Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by James McCreery
World’s 6 richest lose $130 billion on Thursday as AI spending fears sink tech stocks
Published on October 23, 2026 SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump. Image: Getty Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Michael Dell and Mark Zuckerberg lost the combined 12-figure sum as Tesla, SpaceX, Amazon, Google, Dell and Meta shares all fell.
The $200 million CBD gamble: inside the Australian biotech betting on a cannabis pill
Published on September 25, 2026 The Promethean production line. Australia legalised medicinal cannabis almost a decade ago, but the country has yet to approve a single CBD medicine for ordinary pain. Peter Comerford thinks he has found a way to change that. His Sydney-based Promethean BioPharma has developed a THC-free CBD tablet that it says delivers far more of the cannabis compound into the bloodstream than conventional CBD oils.
Welcome to the mammosphere
Published on September 19, 2026 PremieHealth founders Kevin Nicholas and Julie Sharp. | Image: Supplied For millions of years, marsupials have been solving a problem that human medicine is only now beginning to understand: how to tell a premature baby when to grow. Now two Melbourne scientists think they can use what they’ve learned about that to dominate a $2 billion a year market. Marsupial babies are born extraordinarily underdeveloped.
Drugging the undruggable. The Melbourne biotech taking on the world
Published on September 12, 2026 Ternarx’s executive team and scientific advisory board, from left: John Silke, Dianna McKiernan, Dr Lee Booty, Dr Bekky Feltham, Dr Bernhard Lechtenberg and Dr Joanne Boag. | Image: WEHI For most of modern medicine, the basic job of a drug has been simple: find the protein causing the problem and block it. But New Scientist declared in May that we’ll look back on 2026 as the year that all changed. A new class of drugs, PROTACs, have come on the scene.
Forbes Travel Guide’s 2026 Edge List
Published on August 28, 2026 Game On: The Grand Royal Residence at South Africa’s Thanda Safari. Brad Taylor/Thanda Royal Residences You don’t have to be Odysseus to understand that life-changing travel isn’t about checking off destinations—it’s about committing to the journey. It requires an appetite for depth over speed and a curiosity that pushes past the familiar. Forbes Travel Guide’s second annual Edge List encourages discovery beyond the well-trodden path.
The 8 Australian startups on Forbes Asia’s 100 To Watch list
Published on August 25, 2026 The 100 companies featured have raised a combined US$2.4 billion, including almost US$1 billion in 2026 so far. Forbes Asia highlights AI-driven innovation as the dominant theme across the list, with close to a quarter of entries being enterprise technology firms offering AI-related services. Robotics is the other sector gathering pace, accounting for ten companies.
The Australian biotech taking on the world’s third biggest killer
For two decades, the world’s biggest drugmakers tried to silence a single inflammatory receptor in the lungs and failed. Now, an Australian biotech company thinks it has found a solution. This story features in Issue 24 – out now. Tap here to secure your copy. You can’t breathe; you basically drown”, that’s how Siro Perez, chief executive officer of Atisama Therapeutics, describes what advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) feels like.
‘You’ll be a millionaire when you retire’: CBA’s Susie Grehl on the habit young Australians are missing
Published on August 14, 2026 This story features in Issue 24 – out now. Tap here to secure your copy. You’d think it might be the state of the economy, the likely impact of the movement of interest rates on high-net-worth customers, or the global uncertainty that’s choking consumer and business sentiment. But it’s not. It’s her concern for the future of young people, especially those who won’t share in the country’s ongoing $3.5–$5.4 trillion intergenerational wealth transfer.
Quick Takes: Three entrepreneurs we’re watching right now – Issue 24
Published on August 12, 2026 This story features in Issue 24 – out now. Tap here to secure your copy. After decades of building telecommunications networks, Mark Rafferty recognised a growing shortage in Australia’s fibre infrastructure. “I could see demand from the hyperscalers beginning to outstrip what a 25-year-old legacy network could physically supply,” he says.
A word from our Editor-in-Chief: Issue 24
Published on August 10, 2026 This story features on the cover of Forbes Australia: Issue 24 . Tap here to secure your copy. It’s a fair assumption if you go by recent funding figures. Last quarter, AI sucked up roughly three-quarters of all venture capital invested in Australia and about 81% of seed funding. Which is why I find this issue quite refreshing. It’s packed with stories of entrepreneurs who have built great businesses across industries such as food, music, retail, equipment hire and media.
AI model wars: Anthropic extends Fable access again after OpenAI’s Sol release
Published on July 14, 2026 The U.S. quickly blocked the debut of Anthropic’s Mythos models before they were released. NurPhoto via Getty Images Anthropic, announcing its decision Sunday on X, through an email to subscribers and an updated support page, said Claude Fable 5 would be available to subscribers at no extra cost through July 19.
Qiao Ma – Where I’m putting the money
Published on June 26, 2026 Qiao Ma for Forbes There are hundreds of ways of making money out of the stock market. But the trick is to work out what works for your personal temperament and your intellectual curiosity. My personality leads to growth investing. A simple test score is if you see a line around the block, like people lining up outside a shop. There are two types of people.
2026 FIFA World Cup: Live scores, fixtures & everything Australian fans need to know
Published on June 12, 2026 Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Image: Getty For the first time ever, three nations share hosting duties for the FIFA World Cup: the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Specifically, the USA hosts matches in 11 cities, Mexico in 3, and Canada in 2. Altogether, there are 16 host cities, each with a single stadium.
The Australian medtech rebuilding the aortic valve from scratch
Published on May 5, 2026 The accent is the first tell. Paterson has spent the past two decades offshore – China, Korea, Europe, and the US – his vowels drift sporadically. But the larger dislocation isn’t linguistic, it’s professional. For most of his career, Paterson was immersed in pharmaceuticals, reaching leadership positions in Merck and Roche, two of the world’s largest drugmakers. He helped bring 36 drugs to market, some of which generated US$5-6 billion apiece.
This 23 year-old's new AI data company has already hit a $100 million run rate
When the Winter 2025 deadline for famed startup incubator Y Combinator approached, Spencer Mateega and Carlos Georgescu, who were both still in college, pulled together an application in 48 hours. They didn't have a product. They had a destination: San Francisco. The plan was to ride the AI wave, in the most literal sense, and decide what to build once they arrived.
This ex-Google duo just raised $900k to build an AI receptionist for Aussie tradies
Australian tradies miss an estimated 270,000 calls a day, according to Sydney-based startup Chime Labs. Its founders are hoping their AI receptionist can pick up when they can't. Key Takeaways Sydney startup Chime Labs has raised $900,000 in pre-seed funding led by 500 Global, with participation from angel investors. The company was founded by former Google leaders Alexis Griveau and Mathew Pretel to build AI tools for trades and service businesses.
Abu Dhabi's hidden stake in one of venture capital's biggest players
A workplace lawsuit has opened the lid on the little-known ownership structure of Insight Partners, an investor in OpenAI and Anthropic: It is now partially owned by the government of Abu Dhabi. Insight Partners is one of the biggest startup investors in the world, managing over $90 billion thanks to its bets on companies like Twitter, Wiz, Databricks and Anthropic - comparable in size to its noisier rivals Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital.
$1.6 billion in card surcharges to be scrapped under new RBA rules
The Reserve Bank has announced it will ban card surcharges on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard payments from October 1, removing an estimated $1.6 billion in annual fees so consumers pay only the sticker price. Here's what you need to know. Key Takeaways The Reserve Bank of Australia will ban surcharges on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard payments from October 1, 2026. The changes will remove an estimated $1.6 billion in annual surcharges paid by consumers.
How 3 billionaire investors used AI to double their fortunes in a year
After a rough stretch, investment firm AQR is on a 5-year hot streak thanks to a new AI infused investing strategy and strong tax-friendly returns, beloved by financial advisors. Last year was a banner year for many hedge funds and quant shops, and Greenwich, CT-based Applied Quantitative Research-better known as AQR-was no exception. Its assets under management have ballooned to $187 billion, increasing $73 billion in 2025. All three of its billionaire founders saw their net worths double.
British Airways is flying to Melbourne for the first time in nearly 20 years
The airline's return to Victoria comes as conflict in the Middle East forces travellers to rethink how they get between Australia and Europe.
The highest-paid actors of 2025
Adam Sandler continues to laugh all the way to bankability as Hollywood's top earner. And the youngest-ever newcomer joins the salary A-List this year along with an actress who came out of retirement. Hollywood's collective panic over consolidation, the rise of AI and declining theatrical ticket sales now includes another concern-the supposed death of movie stardom. Top musicians, athletes, internet creators, and even podcasters now regularly out-earn their counterparts in film and television.
Oscars 2026 Winners
Key Background One Battle After Another has dominated the night, taking best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay and best film editing. Sinners - which entered with a record 16 nominations - claimed best actor for Michael B. Jordan, ending Timothée Chalamet's frontrunner status for Marty Supreme. The night produced a rare tie in best live action short, with The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva both taking the prize - only the seventh dead heat in Oscars history.
When and where you can watch The Oscars in Australia
The 98th Academy Awards air live on Monday morning, Australian time. Here's everything you need to know. Key Takeaways The 2026 Oscars air live in Australia on Monday, March 16, from 10am AEDT on Channel 7 and 7Plus. Red carpet coverage begins at 9:30am AEDT, with an encore screening at 9pm for those who miss the morning broadcast. Sinners leads all nominations with 16 nods - the most in Oscars history - followed by One Battle After Another with 13.
TAG Heuer appoints insider BĂ©atrice Goasglas as CEO
Key Takeaways The brands parent company LVMH announced Thursday that Béatrice Goasglas will assume the role on May 1, 2026. Goasglas is TAG Heuer's seventh CEO since 2013. Her predecessors include Frédéric Arnault, Stéphane Bianchi and Jean-Claude Biver - most of whom moved on to bigger LVMH roles rather than leaving the group. She replaces Antoine Pin, who was appointed CEO in July 2024 and lasted just 18 months.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro design changes come into focus in new leaks
One of the questions Apple watchers have is about the colors of the next product. A new report claims to know what the iPhone 18 Pro colors will include - and it's an unprecedented change. The same report claims that the colors for the widely-predicted iPhone Fold, Apple's first folding phone, have also been established. And the 18 Pro could also promise a subtler design change: a significant upgrade to one of the rear cameras. More on both those aspects below. The First-Ever Red iPhone Pro?
Where I'm putting the money
Schroders head of fixed income, Kellie Wood, has been in markets for more than 25 years and has had a pivotal role in building her firm's domestic fixed income business. She spoke to Stewart Hawkins about how the defensive asset class is redefining its role amid a new market paradigm, the risks of geopolitical volatility, how gold has glittered and why she's not really keen on Australian stocks. How have you been building wealth for your clients over the past decades?
This 25-year-old founder wants to kick Chinese drones out of American skies
China makes 70% of the world's drones. Blake Resnick wants to change that. Backed by Sam Altman and Peter Thiel, the Brinc founder is on his way to making his quadcopters the top choice for America's cops-if only he can get the federal government to ban his primary competitor. A frantic woman makes a 911 call in the suburban town of Queen Creek, Arizona, southeast of Phoenix, claiming her boyfriend is trying to strangle her. After officers arrive on scene, the suspect slips away.
When and where you can see the 'blood moon' in Australia tonight
A striking 'blood moon' will be visible across Australia tonight, 3rd March 2026, when the moon turns a deep copper red in the night sky. When is the best time to see the blood moon in Australia? The eclipse lasts around 3 hours but will peak at different times throughout the country. What is a blood moon? A blood moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse, when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon. Instead of going completely dark, the Moon glows red.
Meet the under-25 agtech founders tackling farming's biggest challenges
Ranging in age from 19 to 24, these five antipodeans are working to revolutionise the process of bringing food from farm to Aussie tables. The Australian agriculture, fisheries and forestry industry crossed the $100 billion valuation threshold last year. Eighty per cent of what was produced was exported abroad, with China and the USA being our biggest customers.
The Australian startup trying to clean up fashion's dirty secret
Clothes may change every season, but the way they're coloured hasn't kept up. One Australian company is attempting to rebuild textile dyeing from scratch. For decades, the global textile industry has quietly relied on the same water-soaked, energy-hungry processes to colour and finish fabrics. Now, Australian deep-tech startup Xefco believes it has found a way to do it without water. In 2024, Xefco raised $10.5 million in a seed funding round led by Main Sequence Ventures.
Taylor Swift named top-selling artist of 2025 worldwide-it's a record sixth time at No. 1
Billionaire pop star Taylor Swift was named the top-performing artist of 2025 by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, her record-setting fourth year in a row as the year's biggest artist across streams and sales.
How much does the average Australian wedding cost in 2026?
Key Takeaways The average Australian wedding now costs $38,252, up 8% year-on-year, outpacing last year's 4.5% increase. Couples routinely overshoot their initial budgets, with expectation versus reality remaining one of the biggest planning challenges. 69% of couples receive financial help, with family members contributing to 39% of total wedding spend. Guest lists are shrinking under budget pressure, with couples inviting 23 fewer guests on average than originally planned.
Inside the Great Spine of Africa's push to protect the source
Steve Boyes and his team, backed by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, have travelled tens of thousands of kilometres by river chasing one simple question: where does a river begin? His latest focus is the Zambezi's "source of life" wetlands in Angola. Steve Boyes likes to start with a map in his head. Not the clean version on tourist brochures, or the one in old atlases with tidy blue lines.
Beyond the baseline: Naomi Osaka is back
From a mental health hiatus to motherhood, Naomi Osaka's feet are now firmly back on the court, and vying for a third Australian Open title. This time, she's doing it her way. A new sense of equilibrium marks Naomi Osaka's return to Melbourne. Between matches, she takes bike rides along the coastal paths of Port Phillip Bay and navigates the city's retail scene, which she describes as impressive and eclectic. An enthusiast of the local food culture, she remains protective of her specific haunts.
Alex de Minaur on firing up his inner demon for the Australian Open
Known for his speed and endurance, Australia's Alex de Minaur has already drawn record crowds to the 2026 AO. The 6th seed opens up to about the legacy he hopes to leave. He took the first round in straight sets, locking into what he describes as ' ' to beat US opponent Mackenzie McDonald in 1 hour and 46 minutes.
12 marathons worth traveling for in 2026
From Big Sur to the Great Wall of China, these picturesque races will inspire globetrotters to lace up and run 26.2 miles. Plus, Forbes Travel Guide's recommendations for luxurious hotels to celebrate the finish. The 2026 racing season is shaping up to be a historic one for the marathon world. In Boston, the world's oldest annual race celebrates 130 years, while New York City marks a half-century of its legendary five-borough route (although it's the 52nd running of the race).
Sergey Brin becomes world's third-richest -overtakes Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison after Alphabet hits US$4 trillion
Sergey Brin leapfrogged Oracle's Larry Ellison and Amazon's Jeff Bezos on Tuesday to become the world's third-richest person, ranking again behind fellow Google cofounder Larry Page as parent firm Alphabet stock rallied to its latest milestone. Key Facts Shares of Alphabet rose 1.3% to just over $337 as of Tuesday afternoon, paring back earlier gains as high as 2.4% and adding to a 6.6% rally over the previous seven trading sessions.
Draw date, prize money and what's new this year
The Australian Open returns for another year, kicking off the tennis season with more money on the table, more Australians in contention, and more pressure on the sport's returning stars to deliver. Here's everything you need to know. How Much Prize Money Is on Offer? The Australian Open's prize pool climbed to $111.5 million, surpassing the $100 million mark for the first time in the tournament's history. This increase represents a 16% rise on 2025's $96.5 million pool.
Australian Open 2026 prize money revealed
The Australian Open returns for another year, kicking off the tennis season with more money on the table, more Australians in contention, and more pressure on the sport's returning stars to deliver. Here's everything you need to know. How Much Prize Money Is on Offer? The Australian Open's prize pool climbed to $111.5 million, surpassing the $100 million mark for the first time in the tournament's history. This increase represents a 16% rise on 2025's $96.5 million pool.
Synchron raises $308m to leapfrog Neuralink
Once a Melbourne university spin-out, now a billion-dollar U.S. medtech, Synchron has secured $308 million to accelerate brain-computer interfaces - and Australia's government is paying to bring it home. Key Takeaways Australia's government venture arm, the National Reconstruction Fund, chipped in $54 million for the now Brooklyn-headquartered company. The Series D round was led by Double Point Ventures, alongside existing investors ARCH Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Bezos Expedition, NTI and METIS.
Spotify accused of ignoring 'billions' of fraudulent Drake streams-what we know about bot streams
A federal lawsuit filed Sunday in California federal court accuses Spotify of failing to prevent streaming fraud, including by allowing "billions" of bot-generated streams that allegedly boosted rapper Drake's streaming numbers, though he is not named as a defendant.
Hullbot raises $16m from the bottom of the harbour
Sydney-based Hullbot, maker of autonomous underwater robots that scrub ship hulls, has raised $16 million in a Series A round led by climate-focused funds. Key Takeaways Climate fund Regeneration.VC backed Hullbot because barnacles on boats slow them down and drive up fuel costs. Hullbot claims to reduce fuel costs by an average of 15%, and up to 26%. Current users of the system include Sydney Ferries and NRMA Marine, but the $16 million raise will go towards taking the company to the world.
Human Health raises $8.5 million to fix broken healthcare systems
With more than 200,000 patients worldwide logging health actions on the Human Health platform, co-founders Georgia Vidler and Kate Lambridis say they're ready for the company's next phase of global growth.
How Square Peg's Paul Bassat is picking the next AI giants
SEEK co-founder Paul Bassat built Square Peg into a venture capital powerhouse. His latest bets are on AI, Thinking Machines Lab, and the non-partisan Amplify, which tackles housing and equity challenges. Paul Bassat's 2025 investmentin Mira Murati's $18.5 billion, San Francisco-headquartered foundational AI start-up, Thinking Machines Lab, came about through a serendipitous chain of events. Former Australian Olympic swimmer Matt Targett is married to Murati, Bassat says.
Forget search, Perplexity VP says answers, trust, and subscriptions are paramount
Ryan Foutty articulated Perplexity's vision for the digital economy at SXSW Sydney. The economic structure of the internet is fundamentally realigning to prioritise quality, brand, and user efficiency over click revenue, he says. The buzz at South by Southwest Sydney was unmistakable: the future of search is here, and it's not built on clicks. It's all about summaries, overviews - and crucially for Perplexity AI - answers.
The Australian startup turning living cells into computer code
Cell Bauhaus is building computer-based replicas of living systems to accelerate bioengineering. By modelling entire cells, it aims to recast biology as a discipline of digital design, rather than trial-and-error. After years of watching academic breakthroughs stall before reaching industry, Cell Bauhaus' CEO Dr Megan Coomer, became determined to make a change.
If venture capital is about innovation, why does it always look the same?
Opinion: Cut Through Venture's latest quarterly report shows 100% of Series B+ funding went to man-only startup teams, confirming what women founders already know: Australia's venture ecosystem rewards sameness. But it doesn't have to be this way, writes Kirstin Hunter Australia's venture capital industry loves to talk about innovation, disruption and risk-taking. Yet, when it comes to who gets funded, the playbook hasn't changed in decades.
Where I'm putting the money: Chris Andrews
La Trobe CEO, Chris Andrews, a legal eagle turned long-term investment manager spoke to Stewart Hawkins sharing a broad-ranging historical look at investment markets, why, in that context he sees alternative, private assets as an innovative, solid place to put money, why middle America could prove a boon for Australian investors, why we shouldn't bash the banks too hard and outlines his rather pessimistic reason for pragmatic market optimism.
Luxury stocks-Herm├Ęs, Prada, more-boom as LVMH earnings fuel rally
Sales growth for LVMH through the French conglomerate's latest quarter fueled a broader luxury sector rally Wednesday, boosting shares for Hermès, L'Oreal, Dior, Prada and more as Bernard Arnault, the bellwether's billionaire chairman, had more than $18 billion added to his net worth. Key Facts The CAC 40, France's luxury-heavy index featuring Hermès, Kering and LVMH, among others, closed up nearly 2% on Wednesday, the largest single-day increase for the French benchmark this year.
Australian start-up funding rebounds to over $1 billion across Q3
Despite a continued drought of mega-deals, Australia's venture funding climbed back to the billion-dollar mark in Q3, driven by a surge in accelerator activity and heightened investor appetite for deep-tech and AI-focused companies. Key Takeaways Australian start-ups raised $1.0 billion across 116 announced rounds, comprising 85 venture rounds and 31 accelerator rounds. This was the biggest quarter of 2025 by deal count, according to the Cut Through Venture, Quarterly Funding Report.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with James
Contact James, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack