Third Hemisphere in The Rocks, Sydney | Public relations agency
Third Hemisphere
Locality: The Rocks, Sydney
Phone: +61 1300 317 589
Reviews
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25.01.2022 No longer business as usual! "Most banks make decisions that are data-based, but when you have times of economic dislocation, making purely data-based decisions may not always be appropriate. ...(but) the mother of invention is necessity. Were seeing that right now in mortgages; things like brokers not needing to interview the customers face-to-face. Hallelujah! Weve finally come into the 20th century and were in the 21st! So, there will be some benefits coming out of th...is situation." Volt Bank CEO, Steve Weston, speaks to Mortgage Business Online about the changes to lending that are likely to arise in a post-pandemic economy. https://www.mortgagebusiness.com.au//14560-banks-will-need
24.01.2022 Yesterdays banking you could get away with that sneaky shit. The banking of today says if you know the customers are getting a poor outcome, even if youre not breaking any regulations, you need to stop. We can lead by example on this, and we can make a lot of noise. Volt Bank CEO, Steve Weston, is not mucking around when it comes to calling banks on their bullsh*t! As spoken to Jack Derwin at Business Insider Australia. https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australian-savings-accou
24.01.2022 Congrats to Volt Bank and Cotton On for this Australian-first, one of a kind partnership between a neobank and an Australian retailer! The partnership follows earlier alliances with payments giant PayPal and ASX-listed Collection House, and forms part of Volts plan to have more than 10 domestic partnerships over the medium-term, according to Steve Weston. Jeremy Liddle... https://www.theaustralian.com.au//7c2d8a0f3ff4deaaa34eda97
23.01.2022 "99.99 per cent of the time, these platforms are created with purely good intent as a way of connecting people and giving voices to them ...no one anticipated that certain players might use these platforms for other means, for selfish purposes or for political gain. "Those unintended consequences are something where if we had a more diverse set of people around the table when they were being built, we could have prevent them from happening. If they were designed inclusively f...or a positive outcome at the start, could we have thought of [the need for] fact-checking?" Sally-Ann Williams, CEO of Cicada Innovations reiterates the importance of diversity in tech in today's Financial Review. https://www.afr.com//aussies-fear-tech-regulatory-crackdow
23.01.2022 "People say to me, I have 150 machine-learning experts in my business, to which I say, you absolutely dont. At Google, where we had 800 people, I didnt even have that many. We couldnt find them. So you definitely dont." Sally-Ann Williams from Cicada Innovations speaks at the #AFRFutureBriefing "Harnessing AI" summit, warning of the AI skills shortage facing Australian businesses. https://www.afr.com//experts-warn-that-australia-lacks-cle
21.01.2022 "If I go back to our day one business plan three years ago, we estimated that something like 1 per cent of our customers would come from partners. But we are now confident more than three-quarters of our customers will be partner-originated." Steve Weston discusses the drive behind the launch of Volt Bank's unique platform strategy, as he joins forces with Microsoft's Steven Worrall to deliver "Volt 2.0". https://www.afr.com//neobank-volt-pivots-to-offer-bank-in-
20.01.2022 Were conscious of changing economic conditions, such as the record low interest rates pushing a growing number of retirees and savers to invest in more risky products to achieve acceptable returns. We want to provide a more diversified, higher-return, and income-producing alternative." SocietyOne CEO, Mark Jones, on the opportunities peer-to-peer lending can offer to yield-hungry investors in these yield-scarce times. https://www.smh.com.au//p2p-lenders-spread-wings-as-search
19.01.2022 "Pre-revenue covers a broad spectrum of businesses... Especially when were talking about deep-tech pre-revenue startups, were talking about companies that have been established for a number of years; raised significant capital through grants and funding, and through venture capital; and are solving complex science and engineering problems." Sally-Ann Williams of Cicada Innovations talks to SmartCompany about the inadequacies of #jobkeeper when it comes to potentially game...-changing pre-revenue deep technology startups and scaleups. Thanks to Stephanie Palmer-Derrien for the excellent write-up. https://www.smartcompany.com.au//pre-revenue-startups-job/
19.01.2022 "If you want to know which sectors will have high demand for smart people in the next few years, read The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015..." Sally-Ann Williams of Cicada Innovations gives her insights on the future of jobs in tech to the delightful Natasha Gillezeau in todays The Australian Financial Review. https://www.afr.com//where-will-the-future-jobs-in-technol
19.01.2022 How many colds have you had in the past year? For many Australians the answer is zero or close to zero, after they spent much more money on hand sanitisers and other home hygiene products. This new focus on illness prevention instead of just being resigned to regularly coughing and sneezing is one we should all continue moving forward."... Jethro Marks, CEO & co-founder of The Nile Group spoke to news.com.au about the many ways COVID affected our shopping habits in ways that could help us better manage our money and our lives for years to come. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au//d983f73d6763eed07a0b75d
19.01.2022 "An emerging group of deep tech start-ups are pivoting their technologies and redeploying their staff to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, as the sector begins to treat the outbreak with a wartime mentality. "...Cicada Innovations chief executive Sally-Ann Williams said all these companies were examples of entrepreneurs shifting their thinking past the doom and gloom and realising there were opportunities to help." Thanks to Cicada Innovations residents, Calumino and SpeeDx..., for shifting operations and resource allocation to literally attempt to save the world! https://www.afr.com//start-ups-pivot-to-save-the-world-by-
18.01.2022 Congrats to Sydney Angels investee, energy infratech start-up, Aurtra, for successfully securing $2 million in its recent oversubscribed seed round. Aurtras patented Internet of Things-powered asset management platform enables real-time monitoring and life extension of energy transformers, whose 30-year automatic replacement cycle creates a $1.7 trillion global problem with major environmental implications. Thanks to David Swan for the great write up, as usual :)... https://www.theaustralian.com.au//c1ea2f798bd93869fb7fa4ac
18.01.2022 Welcome to the Volt Bank team, Julian Sawyer! https://www.afr.com//volt-brings-in-neobank-expert-julian-
18.01.2022 "Without expensive branch networks, online-only (neo)banks will step up their fight against the big four, and Volt CEO Steve Weston said by the end of 2020 they would no longer be seen as niche." Volt Bank CEO, Steve Weston, speaks to news.com.au predicting that in 2020 The neobank sector will move beyond licensing and launch an increasing number of products while rapidly acquiring customers". https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au//878b670f7a6c7c338321811
18.01.2022 Thank you for inviting me on ausbiz to talk about capital raising, #technology, and #startup #investment in Australia, especially during these tough #covid19 times. We chatted about some of Third Hemispheres amazing #PR clients and the great work they are doing #raising and #investing, such as Volt Bank, LimePay, Sydney Angels, Cicada Innovations, and Cicadas incubated Calumino with their new COVID temperature scanner. Its been very encouraging to see how some tech founder...s have shown true leadership in tough times, executing pivots and new strategies to navigate uncertain markets. With so much cash sitting on the sidelines, now is a great time to be looking for robust private companies that will weather the storm and emerge without being subject to public market fluctuations. Check out #Ausbiz TV, led by an excellent team from Australian News Channel (Sky News) such as David Koch, Kylie Merritt, and Nadine Blayney bringing you the latest markets, tech, finance, and investment updates live and streaming free. #venturecapital #startups #vc #startupfunding #entreprenuers #techstartup #capitalraising
18.01.2022 Congrats to Cicada Innovations portfolio company, corporate health-tech firm Springday, for merging with 3D body mapping company mPort! The new platform created by the merger will provide enterprises with data analytics, insights, and reporting and risk stratification capabilities designed to help create a generation of happy, healthy and productive employees. Thanks to The Australian for the great write up.... https://www.theaustralian.com.au//3ab38f6990e06fa2439561cc
18.01.2022 "The concern from merchants with the likes of Afterpay etc is that theyre essentially marketplaces. They acquire all of these customers from merchants and then they remarket to those customers. Its like a leaky bucket taking customers away." Timothy Dwyer (CEO) and Dan Peters (CRO) from payments startup, Limepay, speak to the Australian Financial Review about their recent oversubscribed $6 million round, and how they plan on giving struggling retailers a payments lifeline. ...Amazing also to see a recently-launched startup hit the #1 trending story in Tech, and also make the home page of the AFR! https://www.afr.com//build-your-own-afterpay-banks-6m-as-r
17.01.2022 I am more bullish about the business then I have ever been... Theres a really strong management team with deep experience and understanding of banking, that is energised and heartened by the scale-up experience. Reinventure Groups Simon Cant speaking about Australias pioneering marketplace lender, SocietyOne, as it announces a $100m warehouse facility, months of record lending, and a potential pathway to IPO. https://www.afr.com//societyone-finally-ready-to-test-the-
16.01.2022 With all eyes on COVID, it can sometimes be hard to remember that areas such as agricultural and agrifoodtech are still powering on, busy finding new and innovative ways of sustainably feeding global populations. Despite it all, a number of Cicada Innovations incubatees have been profiled by The Sydney Morning Herald on their work in these areas. These include members of the 2019 GrowLab cohort, who spent six months working on the technology in Cicadas warren of offices and ...laboratories behind Redfern train station. Ideas that started here have made it across Australia to Ukraine, New Zealand, Malaysia and NASAs testing labs in Hawaii. Congrats to Hillridge Technology (a startup enabling global insurance companies to provide weather protection for small to medium-sized Australian farm businesses), LLEAF (greenhouse film technology boosting natural sunlight to increase yield and profit), and InvertiGro (innovative indoor vertical farming solutions) for the feature! https://www.smh.com.au//the-future-is-fertile-how-australi
15.01.2022 "Williams... wanted to work with the kind of technology that most positively affected humans, society and the environment. That is why Cicada Innovations made sense to her." Cicada Innovations CEO, Sally-Ann Williams enjoying a delicious falafel brunch and chatting with the AFR ahead of The Australian Financial Review Business Summit on changing the world, confronting grief, staying grounded, and accidentally finding love online. https://www.afr.com//how-cicada-boss-makes-a-role-reversal
15.01.2022 Looking forward to hearing Sally-Ann Williams, CEO of Australias only deep tech business incubator Cicada Innovations, speaking at this years prestigious The Australian Financial Review Business Summit! https://afrsummit.com/speakers
15.01.2022 "Cynics warned that ESG strategies would get tested in a downturn... And yet here we are in 2021 and ESG has passed the ultimate stress test with investment in ethical and ESG funds soaring over the past 12 months. "...The power of financial markets to bring about social change was certainly a novel concept when Australian Ethical began in 1986. But today ESG underpins most, if not all, debates about the future of investing. We expect this acceptance to accelerate. CEO of Au...stralian Ethical Investment, John McMurdo speaks to the Australian Financial Review about the booming demand for ESG investment options driven by investors themselves. Thanks also to Sarah Brennan from Investment Trends for helping to create awareness of this increasing trend. https://www.afr.com//green-investing-demand-jumps-34pc-in-
14.01.2022 What your clients get up to when youre no longer able to drop by them in the office... Congrats Sally-Ann Williams and Cicada Innovations for being part of the winning team the first Artificial Intelligence Eurovision song contest! Apparently they trained algorithms on past Eurovision songs and the sounds of Australian wildlife like kookaburras and Tasmanian Devils, but weve been assured that no wildlife was harmed in the process of making this hit single https://www.afr.com//how-aussies-won-the-first-ai-eurovisi
13.01.2022 "These culture crises are more than just a public relations headache. They are costing shareholders hundreds of millions of dollars, as the damage to share prices cements the impact of poor culture oversight into the company’s valuation." Sunil Vohra, co-founder of The Workability Index features in today's AFR BOSS with his editorial on how we might keep corporate Australia accountable. https://www.afr.com//how-to-end-corporate-australia-s-cult
12.01.2022 When investors see the power of their money, and that they can do well for themselves, but also that they can do well for the planet ... Australians are saying they want to see the benefits of that. ...If you invest in companies, and sectors which are part of the future of the planet and the future of society and the future of mankind... the investment thesis should work." John McMurdo, CEO of Australian Ethical Investment speaks to The Sydney Morning Herald about the power ...of ethical investment https://www.smh.com.au//seismic-shift-aussies-grasp-the-po
12.01.2022 P2P is dead. Long live P2P! An editorial written by Mark Jones, the CEO of Australias first ever P2P-now-marketplace consumer lender, SocietyOne, outlines the evolution of the industry in todays The Australian. Mark discusses why it was crucial everyone moved on from P2P. "A classic trap for company leaders is to remain attached to an original idea, technology, product or process. The reason this is a trap is because none of these factors are why a new company is born in th...e first place. Instead, and as simple as it may sound, start-ups are founded to solve a customer problem in a new and innovative way. "The technology, business model, and mode of delivery that form the solutions are the channels used for resolving this problem; they are not valuable in and of themselves regardless of how trendy or idealistic they might be." https://www.theaustralian.com.au//5a33bbbcd00b47856308d38b
12.01.2022 "Weve already attracted significant investment from Credit Suisse, SIX Group, and Berliner Volksbank. We expect institutional investors of a similar calibre to join the Australian entity as both debt and equity investors." Adam Lane, managing director of Tradeplus24, speaks exclusively to The Australian Financial Reviews Street Talk about his current hunt for fresh equity to fuel local growth. https://www.afr.com//credit-suisse-backed-fintech-s-local-
12.01.2022 "Economists are uncertain as to whether the virus crisis will lead to a period of widespread inflation or deflation, but gold is uniquely placed to thrive in both environments. "The SendGold platform has been experiencing a surge as more investors cotton on. Although its sweet spot is more experienced investors between the ages of 35 and 55, SendGold is drawing in gold enthusiasts across the spectrum with minimum purchases as low as 50 and investors aged 18 to 97 using the p...latform. It charges brokerage of about 1 per cent. "Since January it has seen transaction volumes snowball by 819 per cent and the average transaction size grow by 311 per cent." Jodi Stanton, CEO & co-founder of SendGold, speaks to Aleks Vickovich, Wealth editor at the AFRs Smart Investor, on the unique opportunities arising in gold for both investors and for fintechs able to deliver new ways of investing in this uncorrelated asset. https://www.afr.com//what-s-behind-the-coronavirus-gold-ru
11.01.2022 There is sort of an inflection point where all these merchants are saying, we get it, customers want better instalment choices, they want BNPL instalment plans. This is here to stay, but we want to bring this in-house and be able to own that experience. Timothy Dwyer and Dan Peters speak to The Australian about how Limepay is working to help merchants bring BNPL in-house, and avoid the breakdown of customer relationships in the process. Thanks to Joyce Moullakis for the g...reat story :) https://www.theaustralian.com.au//8e69446475314a0f33e399cf
10.01.2022 "It totally is the right time. Everyone is looking for this new sort of credit solution, and not only is the awareness there but the popularity is there." Limepay co-founders, Timothy Dwyer and Dan Peters speak to the SMH's Dominic Powell about their plans to take on Afterpay and Zip https://www.smh.com.au//buy-now-pay-later-challenger-limep
10.01.2022 "If I had a crystal ball and could gaze forward 10 years, we'd be able to point to dozens of companies founded off the back of this recession. I say that with absolute certainty." Cicada Innovations CEO, Sally-Ann Williams, speaks to the AFR's Yolanda Redrup about the #deeptech opportunities that often arise out of recession, and praises the $2b boost to R&D initiatives and $1.5b for manufacturing in the recent #budget2020. https://www.afr.com//r-and-d-reversal-to-spur-job-creation
10.01.2022 Societyones high-profile shareholders - including the likes of News Limited, Seven West Media, Consolidated Press Holdings, and Westpacs venture capital fund, Reinventure Group - indicate growth may be on the cards in 2020 for Australias first consumer P2P lender, tipping in more equity in a recent $15m raise. https://www.afr.com//high-society-backed-fintech-rules-off
10.01.2022 What I find troubling is banks saying they are putting customers at the heart of what they do but that isnt reflected in actual practice. As an example, banks should say what percentage of their savings account customers get the higher advertised interest rates rather than the often very low base rates. The same applies to home loan interest rates. Why is it that new customers get a better deal than loyal customers? Banking needs to be done in a better way. Volts first pr...oduct, our savings account, offers a highly competitive rate without any conditions. I challenge other banks to do the same." Volt Bank CEO, Steve Weston, speaks to The Australian about how it plans to give the big banks a run for their money. https://www.theaustralian.com.au//ebc73f3391f072179b50c1e6
09.01.2022 "Williams believes that those who take on risk in a bid to make the world a better place have a better chance of success than those merely motivated by material reward." Sally-Ann Williams, CEO of Australias only deep tech incubator Cicada Innovations, speaks to the AFR about the qualities that make for an exceptional risk-taker, even with any genetic predispositions. https://www.afr.com//what-it-takes-to-be-a-risk-taker-and-
08.01.2022 "Deep technologies can help to solve the worlds biggest problems as defined within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These cover many different areas of concern, such as food security, water supply and sanitation, health, gender equality and energy supply. ...Using the SDGs as a framework to address some critical issues will become central to the long-term viability of all industries, as driven both by increasing need and also societal pressure." Cicada... Innovations CEO, Sally-Ann Williams writes in todays The Australian on the urgency of transforming our economy and primary industries to create a more sustainable and equitable future for Australia. https://www.theaustralian.com.au//bee8397a25cc6967e39caea2
06.01.2022 Dont take our word for it! "Volts rate really is fantastic and it just blows everyone else out of the water. In fact, its better than some of the conditional rates that are now being offered by previous market darlings such as UBank. Its a real game changer and if they hold that kind of positioning with their rate I dont think theyll have any trouble at all attracting a heap of business. ... mozo.com.aus Banking Expert, Peter Marshall, reviews Volt Banks newly-announced interest rates. We think he might be a little bit impressed! https://mozo.com.au//neobank-volt-has-released-a-savings-a
04.01.2022 "Australia will miss out on its piece of the proverbial celestial pie if we continue to allow fragmentation and silos between government, industry, investors, and entrepreneurs when it comes to the business of space." An editorial written by Sally-Ann Williams, CEO of Australia's pioneering deep tech incubator, Cicada Innovations, features in today's Australian Financial Review with her insights into how we might capture some of the $US420 billion space economy. https://www.afr.com//why-australia-must-urgently-rethink-i
04.01.2022 What we have in this market is some people trying to hold themselves out as ethical investors without authenticity. It’s greenwashing and we do not want it here." John McMurdo, CEO of "Australia’s most successful ethical fund manager" Australian Ethical Investment, speaks to The Australian about how the government might accelerate efforts to stamp out the greenwashing of investments that aren’t quite what they claim... https://www.theaustralian.com.au//7989ed8816ff4772c767ed66
03.01.2022 "We must question the logic of investing government funds into the production of basic products like the Polly Waffle chocolate bar, and instead focus on expanding and accelerating the production of deep technology companies in critical areas such as health, agriculture, and energy." Sally-Ann Williams from deep technology incubator, Cicada Innovations, features in todays The Australian with her thoughts on Australias road to economic recovery after COVID-19. https://www.theaustralian.com.au//645bd485bb6d2771e93b7083
02.01.2022 "We are bouncing back, and that is symbolic of the country. We are coming through this; it is getting back to normal. "...People were being quite prudent and careful, but it got to October, and people have said 'I want to do something around the house', and we have seen activity return in a big way. Mark Jones from SocietyOne reveals a return of consumer confidence ahead of the all-important Christmas season in this week's Financial Review.... https://www.afr.com//consumer-confidence-is-returning-soci
02.01.2022 "Business as usual" for some! Theres a lot of negative speculation around whether early-stage tech companies will get the funding needed to rapidly grow, given the huge uncertainty facing investors. However, these three investments are in line with Sydney Angels historic investment amount ranging between $200-600k per deal, demonstrating funding is still available for startups whose vision, fundamentals, and growth potential are solid, and which present a compelling oppor...tunity for investors." Adrian Bunter from Sydney Angels speaks to Startup Daily about the opportunities that still exist for early-stage startups even during economic uncertainty. Congrats Trendspek, JRNY, and Cogsworth and good luck for what lies ahead! https://www.startupdaily.net//sydney-angels-investment-st/
01.01.2022 Congrats to Cicada Innovations incubatee, Loop+, for becoming the first local investment for Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley, Inc., Yamaha Motor Cos venture capital division! https://www.afr.com//local-start-up-that-helps-wheelchair-
01.01.2022 "The oversubscribed equity raise is a sign of market bullishness on challenger banks as Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, ANZ and Westpac turn inward to focus on customer remediation, dwindling margins and executive recruitment in the aftermath of the Hayne royal commission." Congrats to Volt Bank on the recent oversubscribed $70m series C, as CEO Steve Weston and team head to the United Arab Emirates and UK to kick off series D. Thanks to Aleks Vicko for the great ...write-up! https://www.afr.com//neobank-volt-raises-70m-eyes-2020-ipo
