(Revised 28 DECEMBER 2018)
Overview
Techboard is focussed on promoting Australian startups and young technology companies. We have structured these listing rules to attempt to ensure that Techboard only provides a voice and exposure to these companies. We do not wish to become a platform where any company can list itself, without any oversight or quality control. For this reason the Techboard Team screens any application for listing before it goes live on the platform. We do not approve every application for listing and if it is not obvious to us from any application that the company is not eligible we will contact the company for more information before approving or rejecting any application.
What does Australian mean?
Based or born in Australia or have some significant link to Australia.
What can be included:
1. Company was founded in Australia, or
2. Company was founded overseas but has relocated both its headquarters and some significant operational activities to Australia.
What should not be included:
- A Australian company that has been 100% acquired by a foreign company.
- An Australian company that has been 100% acquired by another Australian Company (the parent company may be entitled to a listing).
Which State?
The same nexus required to qualify as Australian is required to qualify as from a particular state:
1. Company was founded in the state, or
2. Company was founded elsewhere but has relocated both its headquarters and some significant operational activities to the state. A company is not entitled to specify a state merely because it has some activities or customers in the state.
Note a company can have more than one state, though rarely more than two.
What do you mean by Startups and technology companies?
Companies that have proprietary technology or intellectual property at the core of their product or service offering (ie: they are commercialising a technology they have developed) OR they are a high growth potential Startup (which will generally have technology at its core).
Why Startups and Young Technology Companies?
The Team at Techboard believe that the Techboard platform has more to offer Startups and young technology companies than it does to Grownup technology companies. We believe that However, given the reasons behind the establishment of Techboard we believe it benefits the entire Startup and Tech company ecosystem for Techboard to be available to all Startups and Young Technology Companies regardless of stage of development.
What is meant by ‘Young’ for Technology companies??
At the beginning of 2017 Techboard made a strategic decision to limit Techboard to companies younger than 10 years old, with some exceptions, for example, if the Company has had a significant pivot and is effectively reborn OR if the company has yet to launch a product that has had an extended development period. Changes in corporate structure are not considered when calculating the 10 years. If the business is ostensibly the same (ie through ASX listing).
Why are ASX Listed Companies included?
The traditional source of funding for startups globally is usually private investment with seed and early expansion funds coming from private equity or venture capital sources. Techboard was born in and is based in Western Australia. WA is a State has gone through significant periods without any venture capital funds being based in the state and the Australian Stock Exchange has become a valid source of venture capital level funding for startups, many of which are based in Western Australia. We believe that these listed startups and tech young companies should be included on Techboard to provide both those listed companies with greater opportunities for exposure but also to provide greater exposure for unlisted companies to the audience of people who are watching and investing in ASX listed companies.
Archiving Company Profiles on Techboard
Companies that have legitimately been listed on Techboard and which cease to be eligible due to age, ceasing operations or some other reason will be archived so that the profile will still be searchable. Archived companies will not be included in the Startup Ranking.
What shouldn’t be included on Techboard?
1. A business that merely uses technology owned by others in delivering a product or service without significant additional proprietary IP – for example contract developers, systems integrators, licensed distributors etc.
2. A newly started company that does not otherwise fit the listing rules.
3. A company that was established overseas and which has established a registered office in Australia for compliance purposes (such as due to listing on the ASX) but has no real or significant operational activities in Australia. The presence of Australian customers is not sufficient.
4. A company that was established overseas and has set up an Australian office for the purposes of an Australian rollout (this included wholly or substantially owned subsidiaries of overseas companies).
5. A company that does not reveal who its company founders are, either in the Application to list or on Linkedin.
Please Note that Techboard has a discretion to allow, add or remove companies from the Techboard Platform in accordance with these Listing Criteria (as they may change from time to time).
Any user of Techboard that does not believe a company should be included on the platform should feel free to contact us.
