Author: Nathan Murphy

Last night in North Melbourne the startup community gathered to watch the pitches of Startmate’s latest Sydney cohort. Considered by most to be Australia’s best startup accelerator program, Startmate certainly didn’t disappoint with 8 strong pitches of promising new companies. Founded in 2010, Startmate has invested in 99 startups with a combined valuation of over $600,000,000. Over 1400 jobs have been created by the startups that went through the program. And, for the first time since the launch of the accelerator, this year’s cohort had at least one female founder on 50% of the teams. Straight up exploding with pride…

Tens of thousands of commuters were made late to work this morning by a well-planned protest by vegans wishing to raise awareness for agricultural practices within Australia. Hundreds of protesters took over the crossroads outside Flinders station next to Federation Square effectively blocking all trams and traffic heading into or out of the city. More than 11 tram lines were disrupted by the protest. #BREAKING Vegan protestors have brought the Flinders Street and Swanston Street intersection to a standstill in Melbourne.#AusNews #veganhttps://t.co/rPVfPFb5Lc — 7News Yahoo7 (@Y7News) April 7, 2019 Several protesters chained themselves to each other and to vehicles onto…

The hype is real Melbourne, but are you ready? From the creators of ‘Pokemon Go’ comes Wizard’s Unite; a Harry Potter mobile AR game that will have you running all over Melbourne catching mythical beasts and duelling with your friends. Update: As of today (May 2nd 2019) the beta for the game is now open to Australians on both iOS and Android! You can download the beta version for iOS here and on Android here. An email from the game makers said: Please note this will be a beta version of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Features, available languages, design, and…

We all grew up seeing Jim’s Mowing trailers on the road, but it turns out there is much more to the story of the founder than meets the eye. In March this year a biography of Jim Penman, the founder of the Jim’s Group, hit bookstores. It is aptly called Jim’s Book, was written by Melbournian Catherine Moolenschot, and is a warts-and-all account of Jim Penman’s life and business. Jim has a PhD in history, eleven children (he is happily married to his fourth wife), lives a modest lifestyle and funds research into helping people who suffer from addiction and…

Looking for the perfect date idea? We’ve put together a list of the best Melbourne date ideas for under $50. I hope you like it! As a self-proclaimed relationship enthusiast, I am a big believer in date nights. Nothing beats quality time with the person you love, and I will take a memorable experience over a new trinket any day. However, let’s be real, this can be an expensive exercise, especially if you are single! The best romantic date ideas don’t have to be that expensive. Sometimes, the perfect date for you and your significant other can be highly affordable.…

Whilst South Australia won the battle to become Australia’s official ‘space hub’ Victoria is still fostering its own ecosystem of space entrepreneurs. I went along to a recent pitch night organised by StartupVictoria, The Quantum Leap Program, OneGlobalVenture & Moonshot to learn more about the 4 finalists battling for a startup prize package. The MC for the evening was local legend Garry Williams who even wore an astronaut outfit to set the mood. SpaceTech is still a relatively new entrant to the startup sector, with hardly any household names, especially in Australia. That might not be the case for long though with…

This guide to the best day spas and bathhouses of Melbourne is going to help you plan out your day of total relaxation and rejuvenate until you simply melt into a puddle of chilled vibes and inner peace. Whether you’re looking for a hot stone soothing massage, deep tissue massage, or a full wellness experience of therapeutic massages, we have a comprehensive list for you. Treat yourself, treat your partner & let’s get sweaty! Here are some of the best spas Melbourne has to offer. 1. Sense of Self Bathhouse After taking a world tour of some of the best…

The perfect bacon and egg roll. Ricotta hotcakes. An Acai Bowl with Bloody Mary’s. There’s nothing like starting the day with great hearty breakfast options at the best breakfast spots. We all know Melbourne is the place to be for excellent coffee, but what about brekkie? Well, we’re here to tell you that breakfast restaurants in Melbourne are damn hard to beat. Whether you’re looking for a good place for some quick fried eggs and perfect smashed avocado, a classic eggs benny, acai bowl with bloody Mary, or a wide range of inventive dishes in the Melbourne CBD or South…

Look. I’m not really a tattoo guy. Sure, there’s a tattoo on my wrist but it’s only there because I thought I was getting henna at the time and they didn’t speak English. It’s a long story, for another day. But, since my first accidental tattoo, I’ve often toyed with getting high-quality tattoos. Thus in preparation and looking for inspiration I set out to find the best tattoo shops, tattoo studios, tattoo parlours, and tattoo artists in Melbourne, and what kind of work they are known for. I looked at everyone that provided all sorts of tattoo designs— from dot…

A Vipassana is a ten-day silent meditation retreat where you attempt to take control of your monkey mind and emerge more grounded. During these ten days you agree: not to kill; steal; lie; engage in sexual misconduct; or take any intoxicants. You also give up: meat; physical exercise (besides walking); your phone; the Internet; reading; writing; or anything else that could distract you from the task at hand. Basically, all you do is meditate, eat, sleep & repeat for ten days. When I was 20 years old I attempted a Vipassana. However, I left on day three without saying…