. 👊 And I'm not naive as to how we got to where we are, and I'm certainly not diluting the value each community or event brings, we all love a good backslapping. It's just appears to be overly complex for our size of market. So it beggars the question, do we need micro communities, with different audiences, agendas, voices? And as a Founder how do you determine where to spend your hard earned $ and get the best bang for buck? #australia #fintech #events #community #networking

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Great article by Tom Richardson in the AFR about how investors can start investing in startups. Some good insights from Alan Jones, Cheryl Mack and myself. It talks about the Sydney Angels process and some of the massive winners we've had. If you're potentially interested in angel investing, have a read of the article. Covers Aussie Angels and M8 Ventures as well. https://lnkd.in/gzV9Bk5J #SydneyAngels #AngelInvesting #StartupAUS

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FB Ventures is delighted to bring Equity Roll-Up solutions to Australian founders, making them accessible to all. Equity Roll-Up solutions reduce costs, complexity and time, while also removing ongoing management burdens, allowing founders to focus on growing their business. Equity Roll-Up Vehicles enable a larger number of investors to support the growth of a company, unlocking more capital while allowing investors to diversify their portfolios and easily track their investments. For founders looking to enhance their online presence and connect with a broader range of investors, head to FB Ventures platform to explore a range of tools to assist with capital raising https://app.fbventures.vc/ #capitalraising #startups #vc #investments

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All the Top Startups goodness! We’ve just released our Top Startups in New Zealand list, a data-backed ranking of the 5 emerging companies that you should be paying attention to right now: https://lnkd.in/d4fgJDu2 This follows last week’s release of Australia’s Top Startups list: https://lnkd.in/dV2KCqmc Check out both lists and let me know — what trends are you most excited about in the startup environment right now? #LinkedInTopStartups

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There's a glaring irony among NFPs in the Australian startup ecosystem... They preach "know your customer" but often fail to practice it. Want to see how? Let's break it down... 👇🏾 What NFPs preach: "Always talk to your customers." What NFPs practice: Making assumptions about customer needs. What NFPs preach: "Use data to drive decisions." What NFPs practice: Relying on gut feelings and outdated information. What NFPs preach: "Build for diversity and inclusion." What NFPs practice: Creating one-size-fits-all solutions. Remember... NFPs in the startup ecosystem give great advice to founders. But the real winners are those who don't just preach, but actually practice customer-centricity. Have you noticed this disconnect in the startup ecosystem? Share your observations in the comments. ---------------------------------------------- Found this useful? Repost for your NFP startup ecosystem to "know their customer". ♻️

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National Vendor Discounting Hits 2-Year Low at 3.5% 📉 The median vendor discount across Australia has fallen to 3.5% in the April quarter, according to CoreLogic – the lowest level in two years! This slight drop from 3.6% in the March quarter suggests a strengthening market 🏡. In regional areas, the discounting fell from 3.9% to 3.8%, while capital cities saw a slight increase from 3.1% to 3.2%. Here's a snapshot of vendor discounting in key cities: Perth: 2.4% Brisbane: 2.9% Canberra: 3.0% Melbourne & Sydney: 3.3% Adelaide: 3.5% Hobart: 4.2% Darwin: 4.8% For homeowners and investors, these figures provide a crucial insight into market trends and property values. 🌟 #RealEstate #PropertyMarket #VendorDiscounting #Australia

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Australian retail sales effectively went backward year to date. The ABS reported Australian retail sales remained subdued in April, with an increase of 1.3% year to date. However, more importantly they reported yesterday that monthly CPI rose 3.6% over the same period This means retailers are effectively seeing sales rise at a slower pace than inflation. 🏆 Category "winners": Cosmetics Sports and recreational Food Cafes, restaurants and takeaway 👎 Category declines: Household goods Clothing Footwear Department stores What does this mean? Discretionary spending is down on down Consumers are waiting for discounts Inventory holding reductions are impacting wholesalers upstream 🤔 What can retailers do? Double down on what's working Pull back on what's not working Profit first acquisition Value proposition (not discount lead) retention Remember if discretionary spend is down and you acquire customers at breakeven or worse, it will be a much longer period before they shop again to increase your CAC:LTV.

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A great report with some important insights about online shopping habits and preferences in Australia. Check it out!

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[Edited to clarify Angel stat] Having seen many interesting discussions on the topic of business investment since the founding of Powerblocks - this week I had a random idea that might solve two big issues with one proverbial stone... The first big issue is that Australia has higher gambling losses per capita than anywhere in the world, as high as AU$25bn per year. That's not money spent on gambling, that's LOSSES - almost AU$1200 per adult. To put that in context, that is roughly the same as all US Angel investments in 2022, and more than seven times the total of Australian Venture Capital investments in 2023. Imagine if instead of those losses going toward large betting companies and casinos, we could direct them to Australian businesses. Not gambling stocks and shares - but investment towards startups and scale-ups, of which there are a great many more than can be funded within the current ecosystem. Now plenty of people have tried to encourage gamblers to invest their money for the long-term - with little results. However the advantage that startups and scale-ups have - is that the potential rewards are huge enough to generate the dopamine hit that can come with regular gambling. Especially if presented in a flashy and exciting way. Instead of losing money when Sydney Swans inevitably (and sadly) lose the AFL Grand Final again, at least people can lose it supporting Aussie small businesses - and when the next Canva eventually hits, it will be just like winning the slot machine/pokie jackpot. Could a VC alternative to gambling provide a more positive way to spend billions of dollars each year? Perhaps, and if it reduces the number of terrible betting ads I see each week, all the better. [Apologies for the obligatory AI image.]

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It’s tough out there for Kiwi businesses, with closures happening every week. Carolyn Young, Chief Executive of Retail NZ, recently pointed out that after eight straight quarters of negative growth, many businesses have simply run out of cash. "They've used all their lines of credit, they can't stay open any more. Sometimes it's their choice, sometimes it's forced on them," she said. In July, retail business liquidations were up a massive 36% compared to the same time last year. Hospitality's not doing any better, with liquidations up 27% and those businesses 2.2 times more likely to go under. Transport's up 35%, and even construction’s taken a hit with a 9% rise. For those of us still in business, now’s the time to get serious about planning and investing in growth. It’s all about finding smart ways to build resilience and push through tough times. That’s where we come in at Web8 – helping Kiwi businesses get ahead with cost-effective digital growth strategies that actually work. At Web8, we get that budgets are tight, which is why our solutions start from just $498 for a slick new website, or $458 per month for SEO to get you seen. Whether you need a standout website to show off your business or want to harness AI-powered PPC and SEO to pull in traffic, we’ve got you covered. We’ll help you connect with your customers online in a way that makes sense, saving you time and cutting out all the hassle. With Web8, you can: Attract new leads with websites that make you look sharp Use AI-driven SEO and PPC to keep the business flowing Automate email marketing to stay in touch with customers Let our AI chatbot handle your website visitors and get them booked in Use data insights to keep improving your digital game If you're ready to grow your business and ride out the tough times, Web8 is here to help. Let's chat about how we can support your business to thrive. https://lnkd.in/gbDbTgqb

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Farzan and I created Testimonial Donut to help founders grow their businesses, and get cracker testimonials like this. You can't get a more genuine testimonial of Tom Uhlich and his business Boss Money Mortgage Broking than this. If you're an Australian Mortgage broker and you want your happy clients to be your top salespeople then get in touch. #testimonails #mortgagebroking

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Post 0225: stocks of great companies will always rise Shares of Wisetech (WTC on ASX) increased by 18% in one day, taking it to $112 per share. What’s interesting is that this same stock, dropped to $84 two weeks ago, when employment data came out poorly than expected. At the time I posted an article explaining how you can build wealth during bad times: “Be greedy and buy more shares when the world is fearful and selling off. But be fearful when you see people rushing to buy shares of a company.” On Wednesday (21 August 2024) WiseTech Global reported a 28% revenue increase to $1.04 billion and a 24% rise in net profit to $263 million. The result was an increase in share prices. Share prices of great and profitable companies will always ride in the long term.

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Hey founders! You have a right to raise capital from the public, like big companies do. And by making a regulated offer of securities with Birchal through the CSF regime, you get access to over 10 million Australian investors. This is arguably the largest pool of capital available for startups and SMEs in Australia. And it's made up of lots of different types of investors. VCs (of course), but also high net worths, family offices, angels, and literally everyone else. The CSF regime is the VEHICLE to aggregate all of these different types of investors into a single raise. You control the process, the timeline and the terms. If equity crowdfunding is adopted as widely here as it has been in the UK, last year's $70m total funding volume would be 10x so $700m in annual funding. Thanks so much to Jacob Parker and Fiskil for the chat recently at Intersekt about how exciting the opportunity ahead for CSF is here in Australia. Full interview in the comments below: #investment #startups #equitycrowdfunding #innovation #funding #founders #VC #CSF

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UPDATE:now at 65 and counting so seeing about a bigger room. Keep the DMs and comments coming! - Z Attention founders who are ACTIVELY raising funds and in Sydney on Monday, Nov 25! I'm giddy about an event I'm almost finished planning for up to 75 founders who are raising funding (first or second rounds) and keen to get in front of these investors: TORUS Exhort Ventures F5 Collective trampoline. Archangel Ventures Investible Airtree Electrifi Ventures Mind Ventures Folklore Ventures Cut Through Angels M8 Ventures OIF Ventures Tidal Ventures and AfterWork Ventures In addition to the small group meetings, we'll hear from the wonderful Jason Atkins about all things cap table related (he makes it fun, i swear! and is a top rated speaker for my past events) and from Bree Kirkham Mitchell Bissinger and Harrison Wright on a panel. Finally, we'll end with some food and bev! I have 40 founders already registered and looking for more! :) Do you know others raising who need to come? Tag them plz. Are you raising? DM me or comment with your interest. Not a heavy vetting process but do want to make sure it's a fit so page isn't public. :)

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There is a staggering $222 billion sitting in Kiwi transaction and savings accounts, often earning low to zero interest. At Kernel, our team works hard to deliver innovative solutions that help Kiwis do better with their hard-earned cash. Last month that involved launching our Smart Saver account, and the response has been incredible! Tens of millions of dollars have already been moved into Smart Saver by Kiwis looking to be smarter with their savings. 📈💰 It's encouraging to hear that Andrew Bayly has an eye on open banking, which can't be owned by the banks! This is critical if we are to help more Kiwis unlock even more value from their savings. It's time to make your money work harder for you! #SmartSaver #OpenBanking #FinancialFreedom #SmartInvesting #KiwiSaver

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This post is great for Startmate, but don't ignore the headline: "9 out of 10 times VC loses money". This is a truth a lot of startup founders just don't get... when you take VC, you think you've made it... but *most of the time* a VC writes a check it goes sideways. Getting VC is NOT a magnificent milestone... it's the start of a very risky journey. Think about that: your investor comes to your board meeting... and 8 or 9 out of every 10 board meetings they go to they know "this company ain't gonna make it". I'm not against VC's and I had a terrific VC in my company, but I don't think enough founders *understand* the realities of venture capital, *particularly* in Australia, where the whole ecosystem is quite immature and a long way behind the US. #VentureCapital #fundraising #VC #startups #founders

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