Canva pitches at CES; Encouraging women to make video games; How – and why – Google is transforming the map

HOME | ADVERTISE | CONTACT US Dear StartupSmart reader, Australian design startup Canva was one of the 10 finalists pitching at the 2015 International CES in Las Vegas last week, as part of Richard Branson’s Extreme Tech Challenge competition. About half of Australian video gamers are female, but men account for 88% of game developers. The Girl Geek Academy has organised an event in Melbourne later this month that hopes to help change that. CES 2015 promises a better life through smart devices. Are we ready to believe it? With Netflix widely tipped to launch in the local market in March and other online video services such as Stan set to follow, one Australian startup is preparing to ride a wave of interest in subscription television services. How – and why – Google is transforming the map. The first week of January has set a new record for Apple’s App Store, with the tech giant revealing customers from around the world spent nearly $US500 million on apps and in-app purchases. Meet Marc Lore, the entrepreneur who sold his company to Amazon and is now taking Jeff Bezos on head-to-head, Eloise Keating takes a look at the Best of the Web. Kye White, Editor Canva competes at CES for the chance to pitch to Richard Branson by Andrew Sadauskas Australian design startup Canva was one of the 10 finalists pitching at the 2015 International CES in Las Vegas as part of Richard Branson’s Extreme Tech Challenge competition last week. VIEW ALL NEWS She Makes Games: encouraging women to make video games by Andrew Sadauskas About half of Australian video gamers are female, but men account for 88% of game developers. The Geek Girl Academy has organised an event in Melbourne later this month that hopes to help change that. Apple smashes app store record in first week of January by Kye White The first week of January has set a new record for Apple’s App Store, with the tech giant revealing customers from around the world spent nearly $US500 million on apps and in-app purchases. CES 2015 promises a better life through smart devices. Are we ready to believe it? by David Glance The annual consumer electronics show running in Las Vegas this week has highlighted what Industry at least, believes is our technology-enabled future. With Netflix coming to Australia, this comparison shopping revolution will be televised by Andrew Sadauskas With Netflix widely tipped to launch in the local market in March and other online video services such as Stan set to follow, one Australian startup is preparing to ride a wave of interest in subscription television services. THE NEWS WRAP: Australia’s internet speeds… loading… loading… by Broede Carmody Australia’s internet speeds are lagging behind other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, despite the rollout of the NBN. READ MORE Resourcing for growth: why you need a flexible hiring strategy by Elance-oDesk Waiting until your workload explodes is far too late to start looking for staff, and it’s no good simply being reactive if you want to grow quickly. READ MORE How – and why – Google is transforming the map  by Anthony Stefanidis, Andrew Crooks and Arie Croitoru Google has managed to map most of the world. Recently, the company offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how it’s built the Google Maps application using a combination of technology, expansion and algorithms. READ MORE Meet Marc Lore, the entrepreneur who sold his company to Amazon and is now taking Jeff Bezos on head-to-head: Best of the Web by Eloise Keating Entrepreneur Marc Lore knows a thing or two about competing with Amazon. READ MORE